Brand Extensions and How To Grow Your Brand
The remit of a brand manager is to grow the brand strategically and successfully and for the long-term. Unfortunately, it seems that many dismiss the latter.
In my brand training I go into detail about how to grow a brand and this includes brand extensions.
what is the core of your brand?
There is a right way and a wrong way to extend your brand. If you have a recognisable and consistent core to your brand you are afforded the option of extending the brand – but never at the expense of the core.
What do I mean about the core of the brand?
Let’s take an example we are all familiar with – Kit Kat.
Ask any number of people how they would define Kit Kat and most will come up with similiar answers. That is thick chocolate with a wafer middle. What this means is that Kit Kat can and has extended it’s offering beyond the standard four finger bar to other areas – think Kit Kat Chunky or Kit Kat Minis.
These are successful brands because the ‘core’ has been recognised, nurtured and extended into other profitable products.
So the message is that for any brand extension to be successful, it must retain the core.
When A Brand Extension Goes Wrong
It is easy to spot a brand that has lost it’s way. You see the product and ask “what the heck?”
This happened to me recently when I came across Tango Shower Gel. That’s right, shower gel!
brand extensions gone wrongNow I haven’t conducted extensive market research but life experience tells me that if you asked 100 people what words they associate with Tango the responses would be somewhere along the lines of 1. soft drink 2. orange. Leaving not to be consumed bathroom products way down the bottom of the list.
So what? Well the answer is that brands can take years to have a positive core value created and only an ill advised brand extension to partly destroy the previous good work. A short term boost can destroy the long term profitability.
The conflict of the new association, shower gel, erodes the established core of soft drink. This is a dumb move.
Brand Training
If you want to understand brand strategies and techniques for extending your brand whilst retaining its successful core you can learn this and other branding tips on my branding training course.
We will take you through the meaning of a brand, how to discover your brand core and how to carefully pursue long-term successful brand strategies.
We do this in-house with your team and on your premises. If you would like to discuss your requirements and obtain a free training proposal you can call 0845 459 0316 and I’d be glad to discuss your branding questions.
by Carl Duncker
