# 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:** 18\ **Page:** 7
**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 25, 2010, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/121 "2010-03-25T20:18:26Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > Coke (the soft drink) is also used to clean pennies, toilets and shine metallic surfaces, including taking rust off of chrome with aluminum foil. Everybody knows the _real_ purpose of Coca-Cola is cleaning battery terminals in cars. It’s amazingly effective. > [@tr0psn4j](#): > > Nice article. 🙂 Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/122 "2010-03-25T20:55:43Z")
> [@MitzeKatze](#): > > … > Mifepristone and misoprostol are (I believe) cancer medications, but they are being used to induce abortion (called medical abortion or the abortion pill). > … misoprostol is actually a stomach medication (protects against ulcer development) which has been found to cause uterine contractions. It’s used as you note as part of the abortion-pill sequence, and also to help induce labor (though there are signficant safety concerns with that). It’s a component in a medication I’m currently taking, and there’s a BIG RED LABEL on the bottle saying “NOT FOR USE BY PREGNANT WOMEN”. Mifepristone does indeed appear to have some use in treating some cancers, which was news to me. I use Requip, which is a Parkinson’s drug; that class of drugs was being used off-label to treat Restless Legs Syndrome for a number of years before the makers saw dollar signs, did formal studies to prove their efficacy, and then marketed them for RLS treatment. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/123 "2010-03-25T22:07:32Z")
> [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > Condoms on the end of your rifle muzzle to keep dirt out. Very popular during the Vietnam war. Don’t know if they are still used for that. Any recent vets able to comment? Common during gulf war as well. Now they have molded covers. Guess the officers or P.C. types frowned on the condoms. ---
**Author:** ![TerpBE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc8723/32.png) [@TerpBE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TerpBE)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/124 "2010-03-25T22:12:44Z")
> [@palindromemordnilap](#): > > 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. Jello did actually used to be available in some unusual flavors though: chocolate, celery, Italian, mixed vegetable and seasoned tomato. ---
**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 26, 2010, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/125 "2010-03-26T12:18:27Z")
> [@TerpBE](#): > > Jello did actually used to be available in some unusual flavors though: chocolate, celery, Italian, mixed vegetable and seasoned tomato. The Italian, vegetable and tomato flavors are related to [aspics](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspic), which used to be rather popular. More often than not, if you had gelatin, prior to the Jell-O revolution, you were eating an aspic. ---
**Author:** ![MitzeKatze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ad7895/32.png) [@MitzeKatze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MitzeKatze)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/126 "2010-03-26T12:48:32Z")
> [@Carmi](#): > > Aside from the original use of tampons, of which there is no need for discussion, they have a second use. > … Tampons are also used for a variety of other bleeding issues (besides the obvious). My husband carried them in his med pack when he was deployed when he was an IDMT (independent duty medical technician) for use from everything from nosebleeds to some bullet wounds (so he says, I have my doubts about that one). ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/127 "2010-03-26T12:52:32Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > There’s an article in today’s Washington Post spelling out that something like 94% of Pfizer’s revenue from Neurontin came from off-label use; other such drugs are likewise noted. [http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/03/21](http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/03/21) Pfizer got a [$142 million smackdown](http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-03-26/pfizer-told-to-pay-142-1-million-for-neurontin-marketing-fraud.html) today for marketing Neurontin as a treatment for migraines\* and bipolar disorder. Which it _is_. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/128 "2010-03-26T16:13:50Z")
**MitzeKatze** , why do you doubt it? As I have already said, that’s why they were _invented_. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/129 "2010-03-26T16:35:15Z")
I suspect very few pipe cleaners are actually sold for cleaning pipes anymore, rather than for elementary school craft projects. But my top choice would be paintball guns, of which there may still be some sales to cattleyard operators for marking cows, but not many. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/130 "2010-03-26T17:08:02Z")
When the Neutragena Wave commercial first came out I couldn’t help imagining the people who invented it secretly conspiring to figure out a way to create a masturbation tools for teenage girls that could be marketed as something innocuous. And of course it’s amazing how many bottles of video head cleaners are still being sold now that everyone has DVD and Blueray players… ---
