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American Marketers Hope to Use "Shock and Awe"
Aired April 18, 2003 - 15:57 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well it was used to describe the bombing campaign in Iraq on a serious note. But now American marketers hope to use "Shock and Awe" to sell products ranging from fireworks to pesticides.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Did you hear about Sony? They tried to trademark it for Playstations, and then they backed out of it.
PHILLIPS: Did they really?
O'BRIEN: Yes. Anyway, Bruce Burkhardt has our story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRUCE BURKHARDT, CNN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): "Shock and Awe." A catchy phrase for something, the truth be told, was downright ugly. A military campaign that cost many lives. But that won't give in the way of a good advertising campaign. At last count, some 19 companies and entrepreneurs are fighting over that name, "Shock and Awe," each applying for a trademark to protect the term.
(on camera): All right. Let's go to the old map table and telestrator for a little analysis.
(voice-over): At the tip of the spear was the Sony Corporation. There's the spear right there. Well they filed an application one day after the war started, thinking "Shock and Awe" might be a good name for a computer game. But just recently, calling it regrettable bad judgment.
But there's others. A couple of fireworks companies want the name. Then, charging in from another direction, a fellow who wants to use the name "Shock and Awe" for a line of pesticides. Better yet, another company wants to use it for lingerie.
These units, plus about a dozen others, are all pressing forward towards the patent office, for what could be the mother of all trademark fights.
(on camera): But the question is, will it work? Is this really a name that we want to be reminded of?
Would you consider buying a product with that name, "Shock and Awe"? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A product? It kind of depends on what the product would be.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm at a loss. All I can think of is the war and tanks rolling.
BURKHARDT: Lingerie?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hmm, lingerie.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that might be a little bit -- might be exploitation of the term.
BURKHARDT: Would you buy a product with that name?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely not, never.
BURKHARDT: Why not?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because of what it stands for. I don't -- I can't even express how revolting that is to me.
BURKHARDT (voice-over): That's probably not the reaction marketers are looking for. But whether or not we end up conducting surgical strikes in our backyard with "Shock and Awe" pesticide, it might be a pressure of how popular or not this war was. After all, can you think of any product named after something from the Vietnam era?
Bruce Burkhardt, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired April 18, 2003 - 15:57 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well it was used to describe the bombing campaign in Iraq on a serious note. But now American marketers hope to use "Shock and Awe" to sell products ranging from fireworks to pesticides.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Did you hear about Sony? They tried to trademark it for Playstations, and then they backed out of it.
PHILLIPS: Did they really?
O'BRIEN: Yes. Anyway, Bruce Burkhardt has our story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRUCE BURKHARDT, CNN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): "Shock and Awe." A catchy phrase for something, the truth be told, was downright ugly. A military campaign that cost many lives. But that won't give in the way of a good advertising campaign. At last count, some 19 companies and entrepreneurs are fighting over that name, "Shock and Awe," each applying for a trademark to protect the term.
(on camera): All right. Let's go to the old map table and telestrator for a little analysis.
(voice-over): At the tip of the spear was the Sony Corporation. There's the spear right there. Well they filed an application one day after the war started, thinking "Shock and Awe" might be a good name for a computer game. But just recently, calling it regrettable bad judgment.
But there's others. A couple of fireworks companies want the name. Then, charging in from another direction, a fellow who wants to use the name "Shock and Awe" for a line of pesticides. Better yet, another company wants to use it for lingerie.
These units, plus about a dozen others, are all pressing forward towards the patent office, for what could be the mother of all trademark fights.
(on camera): But the question is, will it work? Is this really a name that we want to be reminded of?
Would you consider buying a product with that name, "Shock and Awe"? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A product? It kind of depends on what the product would be.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm at a loss. All I can think of is the war and tanks rolling.
BURKHARDT: Lingerie?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hmm, lingerie.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that might be a little bit -- might be exploitation of the term.
BURKHARDT: Would you buy a product with that name?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely not, never.
BURKHARDT: Why not?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because of what it stands for. I don't -- I can't even express how revolting that is to me.
BURKHARDT (voice-over): That's probably not the reaction marketers are looking for. But whether or not we end up conducting surgical strikes in our backyard with "Shock and Awe" pesticide, it might be a pressure of how popular or not this war was. After all, can you think of any product named after something from the Vietnam era?
Bruce Burkhardt, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
