Doritos Flavored Mountain Dew. Has It Gone Too Far?

That's right, boys and girls, Mountain Dew is currently in the product testing stage (specifically taste-testing) stage of a Mountain Dew blend that tastes like cheese Doritos, called "Dewitos".

There was a taste testing on the campus of Kent State University, in Ohio. The testing included other flavors such as rainbow sherbet, lemon ginger, and mango habanero.

As a Chicago marketing agency, we weren't sure if this was a real product or a stunt, like the pumpkin spice condoms, but no, this is real. A Pepsi spokesperson confirmed the rumor that they are indeed testing new flavors of Mountain Dew and have given consumers the chance to taste the Doritos-inspired flavor.

Has it gone too far? Our Chicago marketing company understands the Locos Tacos, using a Dorito as the taco shell (it only makes sense, people!). Then they released Doritos that tasted like Doritos Locos Tacos (so a chip based on the taco based on the chip) and now this?

Where does it end? Will there be Doritos-flavored lip balm? (Someone at Frito-Lay might be thinking that's not such a bad idea).

Let us know what you think! Comment below or let us know on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+! 

What Does McDonald's Food Consist Of? New Transparency Campaign

Last week, fast food giant, McDonald's, launched a new campaign that centers around the brand being honest and transparent about their practices. The campaign is being launched in the U.S. and will be called, "Our Food. Your questions."

This is not the first transparency rodeo for McDonald's, as they have run similar campaigns in Australia and Canada in the past. They plan to answer questions like, "What is a McNugget?" "Is pink slime really in burgers?" etc.

The drive for the campaign is to improve the perception of their food quality and combat depressing sales with Millennials against chains like Chipotle and trendier burger joints like 5 Guys, as well as others.

The videos explaining everything will be featured on a dedicated part of the company's website as well as social media- Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. As a Chicago marketing agency, we hear a lot of what McDonald's does since they are just down the road and we think this is a mighty fine idea.

In one video, the question is asked, "Is the beef in McDonald's burgers real?" And in response, the host, Grand Imahara (formerly of Mythbusters) visits a beef supplier for the chain and witnesses the grinding and inspection process for the beef that goes into a McDonald's burger.

The chain is also handling questions with their social media marketing efforts, encouraging consumers to ask questions, where they give prompt, real responses (not automated) that contain a link to the videos.

This could prove to be a smart branding move for the chain, let's see if it pays off or if it… flops (lame joke?)

Have any questions about marketing or about our services? Then contact Integraphix! We'd love to help you navigate the complex world of marketing. Talk with one of our specialists today.  

What to Know About Naming a Business

The process of naming a business is sometimes one of the hardest decisions one can make. Your business's name is supposed to be something people will remember, describe your business, and let you stand out.

There are many challenges to naming your business; aside from the creative necessity, one may find that getting a name for a business requires patience and a knowledge of legal matters. So what are the various hurdles?

• Trademark law. This is one of the hardest things to overcome when you are thinking of a business name. You have to find a business name that has not been trademarked yet. The American trademark laws are not so lenient, either. As a business owner, there are two things to consider: confusion and dilution.
• Confusion is the chance that your business name will be confused with another brand. This is not only a worry about confusing consumers but could be a legal issue. One example I, even as a Chicago marketing company creative, is "Belvita" and Velveeta". Belvita makes energizing morning bars & Velveeta makes cheese. 
• Dilution is when your name/branding attempts to mooch or steal another company's, even if your names have no confusion. So, if your company name is "Ricky's Auto Shop" but your trademark is styled after the legendary "Carl's Auto Garage" by mirroring script, etc. then that's no good. 
• The penalties. If your business name violates a law, then the business could face some serious penalties. 
• No longer being able to use the name
• Being forced to recall products with the name on it
• Frozen inventory/seized inventory
• Monetary compensation
• What will your URL be like? Having a long but cute name might be good and dandy for your business but what if your site's URL is now going to be really long? That will make your internet presence hard and any search engine optimization will be a bit more difficult. At the very least, consumers will have some trouble remembering your site. 
• The realization that good products make great brand names. Sometimes we go into the idea of naming a business with the idea that we will be the next Apple or Nike; the reality is that they had to make great products before their names became great. 
• You have to love it. No good business name was created because the person thought, "Yeah, I guess it'll do." You have to think of a name that excites you; even better, it can excite those you ask for advice. 

As a marketing agency in Chicago of over 25 years, we have lots of experience with branding and naming a business. Is your business in need of marketing assistance? Then contact Integraphix! 

5 Brief Reasons Your Business Must Advertise

Social media marketing is free, publicity is free, emails are free (unless you utilize a service for email marketing), cold-calls are free, referrals are free and often effective, however, advertising costs money. Why would you do advertising when you have all these free marketing efforts available?

Advertising is one of the marketing tactics that comes with a nice price tag. You have to pay money to run ads and send direct mail and sometimes you have to wait until you see any ROI. However, there is great strategy in advertising and it will be one of the best marketing decisions one could make… if they do it right.

In order to get good ROI from advertising, you have to:

• Be focused on a target market
• Have an effective call to action
• Pay attention to any leads and conversion rates

So why would you advertise? 

• It is a medium that you have control over. When it comes to advertising, you can say exactly what you want the ads to say, how they look, where they should go, etc. Nothing is left up to chance, except for their reception by the consumer, technically. 
• You say who is targeted. Knowing how your target market interacts with the world enables you to know how to publish an ad so only they get appealed to. A personal message aimed at one market is not going to be effective when it is carelessly put out there. 
• It helps create awareness for content. If you have content to share, say like blogs, books, catalogs, guides, etc. then you can use advertising to talk about it. 
• It helps with credibility. People believe that business must be going well when a business is running ads. Now, if the ad is for a "Going out of business sale" then clearly, things are not going well. However, this is generally the case. People pay attention to you and what you have to say because your knowledge has [allegedly] paid off before. 
• It amplifies your other efforts. Advertising helps consumers take notice of other marketing efforts that you are doing. 

When you advertise, journalists find you, referral consumers remember you, you develop fans and brand loyalty, and develop a sense of pride for employees. 

If your business needs to advertise, then hire a Chicago marketing company. As a marketing firm in Chicago, Integraphix has over 25 years of advertising and marketing experience.