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- tangoxray30
Vegemite Cheesybite: new recipe
Both the original Vegemite and the newer Cheesybite are popular spreads in AustraliaOn 13 June 2009, Kraft released a new version of Vegemite. The new formula combines Vegemite and Kraft cream cheese, spreads more easily and has a considerably less salty, milder taste than the original.
To coincide with the release of the new recipe, Kraft ran a competition to give the new flavour a name.[17] The new name was announced during the broadcast of the 2009 AFL Grand Final as iSnack 2.0. The name was chosen by a panel of marketing and communication experts to appeal to a younger market, capitalising on the popularity of Apple's iPod and iPhone.[18][19]
The choice immediately drew almost universal criticism within Australia. Within days, opinion columns and social networking sites were flooded with derision and vitriol.[20] Several critics also pointed out that the name is not even original; iSnack is the name of an energy bar manufactured by South African company PVM Products and is also the trademark used by Ideal Snacks (iSnack), an American Corn Chip manufacturer.[18][21][22] Breville, an Australian appliance maker, also trademarked the term iSnack with IP Australia in 2001 for a "cooking apparatus including snack makers and sandwich toasters; parts and accessories in this class for cooking apparatus",[23] however, the company has not yet manufactured a product using the name.
On 30 September 2009, only 4 days after the announcement, bowing to significant pressure from consumers, Kraft released plans to abandon the iSnack name, admitting that it may have been a mistake.[24] Kraft's head of corporate affairs Simon Talbot stated "There's a distinct possibility that we'll be critically evaluating the name... the name isn't resonating with success or favour."[25] Two days later, Kraft opened a new poll on its website offering six possible names for the product. These included the three most popular names from the original poll, as well as three others that Kraft considered "worthy of consideration based on consumer feedback". Voters in the poll were able to indicate a seventh option of not liking any of the suggested names. The poll introduction noted that "Cheesymite", a name suggested in the original poll, was already trademarked by other organisations. The final name was announced on 7 October 2009 as "Vegemite Cheesybite", with Kraft claiming that it had received 36% of the 30,357 votes that were cast for a name option, or approximately 10,900 votes.[26] It was later revealed that around 10,000 votes were registered for the "none of the names" option.[27]