**Author:** ![daveg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@daveg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/daveg)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/131 "2010-03-26T17:10:33Z")
> [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > Condoms on the end of your rifle muzzle to keep dirt out. Very popular during the Vietnam war. Don’t know if they are still used for that. Any recent vets able to comment? I spent 15 months there in '68 / '69. Never heard or saw that while I was there. Maybe it was a localized thing. Dunno. Interesting concept though. The M16’s flash suppressor was modified from the original which tended to catch stuff while tramping through heavy/tall vegatation. Hard to describe/visualize, but it changed from a 3 fingered open to a fully closed design. ---
**Author:** ![alsoknownas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@alsoknownas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alsoknownas)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/132 "2010-03-26T21:13:26Z")
Blunts - presumably at one point upmarket ‘snack sized’ cigars. Now selling mango and cherry flavour wraps for their new (blunted, and chronic toting) market. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blunt\_%28cigar%29](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blunt_%28cigar%29) ---
**Author:** ![zoogirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b9bd4f/32.png) [@zoogirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoogirl)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/133 "2010-03-31T04:05:44Z")
When my mother had chronic ulcers on the back of her legs, I used Kotex for bandages. I just used tape to hold 'em together and socks to keep them in place. They were the type used with a belt. I never knew that I was actually using them the “right” way! Oh, and about the tennis balls - what, no love for street hockey?! Same goes for lacross balls. I’ve heard that models sometimes use toothpaste on pimples. I think that one may be brand specific so I’m guessing it’s something to do with a particular ingredient. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/134 "2010-03-31T10:22:41Z")
> [@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. I always thought that tampons came about because during the Crimean War the female nurses would use rolls of bandage material to sop up menstrual blood… ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/135 "2010-03-31T10:27:44Z")
[Warfarin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warfarin), Coumadin, and several other brand names for the same chemical. Originally developed as a rodenticide, they are still used that way today, even though other more effective rat poisons exist. However, the chemical was also found, at lower doses, to be an effective anti-coagulant, and is used in medicine today. For a while I was giving my dad rat poison, after his his replacement surgeries! ---
**Author:** ![Recliner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a88e57/32.png) [@Recliner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Recliner)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/136 "2010-04-01T05:18:57Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > As noted, the Slinky was originally developed for the navy in WWII, then adapted into a toy. Later in Vietnam, US soldiers would sling them over tree limbs for radio antennae I hate to be that guy, but it wasn’t. Guy was an engineer, had worked on damping for ships, had springs lying around at work, noticed springs were fun, marketed a toy. Oooh: and then joined a weirdo cult somewhere in south america, leaving his long-suffering wife to run the Slinky Co! ---
**Author:** ![dogeman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/71e660/32.png) [@dogeman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogeman)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/137 "2010-04-01T06:31:22Z")
> [@MitzeKatze](#): > > Tampons are also used for a variety of other bleeding issues (besides the obvious). My husband carried them in his med pack when he was deployed when he was an IDMT (independent duty medical technician) for use from everything from nosebleeds to some bullet wounds (so he says, I have my doubts about that one). I’ve also seen tampons in home made emergency survival kits for use as tinder. ---
**Author:** ![SpyOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@SpyOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpyOne)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223/138 "2010-04-02T18:27:43Z")
> [@BestWifeEver](#): > > When I worked at a summer day care we had deodorant in our first aid kit for bee stings. I think it helped ease the pain but not sure how it did it. I bet it was antiperspirant. My first thought was that it works because antiperspirants make the skin swell (just enough to close off the sweat glands), but a quick websearch shows that isn’t it. Found this at [mothernature.com](http://mothernature.com): > [@](#): > > From the Rodale book, The Doctors Book of Home Remedies for Children: > (snip) > Apply antiperspirant. Another handy remedy is one you’ll find in your medicine cabinet. ‘‘Take underarm deodorant that contains aluminum chlorohydrate–it doesn’t matter if it’s spray or roll-on–and work that in. It will relieve pain and itching,’’ says Dr. Wasserman. ‘‘If the child is itchy again an hour later, do it again.’’ Why this works isn’t clearly understood, says Dr. Wasserman. Probably an ingredient in the antiperspirant chemically neutralizes part of the venom. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/product-not-used-for-intended-purpose-biggest-marketing-hit/533223.md?page=6)