Your brand and your product are on fire. What’s the worst thing you can do? Come up with a product extension that makes absolutely no sense. Take these real world examples: A cigarette lighter manufacturer creating a line of perfume, a leading beer company trying their hand at bottled water, and fast food giant adding upscale menu items aimed at affluent customers. There is no shortage of ill-conceived product extensions. Fortunately, there is Plan B’s Bombshelter—an innovation incubator that has mastered the art of product innovation and line extension. A small and nimble team of strategic business-minded entrepreneurs who can look at your product and brand with a fresh set of eyes that can help come up with the next big “THING” faster and more efficiently than your AOR.
For now, here are some horrible product extensions that don’t seem so far fetched when you take into account the above examples.
- Diapers for young adults
- Lip balm for dogs
- Vodka flavored mints
- Ambidextrous turn signals
- Blackout tints for rear view mirrors
- Recyclable toilet paper
- Edible shampoo
- Velcro: added to anything
- Triple sided tape
- Cola flavored iced tea