Pussy

[Mark W]

I think it creates an unnecessary exposure to the word when it's intentionally used for the vagina meaning, which is shown through the slogan.

Their slogan and mission statement is at pains to stress they mean it in the 'feline' sense, and don't refer to it meaning anything else specifically.

[JD™]

Do you have a problem with French Connection UK too? Just out of interest...

[Muel]

What about that "Fifty6"? Some right bad subliminal messaging going on there... Summat about coffee right? All I knows is, I'm a bit of a caffeine addict these days and I never used to be.

Dick.

[JD™]

Less of the capital f please, dick

[MadManMike]

[bikeperson45]

Their slogan and mission statement is at pains to stress they mean it in the 'feline' sense, and don't refer to it meaning anything else specifically.

I would think that 'The drink is pure, it's your mind that's the problem' is a slogan that is there to bring to the attention of people that this is not cat related but more to do with a 'hey look, we managed to get the word 'pussy' on a giant billboard' kind of though process. If it were genuinely cat related, maybe a slogan along the lines of 'Paws and appreciate the great taste' would make more sense, a slogan that doesn't highlight the fact that this word can men vagina.

Do you have a problem with French Connection UK too? Just out of interest...

I'll say no to that because it has a context to it, like the Pussy Riot example. Although I would think that the similarity to f*ck was also considered a reason with the intention of generating interest in the company. You disagree?

And I don't see why I'm getting mocked in a bad fashion here. At least I'm expressing an opinion here rather than posting in order to belittle someone else's thoughts.

[*gentlydoesit]

Fifty6 is cool, its that sixty9 dude you need to watch out for

And I think someone may have spiked your coffee

Fcuk can fcuk off

I never read their mission statment, sounds like a load of porkies to me, but why not just say "yeah man, we meant vag" if there is nothing wrong with it?. they can fcuk off too

[*gentlydoesit]

This is not cat related but more to do with a 'hey look, we managed to get the word 'pussy' on a giant billboard'

.

So true.

Edited December 23, 2013 by *gentlydoesit

[MadManMike]

EDIT: I can't be arsed to argue any longer, it's like trying to reason with a 7 year old.

Edited December 23, 2013 by MadManMike

[bikeperson45]

See now this is why people are throwing the word retard around. A play on words, that gets as close to spelling "F*CK" as you can is less offensive than a word that can mean 3 things?

You'd rather your child saw FCUK OFF on a t-shirt than a can of drink called Pussy? (And yes, they did one, back in my Chav days I owned one). You realise most kids call cats "pussy cat" right?

You're being called a retard because you're saying really stupid shit.

I don't think FCUK is a massive improvement or anything, but at least there is at least a working context. There is no reason to call an energy drink pussy other than the marketing gimmick, where as FCUK can almost justify it even though it's most likely a marketing gimmick as well.

[JD™]

Pretty sure my first post on this was that the idea is to get people talking about it. They've succeeded.

In fact, you've unwittingly become brand evangelists. I'd forgotten about the brand, and you keep reminding me about them, which is making it more likely that I'll buy it. I won't, but I'm more likely than when I'd forgotten about it completely.

The best advertising is the one that keeps working after the campaign has finished. Marketing companies will generally stop at nothing to achieve that within their budget. That includes using words that may make some men's vaginas itch.

Now, which part of that didn't make sense?

[bikeperson45]

Everything you said makes sense, but if nobody criticized there would be massive billboards saying Pussy. I'm not a believer in the 'don't do anything and accept that this happening' approach. Pretty sure that's how the Nazi's rose to power.

Edit - kind of joking about the Nazi thing before I get called out for massively exaggerating to an extent that makes me stupid.

Edited December 23, 2013 by bikeperson45

[*gentlydoesit]

it all makes sence. honestly do you think I'm a... na not going there, but that just affirms the point I was making about advertising standards being low,

Edited December 23, 2013 by *gentlydoesit

[Mark W]

if nobody criticized there would be massive billboards saying Pussy.

What, like this one?

I would think that 'The drink is pure, it's your mind that's the problem' is a slogan that is there to bring to the attention of people that this is not cat related but more to do with a 'hey look, we managed to get the word 'pussy' on a giant billboard' kind of though process. If it were genuinely cat related, maybe a slogan along the lines of 'Paws and appreciate the great taste' would make more sense, a slogan that doesn't highlight the fact that this word can men vagina.

You said that they used it in that way and drew attention to it with their slogan, I'm saying they haven't specified the other meaning and were actively saying that they didn't mean it in that way. Whether you think one way or the other is sort of irrelevant in that that's why they have the ASA and organisations like that which have a more defined set of parameters - one person deciding they're offended by something doesn't actually make it offensive (see that religious example I posted earlier, repeatedly...). If they haven't done the things you're saying - i.e. stating that it's the 'naughty' reference or alluding that they mean that - then you can't really say that they have...

