Brawndo Has Been Mutilated
Dec 11th, 2008 by Alex
I keep hearing advertising on the radio for Syke Energy Drink. Whether there’s a drink or not, the ads sound awfully familiar. It sounds like the writers ripped off the spoof ads for Brawndo, the “thirst mutilator” featured so prominently in Idiocracy (and now available as an actual product).
I’m fond of the Brawndo ads (linked from the product page). I find them so ridiculous and absurd that they’re funny. The fast pace of it all that reminds me of the Micro Machine announcer guy. They’re so absurd because no one would ever advertise their product in such a fashion, which brings me back to Syke.
Google is my friend. Syke really isn’t supposed to enable kids on bicycles outrun police officers. It’s supposed to enable them to want to not smoke cigarettes. Wait a second. What? The project was unveiled during a Marketing Committee meeting (DOC) of the Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation (VTSF).
“Syke” (pronounced psych), the VTSF’s newest youth-led campaign, officially launched during the summer. Syke is an energy drink that will serve as a metaphor for cigarettes, with the main objective of igniting a passionate discontent with tobacco’s presence and influence amongst socially successful teens in Virginia. For the last few weeks, Y Street members have been conducting numerous Syke related projects where they live. Some of their achievements will be viewable on the new website, HYPERLINK “http://www.SykeEnergy.com” www.SykeEnergy.com.
Socially successful? What on earth does that mean? It’s weird to see such clever and witty copy (note the juxtaposition of “cigarettes” and “igniting”) included in Board meeting minutes. And what sort of message — metaphoric or otherwise — does it send when your medium is blatantly ripped off?
This clearly isn’t the end of the world, but it’d been nagging me every morning on my way to work. Franky, I think that the Truth movement is more creative and more far-reaching.