It’s ironical that my column on Brand Extension has to be extended! But it is warranted to answer a few questions that were posed to me, by a few, through feedback and mails.
So here is the extension! The questions first and my comments follow it.
Question: “Your statements are sweeping in nature; what about Johnson & Johnson. They are into a range of baby’s products – oil, talc, creams, shampoos etc., and quite successful too. So your arguments against Brand Extensions fall flat at the feet of J&J.”
First, my statements are not sweeping in nature. I think I have given enough instances and proofs for every statement made in the column. One could disagree with my statements but I am not sure if I could be accused of making sweeping ones at that.
Secondly, on J&J, while I concede it is widely extended and cover a range of baby’s products, I would like to know who it is competing with? The answer is simple - none. There is either no brand that competes with J&J or if there is one, it is a well-guarded secret. And, when there is none to question, you do things your way – though it does not necessarily make it right. Give J&J some time. It is amazing such a huge category – baby’s needs – has not attracted the level of competition that is even found in boring categories like centrifugal pumps! Once stand-alone brands walk into the category, you will start witnessing the eroding of J&J. (I guess this could be termed a sweeping statement).
Question: “Well thought out extensions can work. It is only unrelated extensions that fail.”
No matter how much you think and plan well, you can’t make a rock talk – or for that matter make extensions work. Take a look at Hindustan Lever. Having worked with that system for a few years let me tell you they are paranoid about market research. Every damn move they would want to make is thoroughly thought out and well researched. Short of asking their research agency if they could go to the loo, every damn thing is checked and checked scrupulously. Yet, why would all their extensions fail? Without an exception.
Didn’t someone say, “at 20 if you are not a communist it means you don’t have a heart; at 30 if you are still a communist it means you don’t have a head!”
The stupidity of extensions was just seen again in the recent launch of fairness cream for men by HLL. Nothing wrong with the strategy other than that it is a few months late but the biggest problem is in the name – Fair & Lovely.
Fair, ok, but lovely? Which male in God’s name would like to look lovely? Maybe the ones who score same side goals a la gays. Don’t you think Fair & Handsome is a good name and a better strategy? For starters, it is not an extension to begin with. You could argue F&L has the word ‘Active’ to add the necessary macho to the brand. No body calls you by your surname. No brand is called by its surname either. For the consumer, it is just plain Fair & Lovely.
Fair & Lovely for men would be more Inactive!
It is not that marketers don’t realize extensions never work. If they sincerely believed so, why would all these liquor marketers advertise their brands as mineral water or as apple juice. Do you really believe Kingfisher is advertising their mineral water every time Michael Vaughn tries to teach Freddie Flintoff sing the brand’s tune? No man, Kingfisher knows that the consumer would only recall beer and not water when he sees that commercial.
Before I sign off, here is something to think about, something that I had even written about in my book (Marketing Maayaajaalam published by Kizhakku Pathipagam). Assume your wife delivers a second child who resembles your first. Would you still name him with the same name as your first one or call him so-and-so II? Why then would you do the same mistake with your brands?
1 comment:
I still disagree. Here's why:
Well thought out doesn't mean well researched. It is my not-so-humble view that in research, what you want is what you will get. Market researchers are lap dogs of brand managers. If the brand manager wants research to back his view, one wink to the research administrator will do the trick...
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