Brand Pup: Stop pimping our brands

I love to lick out a Marmite jar. There are always scrapings she can’t reach. But now they’ve produced a ‘Special St. Patrick’s edition’ Marmite – flavoured with Guinness. I howled!

This type of ridiculous brand extension was brilliantly satirised by The Fast Show. Its Cheezy Peas brand morphing into New Strawberry-Flavoured Squeezy Cheezy Peas was a classic spoof of vulgar ‘edition’ marketing.

Ultimately consumers are confused, even repelled by this kind of hybrid. The cleverest brand managers don’t mess too much with their brands; they know that even the packaging can be a consumer fetish. KitKat, another of my favourite treats, has had a rough ride in the past few years: the decision to ditch the classic paper and tinfoil wrapper caused a sales slump, which surprised no-one except the owners. Worse atrocities have been perpetrated: Mint KitKat, Orange KitKat etc. Result: image dilution, identity confusion.

Now I come to think of it, though ... Marmite-flavoured KitKat. Mmm - that’s something that could work for me ...