Vegemite unscrews lid on iSnack2.0

Cream cheese, whalesong and a soupçon of Web 0.2

By Lester Haines • Get more from this author

Posted in Bootnotes, 28th September 2009 09:43 GMT

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LogoWatch Kraft Foods has announced the result of a three-month competition to name its new cream-cheese-adulterated Vegemite, and has decided it's a really bright idea to brand the spread "Vegemite iSnack2.0".

The man responsible for the outrage is West Australian web designer Dean Robbins. The 27-year-old saw off over 48,000 rival suggestions, including "2ritemite", "Ruddymite" and "Wow Chow", to emerge triumphant.

He told the Sydney Morning Herald: ''It's been difficult to contain my excitement - I actually leapt out of my chair when I heard the news. To think that I could go down in Australia's history is overwhelming."

He added: "It was all a bit tongue-in-cheek, really. The 'i' phenomenon and web 2.0 have been recent revolutions and I thought the new Vegemite name could do the same."

Kraft Foods' Simon Talbot cranked up the whalesong and weighed in with: "The name Vegemite iSnack2.0 was chosen based on its personal call to action, relevance to snacking and clear identification of a new and different Vegemite to the original. We believe these three components completely encapsulate the new brand."

It remains to be seen what effect the new moniker has on sales of iSnack2.0. Kraft reckons it's offloaded 2.8 million jars of the stuff since it went on sale in July - an initiative prompted by consumer calls for "a product that did not require mixing with butter and was easier to spread". ®

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