EDIT: Something else to consider, the "the drink's pure..." slogan is actually pretty relevant - their whole gig is that there are no artificial ingredients in there, so in fairness they are trying to promote that aspect of things. It's like some marketing first just reverse engineered a name from a slogan for a product...

[bikeperson45]

What, like this one?

You said that they used it in that way and drew attention to it with their slogan, I'm saying they haven't specified the other meaning and were actively saying that they didn't mean it in that way. Whether you think one way or the other is sort of irrelevant in that that's why they have the ASA and organisations like that which have a more defined set of parameters - one person deciding they're offended by something doesn't actually make it offensive (see that religious example I posted earlier, repeatedly...). If they haven't done the things you're saying - i.e. stating that it's the 'naughty' reference or alluding that they mean that - then you can't really say that they have...

EDIT: Something else to consider, the "the drink's pure..." slogan is actually pretty relevant - their whole gig is that there are no artificial ingredients in there, so in fairness they are trying to promote that aspect of things. It's like some marketing first just reverse engineered a name from a slogan for a product...

Yea like that one, the one banned for being sexually explicit.

And I guess we are going around in circles now. I think the word pussy was chosen for the reason of publicity and that's bad, you guys think that's okay. I disagree with the logic, you disagree with mine but guess I'll accept that. That seems to be the gist of it so we might as well wrap this up.

[*gentlydoesit]

Seconded.

Mods, lock this like a cletict thread

[1a2bcio8]

I do find it difficult to imagine that at the time of conception there wasn't some marketing intent to exploit the genital meaning. In fact, it probably seemed all the more appealing because you could claim you actually meant the cat meaning which could then help with legally circumventing whatever regulating body you have to deal with. For instance, "fanny" doesn't offer the same synonymic potential as "pussy"

When I was at college we looked at television adverts regarding how they appealed to you, manipulated you, etc. We looked at the video I've posted below. Notice the product 'qualities' are loosely in the form of chemical formula clearly to exploit the prestige of science despite actually being meaningless to it. We looked at various other adverts and it's pretty typical for them to do these types of things.

What I mean is I wouldn't identify a regulating body as an absolute filter of 'bad' intent regarding marketing schemes. Admittedly I can't say for certain in this instance. Nonetheless, it feels pretty obvious to me that it's an exploitation of the genital meaning. As JD points out, it's worked because we're all rambling about it, and I find that actually as further (albeit not absolute) evidence of intent.

The advertising board seems to make it even more likely as well. I wonder if it was the shape of their first advert? If so, that seems even more damning.

It's all pretty boring and gimmicky though much like FCUK, etc.

Edit: I put c-u-n-t where it put fanny.

Edited December 24, 2013 by Ben Rowlands

[1a2bcio8]

Man, why do you people need a thread locked because you disagree? I've never understood what it's supposed to achieve? If you've had enough of it stop reading it?

[Jolfa]

I think the word pussy was chosen for the reason of publicity and that's bad, you guys think that's okay.

Nobody has disagreed with this, it's a terrible name, in terrible taste, for a terrible product, and the terrible double entendre is what their entire product relies on, which once again is in terrible taste.

The issue and whole point of this thread though is that it might corrupt a generation, but it won't because the potentially affected parties won't be aware of it's sexual meaning, and if they are aware of it, it's because they've picked it up from other outside influences such as the internet or friends with parents so thick that they would explain said sexual meaning to them directly!

For the older folk it might offend, it's open to interpretation, and it will almost certainly be taken the 'wrong' (albeit inteded) way, which, incase you didn't get it, everyone is agreeing is in terrible taste.

And that, my dear boy is the soul reason this product has sold a single unit, and it has sold millions so it's Pussy drink 1 - 0 forum idiot who probably still hasn't got the point and will continue to have a non-argument with himself while everyone else tries to explain in increasingly basic terms.

TL;DR you are dead right, it's a terrible name and bad for every conceivable reason.

[Pashley26]

I saw a HUGE billboard on the M27 on Sunday.

It said, in almighty words.

"PUSSY"

"It's outrageous."

[bikeperson45]

Nobody has disagreed with this, it's a terrible name, in terrible taste, for a terrible product, and the terrible double entendre is what their entire product relies on, which once again is in terrible taste.

The issue and whole point of this thread though is that it might corrupt a generation, but it won't because the potentially affected parties won't be aware of it's sexual meaning, and if they are aware of it, it's because they've picked it up from other outside influences such as the internet or friends with parents so thick that they would explain said sexual meaning to them directly!

For the older folk it might offend, it's open to interpretation, and it will almost certainly be taken the 'wrong' (albeit inteded) way, which, incase you didn't get it, everyone is agreeing is in terrible taste.

