October 21, 2004

Kryptonite

I enjoyed Hugh's take on the Kryptonite saga.

DAY ONE:
KRYPTONITE: Our bike locks are the best.
THE MARKET: Yes, your bike locks are the best.

DAY TWO:

KRYPTONITE: Our bike locks are the best.
THE MARKET: Yes, your bike locks are still the best.

DAY THREE:

KRYPTONITE: Our bike locks are the best.
THE MARKET: Ummm... yeah I'm sure they are, but what's all this about some recent video on the net that's supposed to show how you can crack your locks in 10 seconds using a simple Bic ballpoint pen?

DAY FOUR:

KRYPTONITE: Our bike locks are the best.
THE MARKET: Hey, I just saw that video on a friend's website. And I'm kinda ticked off because I just paid $60 for one of your new locks 3 weeks ago, and I'm wondering if a Bic pen can crack my lock or not... does the pen crack all Kryptonite locks or just one or two models?

DAY FIVE:

KRYPTONITE: Our bike locks are the best.
THE MARKET: Hey, I just visited your website and saw no mention of the Bic pens. What the hell are you doing about it? Are you going to fix the locks? Are you going to give me a refund?

DAY SIX:

KRYPTONITE: Our bike locks are the best.
THE MARKET: No, they're not. You guys are assholes.

Here are some other corporate mantras that might be vulnerable the same way...

Coke is refreshment and connection (according to the Coke COO that is)
Kellogg's is synonymous with health and vitality (according to Interbrand)

Any other suggestions for questionable articles of faith?

Posted by Johnnie Moore at 12:22 in Branding
Bookmark and Share Permalink
Trackbacks
URL for Trackbacks: http://www.johnniemoore.com/mt/minotaur.cgi/493.

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Kryptonite:

» The Birth of Authority by Experience from Experience Designer Network
Robert Paterson picks up on an engaging line of thought in The death of authority by position - Marketing, Government, Teaching. The source takes us to Hugh MacLeod's The Kryptonite Factor in which he provides a brief narrative that nicely... [Read More]

Comments (2)

Comment feed (Site comment feed)
hugh macleod says

"Here are some other corporate mantras that might be vulnerable the same way... Coke is refreshment and connection (according to the Coke COO that is)... Kellogg's is synonymous with health and vitality (according to Interbrand)"

Heh. Nice one!

I remember my old "big agency" job... where we basically had to accept these BIZARRE corporate mantras as the God's Truth... and questioning them in any way was THE CAREER KILLER.

Of course, this was in an era where grown men could wear pony tails to the office and not get savagely beaten...

October 22, 2004 02:48 Permalink for comment

Rob Paterson says

Johnnie
Are we not seeing the end of advertising and marketing as we know it. Transparency is so great now that any lie will get caught.

Consumers can already know more than sales people and soon most consumers will know more.

My students have woken up to the fact that most of what they are being taught is now not only outdated buy wrong

The authority of the corporation, the governmetn and the teacher are all exposed by the wisdom of the crowd

October 23, 2004 11:41 Permalink for comment

Post a comment