SurveyMonkey lawyers ask PopSurvey to stop using monkeys in ads. Yes, really.(popsurvey.com)
popsurvey.com
SurveyMonkey lawyers ask PopSurvey to stop using monkeys in ads. Yes, really.
https://www.popsurvey.com/blog/surveymonkey-popsurvey-stop-monkeying-around
5 comments
I have to say I agree with Survey Monkey in this case. What PopSurvey is doing is bad and you should feel bad as well.
Is it bad? Why? What would be worse - making references to monkeys/ SurveyMonkey indirectly or directly referencing the company name and all? I don't know. Is one okay and the other not?
I think that sometimes these things can be done in bad taste but I don't necessarily see anything illegal or unethical about it. Its pretty normal for a competitor to try to contrast themselves with a dominant company. Doing so can often lift you up to the level of the dominant competitor in the eyes of consumers and other times it looks like you're taking unfair cheap shots at the big guy. In this case I thought what Pop Survey did was okay. They definitely made their case by showing the difference between the products. I thought it was fair. Its not like they only went out name calling, they backed up their claim.
I think that sometimes these things can be done in bad taste but I don't necessarily see anything illegal or unethical about it. Its pretty normal for a competitor to try to contrast themselves with a dominant company. Doing so can often lift you up to the level of the dominant competitor in the eyes of consumers and other times it looks like you're taking unfair cheap shots at the big guy. In this case I thought what Pop Survey did was okay. They definitely made their case by showing the difference between the products. I thought it was fair. Its not like they only went out name calling, they backed up their claim.
With that argument, Apple should've felt bad for Mac vs PC ads and Pepsi should've felt bad for their Pepsi Challenge campaign against Coke. It's what challenger brands do.
I see it slightly different - Mac vs PC or Pepsi Challenge calls out the competition and tries to show the consumer why the product is better. This seems to be marketing with an attempt to confuse the brand.
I don't think there is any brand confusion, it is clear the differences and even this post shows the difference
https://www.popsurvey.com/blog/popsurvey-is-40-faster-than-s...
https://www.popsurvey.com/blog/popsurvey-is-40-faster-than-s...
SurveyMonkey is just trying to protect their brand, which is fair, while PopSurvey seems to be making a bigger deal about it than they should - they tried to market with monkies for obvious reasons, and now they are trying to look like they are getting pushed around.
I don't know enough about the law and trademark and parody to know comment on the legal aspects of this, but I have to say that I actually appreciated the tone of SurveyMonkey's attorney's letter.
Well done, PopSurvey. Had never heard of you, but now you're top of my list. That folks is how you market.
I'm going ape over this! <bad pun>