Brand Transplantation: Finding Comminuted Elements

Tear up your product. If every fragment is clearly and unmistakably indicated brand Congratulations, it's time to launch new products.

Have you ever heard of Versace hotel or Ferrari laptop? If you saw this problem 15 years ago, do you think it is a printing mistake? But you should have seen it today.

Brand transplantation can not rely solely on its own strength.

Many brands have tried water to develop products of different categories, and the span is incredible. For example, many years ago, a stationery manufacturer named Beek (Bic), whose main products were disposable ink pen, lighter and shaver, decided to develop a new product line -- cheap throwing perfume. There is no suspense in the attempt to freeze the market. People can hardly put a stationery brand at all. Perfume Link up. In the same way, Trump, a famous Mr. Waterloo, tried to create a perfume brand named "Trump fragrance" with his influence, claiming to be tailored for the wealthy. The brand has also disappeared.

In fact, creating brand new products for brands cannot rely solely on the strength of the brand itself. Take Louis Vuitton as an example. Today we can naturally associate this brand with high-end clothing, shoes, jewelry, stationery and games. Louis Weedon's brand team cleverly integrates brand spirit into every category. product In addition, new products are added to the brand.

Many years ago, Louis Weedon released the first watch series of the brand. At that time, as long as other products, printed on the clock Louis Weedon unique logo, loyal fans can be identified at a glance. But as I said above, the strength of the brand alone is not enough to guarantee the success of a brand new product category. Louis Weedon adopted a rare method at the time: united national brand strength.

Carefully observe Louis Weedon's watch products, you will find that it is marked "made in Switzerland", which is unprecedented in Louis Weedon. In order to create a high quality product of new watch products, Louis Weedon chose to borrow from Switzerland, a country with clocks and watches making legend. The move is also applied to Louis Weedon's footwear products - each pair of Louis Weedon brand shoes marked "Italy made" noble status.

Louis Weedon's example fully confirms that to transplant brands to new categories is not simply to copy the brand logo in the past. This is not to underestimate the power of logo, but even the most influential logo is difficult to guarantee against the risk of new product lines.

In the process of brand transplantation, the transmission of brand core value is the key. Before developing new products, we need to carefully measure whether the value of the original brand matches the value of the new product. Beek in the above is a negative case: when choosing perfume, no one will choose perfume with "cheap" characteristics, which is the core value of the brand's main product -- disposable stationery. Businesses need to make consumers feel that the transplant from the parent brand to the core value of the new product is smooth and even natural to detect.

Louis Weedon has long been rewarded for the strategy of producing brand image. More than 70% of her products are sold to the Japanese market. According to statistics, Japanese women are full of fantasies about Louis Weedon in France. 80% of them even want to have a wedding in Paris.

Finding "comminuted" elements

A few years ago, I introduced a concept called "shattered brand", which came from Coca-Cola bottles.

When designing Coke bottles in 1915, the Coca Cola Co asked the design to be very distinctive. Even if the bottle was smashed to pieces and picked up any piece of debris, it could be judged that it was a product of Coca-Cola. Therefore, whether consumers can quickly identify brands at the first time - even after removing all logo and other signs - is the brand characteristic enough. For some brands, this is quite easy.

Apple Corp's product is an example. Without any logo, we can easily identify which product is Apple Corp. Apple is therefore a "shattered brand".

We can get the inspiration of brand transplantation from the "shattered brand". When Apple releases iPad, people will think it is another apple product with no doubt from its name or design style. But the continuity of light name and design style can not guarantee the success of this new product. One of the most "shattering" elements of apple is its navigation system. If Apple users stand in front of a computer, they will soon be able to tell if it is apple computer.

Why? Because Apple Corp has successfully transplanted its unique navigation system from computer products to subsequent products. About half of Apple products started with iMac computers and iPod, and bought every product launched by the company, because they are already very familiar with Apple's continuous navigation system.

It can be said that iPod is a unique weapon for apple to successfully carry out category extension. It sold 100 million units worldwide in 2007 alone, which paved a smooth path for apple to enter the most competitive mobile phone and subsequent tablet market. In contrast to other brands, many fruit powders have even decided to buy before the launch of new products.

Like Apple Corp, with the design style and operating system effective in category extension, many companies that have successfully carried out category extension have formed their own unique strategies. They have something in common: they do not simply rely on the power of logo.

In fact, most of these enterprises choose the path out of logo dependence. Instead of focusing on logo, they use creativity and imagination to find other ways to enhance their core values. Why is Colgate not going to launch toothpick products with its brand's trademark odour? That's why.

Nonetheless, some brands have successfully implemented brand transplantation with the power of logo. Ferrari and computer maker Acer (Acer) jointly launched the world's first Ferrari laptop. If you just spray the computer case into a Ferrari sports car marked red and hit logo, the computer may not be able to succeed. On this basis, Acer has made in-depth development of the brand value of Ferrari: for example, in the spray painting process, the three layer painting process dedicated to Ferrari sports car is used for the shell of the computer product; the sound of the start and acceleration of the Ferrari sports car is also used as the voice of the computer program startup. Ferrari and Acer use each "smash" element to effectively enhance the product premium, and successfully achieve Ferrari's extension to electronic products.

More brands create a "smash" element for people's senses, and these brands have greater chances of transplanting. Is your brand shaping unique brand characteristics in the minds of consumers through voice, touch, form, flavor or aroma?

In short, if you are planning to copy logo to new products and services before brand transplantation, ten to one you will have to wait for the product to be unmarketable and shut down. Before you are ready to start the expedition, remember to tear up the product and see if every fragment clearly shows its brand ownership. If so, Congratulations, you can sail in the wind.