The indie band OK Go is being sued by Post after the band sent a cease and desist letter to prevent the cereal brand from using “ok go!” as the name for their new product. It is a classic David vs. Goliath story, with a multi-billion dollar company bullying an indie band over a name they have used for over two decades. Unfortunately, this is not the first time a large company has picked on the little guy, using their money and influence to get their way.
OK Go Being Bullied
Ok Go’s lead singer, Damian Kulash, shared about the lawsuit on social media. His Twitter post stated that after Post applied for the trademark they had used for 25 years, they sent them a letter asking them to choose a different name. However, in response, Post has decided to sue them in federal court. To add insult to injury, the tagline of the new product includes the phrase “ready to rock.”
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The Product
The Post product is a new line of on-the-go breakfast cereals. Post intends for the product to be a bowl of cereal you can take to work, in the car, or wherever you need to be. It consists of cereal with powdered milk. After the consumer adds water, it is ready to be eaten.
Post could use various other names for this product without negatively impacting the company or the product. However, they have chosen to move forward with the name “ok go!” and are using their lawyers to make this happen.
Snoop Dogg and Kellogg’s
Snoop Dogg found himself in a similar situation not long ago. The rapper created a cereal with the name “Snoop Loopz,” with a play on his name. He wanted to branch out into the cereal world and show small entrepreneurs that they could compete in industries generally overrun with large corporations.
However, Kellogg’s fought him on the product’s name, saying that the name of his cereal was too similar to Fruit Loops. The rapper posted a reel on his Instagram account, expressing his disappointment in the cereal industry and that they choose to bully small brands and entrepreneurs.
However, his business partner, Master P, recently announced that he and Snoop had struck a deal with Post cereal and is releasing three different kinds of cereal:
• Frosted Drizzlers
• Cinnamon Toasteez
• Fruity Hoopz
These cereals should be on store shelves starting in June 2023. In the announcement, Master P shared his gratitude that Post believed in diversity and wanted to support them.
Shame on you @postcereals for stealing the name of OK Go because you have a horrible marketing department then suing them for a name they have consistently used publicly for over two decades. #weareOKGO https://t.co/G8inAKRcKw
— Area Man (@AreaManFound) February 1, 2023
Kellogg’s and OK Go Teaming Up?
One can only imagine the irony if Kellogg’s cereal came to the defense of OK Go after Post went against them in their battle with Snoop Dogg. The two cereal brands are competitors, and this is their opportunity to show that they also care about the little guy. However, there is no evidence that Kellogg’s has reached out to OK Go or intends to.
While the band was hopeful that the cereal brand would respect their wishes and find a new name, it appears this will not happen. Instead, the federal court will have to decide whether to grant Post’s wish to use “ok go!” as the name of their new product.
