Promotional Hack Loses Footing, Stumbles Across Snapple Site

Snapple_site_redesign.jpg

[16:55] meeboguest722271: Hi there.
[16:56] meeboguest722271: I'm trying to get the word out about a great site redesign I stumbled across and as an avid reader I thought this would be a great place to start. How do you recommend I do that? The site is www.snapple.com

Why do people do this? Do they think we are dumb? Are we to believe someone actually "stumbled across" the website of a tiny little company called Snapple? By accident? Do they think we are so stupid as to not see through their lame promotional efforts? Is it so hard to simply say "we were involved in the redesign of" or "we are helping promote" Snapple's new site and we'd love to take a look at it."

Not five minutes after this IM arrived, a good old-fashioned press release arrived that touted VML's development of "a site that integrates with the campaign
while putting the consumer in the driver's seat to experience what the
beverages that are Made from the best stuff on Earth are all about."

So fine, Snapple has a new website. VML did a nice job with it. But who exactly is the clown who thought it would be cool to IM us about a great site they just happened to stumble upon? Please.

We're a little bitchy this morning.

by Steve Hall    Dec-19-07   Click to Comment   
Topic: Bad, Good, Online, Opinion   

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Comments



Comments

Clumsy ass-clown aside, it really is quite a fine site, nice work VML!

Posted by: Floyd on December 19, 2007 12:24 PM

i agree. btw, i just found a really cool computer company that sells phones... i'll send the URL later.

Posted by: seanio on December 19, 2007 1:05 PM

i agree. btw, i just found a really cool computer company that sells phones... i'll send the URL later.

Posted by: seanio on December 19, 2007 1:06 PM

We're bitchy every morning!

Posted by: Angela on December 19, 2007 1:28 PM

...and just how did this person get your IM? Inquiring minds want to know.

And BTW 16:55 is still during business hours, missy.

Posted by: Stevie the K on December 19, 2007 2:00 PM

Oh, this is awesome. Not the site... haven't been. But the PR effort. I see the team meeting now:

"Let's log into Meebo.com, setup a guest account and pretend we're Joe Consumer who 'found' a great site. Then, let's send it to the trades... because normal consumers read the ad/marketing trades."

Brilliant! The downfall of media relations is caused by ideas such as this one.

http://smokeandmirrorsmarketing.blogspot.com/

Posted by: Bill on December 19, 2007 2:10 PM

How did they get my IM? It's public for all to see in the Contact section. And, just by sending from the Meebo IM widget I have on the Contact page makes the screen name appear as it did. So to be fair, no guest/fake account was set up.

And who is Missy?

Posted by: Steve Hall on December 19, 2007 2:32 PM

Ahhh, my mistake, didn't notice the Meebo widget.

Partial apologies to VML. Only partial... I think the press release would have been fine and if you thought the site warranted coverage, you'd have covered it.

Then again, I'm still talking about it. Maybe this was a great idea?

Posted by: Bill on December 19, 2007 2:38 PM

If you think the snapple site is cool check out Arizona Iced Teas new site.

www.drinkarizona.com


...by the way Snapple is owned by Cadbury Schweppes...I wouldn't sonsider them a "small company".... although they just laid off all of the original snapple folks from the NY office and have moved everything to Texas. Yee-haw!

Posted by: Johnny Cakes on January 2, 2008 10:42 AM