Marketing Gome Awry

Flicking on the TV a minute or so before “Jeopardy,” I came across an ad for a home air filter called “The Barnacle.”

Having spent essentially my entire adult life dedicated to the task of making the world fall in love with my clients’ brands, I had one primary principal: associate that brand with something that is already well-known and liked in the prospect’s mind.

Of course, the average American’s vocabulary is a fraction of what it was 30 years ago, but really? The Barnacle? A parasite? An invasive species?

From the AI summary:  Barnacles need to be removed from ships because they increase drag, which reduces fuel efficiency by up to 40%, increase pollution, and can eventually damage the hull. They are a major source of biofouling that slows ships down, costing billions of dollars annually, notes National Defense Magazine and NOAA. Barnacles also pose a risk to marine life, such as sea turtles, by adding weight, impeding movement, or even causing infection from burrowing species

I wish I had been in the boardroom when this subject was under discussion. Did someone suggest “The Disease?” “The Plague?” “The Cancer?”