# Product not used for intended purpose - biggest marketing hit? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 21, 2010, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223 "2010-03-21T09:13:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/81 "2010-03-23T08:11:49Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > That’s why yachters are dumb. I raced for a season and you know what I wore? When it was cold, I wore whatever I wore on the way to the yacht club. When it was warm, I went barefoot. $100 for “yachting shoes” my ass, creepytoes or not. There were no girls to impress out on the water. No, it means you are dumb. Yachts, or more generally, wooden sailing boats, can scratch easily if you wear your normal street shoes with little rocks and other stuff embedded in the sole on to them. Same reason that you are supposed to change into gym shoes for indoor only when on a basketball court. As for going barefoot: that’s an accident waiting to happen, breaking your toe when stubbing against a piece of wood, or slipping and falling on the wet deck is very easy. When I took sailing lessons, the rule was to wear appropriate clothing that prevents danger. (We were also forbidden from wearing bikins only - a shirt and trousers of some kind were required. Not to look good for the ladys - I’m a girl - but to prevent sunburn and again, injuries from the ropes or similar). ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/82 "2010-03-23T08:15:28Z")
If someone has mentioned Preparation H (a hemorrhoid ointment) used as an eye creme, I missed it. Very popular in certain places as whatever there is in it that shrinks membranes also reduces puffiness and wrinkles. They should come out with Preparation I, because then even more people would use it. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/83 "2010-03-23T12:33:09Z")
2000 Flushes Originally meant as a denture adhesive, bizaarly under the same name. Someone accidently read the brand name as a use and the rest is history. not really . ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/84 "2010-03-23T14:40:31Z")
Kotex was originally developed as a bandage for wounded soldiers (in one of the World Wars, IIRC). After the war, the marketers looked around for fresh blood, so to speak… the rest is history. ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/85 "2010-03-23T14:53:47Z")
One I consider a classic is the dual use of diphenhydramine, which may not actually qualify. Back in the early '80’s it was pointed out to me by a pharmacist that while Benadryl© was a prescription drug, Sominex II© was the same substance, in the same dosage, just in a tablet instead of a tiny capsule, and was available over the counter with no controls whatever. Later, both forms became uncontrolled. Exercise for the student - Why is Benadryl© packaged in a teeny little capsule about the size of a sunflower kernal? It actually took me a while to realize there was a very specific reason beyond easy identification. :smack: Hint: It’s much smaller than either a peanut or a bee. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/86 "2010-03-23T14:58:56Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > Kotex was originally developed as a bandage for wounded soldiers (in one of the World Wars, IIRC). After the war, the marketers looked around for fresh blood, so to speak… the rest is history. Congratulations. This is apparently true. Here’s an ad for the [first Kotex campaign in 1921](http://www.mum.org/kotexadwords.htm). ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/87 "2010-03-23T15:01:30Z")
Not a big winner here but I heard somewhere that tennis balls were created to hit back and forth over a net in a game called tennis. Of course, what they were really designed for was the sporty effect they add to the feet of support walkers. ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/88 "2010-03-23T15:01:57Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > Kotex was originally developed as a bandage for wounded soldiers (in one of the World Wars, IIRC). After the war, the marketers looked around for fresh blood, so to speak… the rest is history. Story as I got it was that the field hospital nurses pioneered the use, and Kimberly-Clark went with the flow. :rolleyes: Puns notwithstanding, I’m serious. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/89 "2010-03-23T15:24:18Z")
> [@constanze](#): > > No, it means you are dumb. Yachts, or more generally, wooden sailing boats, can scratch easily if you wear your normal street shoes with little rocks and other stuff embedded in the sole on to them. Same reason that you are supposed to change into gym shoes for indoor only when on a basketball court. > > As for going barefoot: that’s an accident waiting to happen, breaking your toe when stubbing against a piece of wood, or slipping and falling on the wet deck is very easy. When I took sailing lessons, the rule was to wear appropriate clothing that prevents danger. (We were also forbidden from wearing bikins only - a shirt and trousers of some kind were required. Not to look good for the ladys - I’m a girl - but to prevent sunburn and again, injuries from the ropes or similar). And if you are out on most modern sailboats that aren’t primarily made of wood, black soled shoes can scuff up the non-skid deck surface. Wearing white-soled sneakers with clean soles should be acceptable, though. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/90 "2010-03-23T15:40:32Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > I’m guessing for the cooks’ sweaty balls. My husband’s a cook and I hope he’s not using cornstarch on his balls… … then again, cornstarch is a thickener. I wouldn’t mind another part of his under-there anatomy to be a little thicker… 😛 j/k ---
