The Rebel in the Room: A History of .SUCKS x INTA

Marlon Brando, Christopher McCandless and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. What do they all have in common? They’re rebels. Rule breakers. Shakers of the status quo. They’re John Bender, walking off into the horizon with his fist firmly in the air. Rebels are the type of people who won’t accept injustice as a part of life, but will stand up and declare, “That sucks!” They’re loud, opinionated and downright uncompromising. And when it comes to the annual International Trademark Association (INTA) conference, we’re proud to be one of them.

We revel in making an impact at these events and wear the label of “rebel” like a badge of honor. INTA welcomes intellectual property (IP) experts, brand owners and marketing specialists from around the world, making it the perfect platform for our message of critical thinking and unique social responsiveness.

BeingOrdinary.Sucks, which is why we endeavor to make a mark at each INTA conference. Here’s how .SUCKS consistently makes waves.

Disruptive Advertising

At our first INTA conference in 2015, .SUCKS’s presence was in full force. We arrived intent to make a splash, and succeeded in raising the eyebrows and blood pressure of INTA staff with our INTA.Sucks mobile truck billboard. The next year, we took “disruptive” to a whole new level. Our magnum opus that year was a Viagra.Sucks banner in the booth, which had a phallic cartoon photo that INTA asked us to take down. Instead, we covered it with a poster that read: “Lift to see what INTA won’t let you.” This kind of advertising is effective for breaking through the clutter when trying to get across to your audience—and keeps people talking after the fact.

Guerilla Marketing

For our inaugural outing at INTA, 10 street team members in .SUCKS gear handed out branded condoms, while provocative ads were projected onto buildings in the area. Another year, we planted Trump.Sucks urinal cakes at the venue and nearby restaurants, and gave out SweeTARTS candies with [Law Firm].Sucks printed on them to visitors with a sweet tooth. Unconventional marketing tactics like these help to communicate that you are a rebel and aren’t afraid of taking creative risks (which will likely result in great exposure).

Catchy Souvenirs

While we like to keep people on their toes each year at INTA, one of our staple moves has been to provide customizable t-shirts to help people vocalize what they think sucks. Besides, you doesn’t love to take home a little swag? On our first year, we supplied t-shirts with _____.Sucks emblazoned upon them for people to personalize as they saw fit, and in the following years, we’ve introduced made-to-order printed shirts. At INTA 2018, our t-shirt making booth was, once again, a hit—with Trump.Sucks shirts being the number-one choice.

Nothing was ever gained from blending in; at .SUCKS we’re all about sparking conversation. The true gift of the rebel is an ability to speak up while everybody else bites their tongues. At this year’s INTA, be sure to stop by our booth to find out how .SUCKS can help your brand find its voice.

INTA.Sucks if you’re not a rebel or creative thinker. Join the ranks of .SUCKS domain owners and start making waves.

Updated: October 2021

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