And that, my dear boy is the soul reason this product has sold a single unit, and it has sold millions so it's Pussy drink 1 - 0 forum idiot who probably still hasn't got the point and will continue to have a non-argument with himself while everyone else tries to explain in increasingly basic terms.

TL;DR you are dead right, it's a terrible name and bad for every conceivable reason.

Okay, we defiantly agree with the first sentence, although when Mark W said "Their slogan and mission statement is at pains to stress they mean it in the 'feline' sense, and don't refer to it meaning anything else specifically." I disagree with that. Also my F*cking Hell example, I disagree with your views on that, you thought that was a retarded question when I asked it and I show there is a product with a worse name being sold in multiple continents. Apparently that question had an obvious answer and that answer was the opposite of what you guys thought it would be, yet you still disagree.

And in terms of kids, I understand they won't know the meaning of it, I've said that myself in agreement. However, I still think it creates an unnecessary familiarity with these offensive words with no decent reason, and this familiarity spreads to kids who see pussy on cans and billboards who will then probably accept it as a general kind of word.

We all agree it's terrible taste, but seems to me that the question is whether marketing that is in terrible taste should be allowed in such an open manner. In my opinion, it shouldn't, though that's probably clear by this point

And stop calling people retards and idiots so much, it doesn't help convince people that what you say is right. Same goes for posting pictures of people with Down's syndrome, obviously they'll be retaliation when you're insulting people's intelligence.

[Mark W]

Mark W said "Their slogan and mission statement is at pains to stress they mean it in the 'feline' sense, and don't refer to it meaning anything else specifically." I disagree with that.

How can you disagree with fact? What you consider it to mean is irrelevant when I'm talking about what that specific company have, in writing, said.

They said the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) stated that a pussy was "a cat, particularly a kitten" and that was the correct meaning of the word. They said cats possessed all the appropriate symbolism for their product and Pussy was cool, beautiful, feline and natural, with attitude, which explained their choice of name. They stated that until the OED changed the meaning of the word, they defended their right to advertise their product. They questioned why the complainants were automatically referring to the slang meaning of what they believed to be an innocent word. They said it was not their intention to offend, that the slang meaning of the word was not one that they had created, and that any problems were only caused by those who were twisting the meaning of an innocent word.

[bikeperson45]

How can you disagree with fact? What you consider it to mean is irrelevant when I'm talking about what that specific company have, in writing, said.

Okay, I had never found that extract so I'll kind of take what I said back. When you had mentioned their slogan and mission statement I had only looked at their website where there is no mention of anything cat related. I'd question the honesty of that though, which was probably prepared by a lawyer when they asked him 'we're making a drink called Pussy, what can we do to continue advertising when the complaints come?'.

[Jolfa]

Also my F*cking Hell example

And in terms of kids, I understand they won't know the meaning of it, I've said that myself in agreement. However, I still think it creates an unnecessary familiarity with these offensive words with no decent reason, and this familiarity spreads to kids who see pussy on cans and billboards who will then probably accept it as a general kind of word.

Pussy is a general kind of word.

What you seem to have a complete lack of understanding of, is context.

You're really clutching at straws with that f**king Hell example too, that has also been covered by numerous people, numerous times as to why it isn't a fair comparison, so I'm not going to be explaining again.

You're arguing for the sake of arguing, you're arguing that everyone else is in the wrong, by agreeing with us. Give up, you look like an idiot, and I don't feel even slightly bad addressing you by any kind of derogatory term when you keep backing up that you are, in fact, retarded.

Edited December 24, 2013 by Jolfa

[bikeperson45]

Pussy is a general kind of word.

What you seem to have a complete lack of understanding of, is context.

You're really clutching at straws with that f**king Hell example too, that has also been covered by numerous people, numerous times as to why it isn't a fair comparison, so I'm not going to be explaining again.

You're arguing for the sake of arguing, you're arguing that everyone else is in the wrong, by agreeing with us. Give up, you look like an idiot, and I don't feel even slightly bad addressing you by any kind of derogatory term when you keep backing up that you are, in fact, retarded.

Pussy's a slang word which is why I differentiated it from general words there.

The only reason I can see about the F*cking Hell example is that's not UK, sorry if I've overlooked another reason but your posts just seem to say 'that's retarded'. I asked could products with the word f*ck start being sold, you said obviously no. I show a product that proves your answer as incorrect and I instantly get called retarded. That, I do not understand, I think that is a legit example and the only reason you're dismissing it so abruptly is because it shows, what you considered to be obvious, wrong.

And I'm fairly sure I understand the context. My reason for posting is to argue in a good natured sense and yours is to call someone else retarded rather than actually provide any real reasoning for your thoughts.

If people read all of our posts here and continue to think I'm an idiot I'm fine with that because, in my eyes at least, that's clearly not the case.