Dilute Your Brand ?

Many successful brands were built by being the only choice in their product or service category. When people hear or think of the brand name they connect right away. There are some unfortunate brands that tried to capitalize on the brand name by adding line extensions the were different than the original products. As a result they diluted the brands effectiveness for it's basic products or service and ended up confusing some buyers. The new products names, in some cases, made no sense to what the buyer was thinking when they heard the brand name. Would buy Quaker State cottage cheese?

The brand can also be diluted by adding too many versions of a successful product just to increase sales. These can also confuse the buyer when they really wanted the basic product and now have to choose from from several options. The brand may have added: light, no sugar, cherry flavored or other versions. The buyer may try one of the new versions and not like it, then dumps the original brand altogether. Instead of increasing sales it does just the opposite, and the entire brand suffers.

The best way to introduce new products is to use a different brand name that if successful can stand on it's own and grow independently. You can still use the same distribution channels and have store or market influence for merchandising. The big known brand has the power to make the new brand name successful without hurting itself if something falls short. The most successful new brands are the ones that get to market first or are a viable alternative to the first-out brand. Use your strong brand to grow but not by diluting it.

Barry is a marketing speaker and consultant.  www.idealetter.com