Spam-maker Hormel Spends to Reclaim Name

An anonymous reader writes "Hormel, the company behind Spam (the meat product, not the unsolicited email), is launching an advertising campaign in Europe in an attempt to remind people it has been around a lot longer than offers of generic Viagra and fake Rolex watches. The BBC claims it will cost Hormel £2m."

Thought this might make it to /.

[pjt33]

FWIW, although spam is already cooked, it's vastly improved by frying or barbequeing.

As an aside, is /. being /.ed today? It sounds silly put like that, but the page loading times seem to be up quite a bit and my attempt to submit this first time got a 503.

Orthography nit-pick.

[*coughs loudly*]

"Spam" is the unsolicited bulk email, "SPAM" is the spicy canned meat.

Re:spam spam spam

[Chris_Mir]

well, someone has got to post it ;-)

Man: You sit here, dear.
Wife: All right.
Man: Morning!
Waitress: Morning!
Man: Well, what've you got?
Waitress: Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam; spam bacon sausage and spam; spam egg spam spam bacon and spam; spam sausage spam spam bacon spam tomato and spam;
Vikings: Spam spam spam spam...
Waitress: ...spam spam spam egg and spam; spam spam spam spam spam spam baked beans spam spam spam...
Vikings: Spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam!
Waitress: ...or Lobster Thermidor a Crevette with a mornay sauce served in a Provencale manner with shallots and aubergines garnished with truffle pate, brandy and with a fried egg on top and spam.
Wife: Have you got anything without spam?
Waitress: Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
Wife: I don't want ANY spam!
Man: Why can't she have egg bacon spam and sausage?
Wife: THAT'S got spam in it!
Man: Hasn't got as much spam in it as spam egg sausage and spam, has it?
Vikings: Spam spam spam spam... (Crescendo through next few lines...)
Wife: Could you do the egg bacon spam and sausage without the spam then?
Waitress: Urgghh!
Wife: What do you mean 'Urgghh'? I don't like spam!
Vikings: Lovely spam! Wonderful spam!
Waitress: Shut up!
Vikings: Lovely spam! Wonderful spam!
Waitress: Shut up! (Vikings stop) Bloody Vikings! You can't have egg bacon spam and sausage without the spam.
Wife: I don't like spam!
Man: Sshh, dear, don't cause a fuss. I'll have your spam. I love it. I'm having spam spam spam spam spam spam spam beaked beans spam spam spam and spam!
Vikings: Spam spam spam spam. Lovely spam! Wonderful spam!
Waitress: Shut up!! Baked beans are off.
Man: Well could I have her spam instead of the baked beans then?
Waitress: You mean spam spam spam spam spam spam... (but it is too late and the Vikings drown her words)
Vikings: Spam spam spam spam. Lovely spam! Wonderful spam! Spam spa-a-a-a-a-am spam spa-a-a-a-a-am spam. Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Spam spam spam spam!

Re:Please fix the summary (spam vs SPAM)

[joelethan]

The parent is TRUE and INFORMATIVE.

See also SPAM and the Internet [spam.com] for their take on UCE.

Hornel's page [spam.com] on their SPAM trademark reads very humorously to the Netizen's eye. I recommend it.

OT: I fancy marketing a delicious processed meat called SLASHDOT.

/joelethan

Re:Bloody Vikings!!

[eric_brissette]

Until today, I had no idea that SPAM stood for SPiced hAM, but rather I thought it was a combination of Sausage Pork and hAM. Without slashdot, I would still be wandaring aimlessly in a fog of ignorance. (ha)

Spamfest

[freeze128]

My mother lives in Albert Lea, MN, not far from Austin, MN. Austin is a Hormel town, and every year they have a Spamfest celebrating the stuff. There are parades, music, and free handouts of spam and other goodies. A couple years ago she got a Spam piggy bank.

It just sounds like Hormel is expanding spamfest to encompass the globe. It's not horrible stuff. It tastes good grilled, fried, diced and mixed with macaroni and cheese..... And it doesn't ask you to click now to unsubscribe.

Re:Please fix the summary (spam vs SPAM)

[mfifer]

The folks at Hormel have asked that people spell the name correctly when referring to their meat product - in all capital letters, i.e. SPAM.

And the Kleenex people want you to stop calling tissue Kleenex and Xerox wants you to stopping calling photocopies Xeroxes and Slashdots wants the media to stop calling crackers hackers and RMS wants That Operating System called GNU/Linux...

Q: What do these all have in common?

A: Not gonna happen...

Re:AIDS

[Ellis D. Tripp]

The name of the diet product was spelled "AYDS", IIRC.

Please hand in your geek badge

[Anonymous Coward]

He was referring to the Monty Python "Spam" skit that gave spam email it's name. The skit had guys dressed as Vikings chanting "Spam spam spam!"

Re:In other news

[Anita Coney]

Are you kidding?! Even Americans dislike Spam. The only time I ever see anyone with Spam is when it's bought as a gag/practical joke gift. I guess it may sell in the American South, but they eat scrapple there so it's not saying much.

The only area on earth where spam is considered a delicacy is in the South Pacific.

Camping

[jthayden]

I agree that Spam is lack luster, but it does have one use. It is great while camping. Not because it tastes any better, but because it keeps forever without having to keep it cold. You can be in the backcountry for weeks and still have meat ( I use the term losely ) to eat.