Please Don't Extend the Line

How many of you would remember the brand Campa Cola? It was actually very successful in 70s, 80s, and even through the 90s. Until, it was killed by the foreign brands: Coke and Pepsi.

Taking away the entire market share of Campa Cola in India wouldn't have been easy. But Coke and Pepsi did it. And then they made the same mistake that is not unique to them, but seen across many industries.

They extended the product line.

Coca-Cola Zero, Coca-Cola Light, and Diet Coke are examples of product line extension. And so are Durex Air, Durex Mutual Climax, and Durex Invisible. Yet another example of product line extension is Marlboro Advance, Marlboro Gold, and Marlboro Menthol.

You see, when you are using the same brand name for different experiences, you are extending the product line.

Today it is not uncommon to see line extensions that say light, clear, fat-free etc. But with these extensions in place, what are you really trying to tell your customers? That the original product was not good for them?

Added to that, it is quite naive to assume that Durex Air market share is going to come by taking away the share of Manforce. That is not going to happen.

Manforce loyalists will remain with Manforce, and Durex will only be shuffling its own customers among different extensions. Which means that in most cases, success of Durex Air will lead to erosion of Durex Invisible.

So instead of introducing a healthy fat-free version of your product under the same brand, just give it a different name. As an example, if you feel that there's a no-sugar craze going on in the nation, just introduce a no-sugar alternative with a different name.

This can lead to a win-win situation for both the brands. Introducing them with the same name, however, is the quickest route to self-erosion.