A while back I wrote a post called ‘Should Ink Stink’ which basically questioned Mont Blanc’s strategy to diversify into aftershave.
Despite my slightly pessimistic view of their new product, I have to say I am a huge believer in brand diversification and certainly don’t subscribe to the view you should only develop products that are linked to your core area of expertise and/or awareness.
For me, it’s always about entering areas that you find interesting, that you know you can make a real impression in and that links to your companies values and philosophy … which is possibly why Yamaha can happily make products as diverse as motorbikes and concert piano’s and still be highly credible and desirable in both.
Can you imagine if LG made a car?
Hell, can you imagine if LG made a bloody mobile phone that worked for longer than 4 months and had a bit of substance about it rather than their over-reliance on style.
Korean style.
Anyway I digress …
So recently I was in Tokyo and I came across something a bit weird.
Of course Japan is the home of the weird … but this was seriously strange and I mean more in a Mont Blanc aftershave kinda way, rather than a Yamaha musical instrument kinda way …
Yep, Chuppa Chups bath ‘powder’.
Chuppa Chups GRAPE bath powder.
GRAPE???
Who the fuck wants to bathe in grape flavoured water?
Actually scrub that, who the fuck wants to bathe in purple coloured water?
People with lots of bruises who find the sight of them disturbing?
WTF!
I should point out I wasn’t in a kids shop [though I accept it could be for children] however it just confuses the hell out of me.
Even if this is a licensed product, what were Chuppa Chups thinking by agreeing to it?
Maybe I’m missing something but I really find this mental so if you can see the benefit of this as a product line, please let me know because at this point it just smacks of another moment of marketing/licensing madness and by god, we have enough of that shit with Ferrari and Ducati.