**Author:** ![Find\_Friends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@Find\_Friends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Find_Friends)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/91 "2010-03-23T16:03:35Z")
> [@Amblydoper](#): > > Corn starch > You can find it in every commercial kitchen, and in every commercial kitchen’s bathroom. > [@needscoffee](#): > > What for? > [@Cisco](#): > > I’m guessing for the cooks’ sweaty balls. 😃 > [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > Don’t ask silly questions. It’s like wondering why, or worse, when, they took the lithium ouf of 7up. 😃 Sorry to get all serious on you, but: Cornstarch fixes painful, burning chafing, which can be on the anus, or perenium. And besides, Doug, the lithium was in the [Canada Dry Ginger Ale](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Dry). 😉 _ **- “Jack”** _ ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/92 "2010-03-23T16:19:42Z")
> [@Trans Fat Og](#): > > 😃 > > 😃 > > Sorry to get all serious on you, but: > > Cornstarch fixes painful, burning chafing, which can be on the anus, or perenium. > > And besides, Doug, the lithium was in the [Canada Dry Ginger Ale](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Dry). 😉 > > _ **- “Jack”** _ It was also in the original 7Up formulation and name: > [@](#): > > 7 Up was created by Charles Leiper Grigg who launched his St. Louis-based company The Howdy Corporation in 1920.[1] Grigg came up with the formula for a lemon-lime soft drink in 1929. The product, originally named “Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda”, was launched two weeks before the Wall Street Crash of 1929.[1] It contained lithium citrate, a mood-stabilizing drug. It was one of a number of patent medicine products popular in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. Specifically it was marketed as a hangover cure. “What product was originally called Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda?” is a popular question for trivia contests. Good thing they changed the name - it would be hard to fit that on the can … ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/93 "2010-03-23T16:32:23Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > Not a big winner here but I heard somewhere that tennis balls were created to hit back and forth over a net in a game called tennis. > > Of course, what they were really designed for was the sporty effect they add to the feet of support walkers. Don’t forget trailer hitch covers, roof rack end caps, and something to hang in the garage to show you how far to pull in. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/94 "2010-03-23T16:58:14Z")
> [@constanze](#): > > No, it means you are dumb. [mod note] Personal insults are not allowed in GQ. Please don’t do this again. (no formal warning issued) [/mod note] ---
**Author:** ![howye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9adbd/32.png) [@howye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/howye)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/95 "2010-03-23T17:02:12Z")
> [@SmellMyWort](#): > > Don’t forget trailer hitch covers, roof rack end caps, and something to hang in the garage to show you how far to pull in. All of which pale in comparison to the true original purpose, playing fetch with the dog. So much safer and more convenient than a stick. The use of the balls in tennis matches came shortly after the product was released to the pet sporting goods market. The fuzzy yellow balls had a nice bounce that made tennis more enjoyable instead of using the then traditional yellow billiard ball. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/96 "2010-03-23T17:17:22Z")
Edit - oops, posted in wrong thread. Deleted. ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/97 "2010-03-23T17:41:52Z")
> [@howye](#): > > All of which pale in comparison to the true original purpose, playing fetch with the dog. So much safer and more convenient than a stick. The use of the balls in tennis matches came shortly after the product was released to the pet sporting goods market. The fuzzy yellow balls had a nice bounce that made tennis more enjoyable instead of using the then traditional yellow billiard ball. Fewer broken rackets too. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/98 "2010-03-23T18:09:24Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > If someone has mentioned Preparation H (a hemorrhoid ointment) used as an eye creme, I missed it. > > Very popular in certain places as whatever there is in it that shrinks membranes also reduces puffiness and wrinkles. > > They should come out with Preparation I, because then even more people would use it. They aren’t going to come out with “Preparation I” because Preparation H does _nothing_ to reduce puffiness under the eye. It’s active ingredient is the same stuff you get in nasal decongestants, so you’d be just as well off spraying your face with Dristan. Here is [Cecil Adam’s column](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1308/does-preparation-h-cure-baggy-eyes) on it. ---
**Author:** ![palindromemordnilap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@palindromemordnilap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/palindromemordnilap)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/99 "2010-03-23T18:20:46Z")
It looks like nobody has yet pointed out that Jell-O, originally designed for use in female bikini wrestling matches, turned out to be semi-edible and is actually sold in grocery stores as a flavored dessert! I also wonder what percentage of toilet paper is used to decorate the neighbor’s front yard. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/100 "2010-03-23T18:21:30Z")
> [@McGeek](#): > > OUCH!!! I think you misunderstand - the idea isn’t to rip warts off with duct tape. Rather, you cover them with a small piece of tape, which prevents air from reaching them and keeps them moist, and they wither and die. (Doesn’t work though, IME) As for Q-Tips, they only say don’t insert them into the **inner** ear. Using them to clear wax from your ears is one of the intended uses. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223.md?page=6)