Alvin Koo's Blog

For a product to catch a customer’s attention from out of a crowded retail stock shelf takes a lot of creativity in packaging and design, but also an astounding product name like Holy Crap. While I was strolling down a London Drug aisle in search for cereal, I came across the little green package with a name that first struck me as provocative but then hit the mark in terms of capturing my “selective attention”. The aisle was cluttered with different brands of cereal, most of which were in the typical cardboard box packaging except for Holy Crap plus a few others who were in these plastic, re-sealable bags. Furthermore, Holy Crap did not have the traditional picture of a bowl of cereal on its front but rather an informative yet persuasive description of what benefits that little bag contained.

After seeing Mom’s Healthy Secret video and reflecting on the difficulties faced with getting a new product off the shelf I made a few quick comparisons between the two products. Similarities were plentiful in that both products targeted health-conscious consumers and were both packaged in plastic bags instead of boxes. It was branding that made all the difference in determining which product I would remember as a consumer. Mom’s Healthy Secret didn’t stick simply because the name was non-distinctive and stereotypical. For instance, I’m aware of many existing products that already use family-related brand names such as Dad’s cookies or Grandma’s Jam House. On the other hand, Holy Crap generates an emotional excitement; a curiosity that leads the consumer to investigate further into what this unusually-sounding product really is. Later on I found out that Holy Crap was featured in one of CBC’s Dragon’s Den episodes. Take note of the level of enthusiasm incited when the product name was announced.