The End of ‘Icing’?

BrosIcingBros.com, a Web site closely associated with the popular drinking game that involves chugging warm bottles of Smirnoff Ice malt beverage, abruptly shut down last week.
Though Diageo, the parent company of Smirnoff, would not confirm any action against the site, the company hinted at “measures” taken to defend their brand, signaling a departure from its earlier hands-off approach to the game, known as “icing,” amid increased media attention.

via mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com

I love when “real life” and “internet memes” cross paths. I love when a company is secure enough in their brand to allow a bunch of douchebags to take it viral, with no permission, endorsement or input. I was thrilled that Smirnoff seemed to be standing behind “Icing”, or at least allowing it to happen. But now the meme, enjoyed by us all, appears to have been forced to an end. 
It makes me sad that Smirnoff was not comfortable enough to let this end on it’s own. I don’t see how it was destructive to the brand. We all know Smirnoff ice is gross, but the girls who want it buy it anyway. If anything, all sources indicate that Icing was pulling in record profits for Smirnoff. So why shut it down? 
I assume that people will still be playing, but for someone like me all the fun came from watching dudes get Iced at BrosIcingBros.com. Smirnoff took away my new favourite work distraction, and with it, any respect that they had earned from this.

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