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Extensions, Part 1 |
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The strongest brands occupy a clearly defined and well-focused position in customers' minds. They dominate their categories: Adidas in sportswear, Honda in cars, and so on. But brands often aren't limited to a single category. Adidas sells fragrance. Honda makes motorcycles, boats, and planes. And some uberbrands seem to cover everythingGE offers lightbulbs, dishwashers, industrial turbines ... and financial services. Do brands have any limits?
Brands inhabit categories, but are not really of those categories. A great brand transcends categorization to stand for a larger, abstract meaning. Adidas is about winning more than sportswear, Honda is about getting around reliably rather than wheels. GE wraps all its offerings in values such as caring and quality.
A great brand can be applied to any category in which it finds its larger truth reflected. Virgin's brand is about exuberance and defiance of the establishment. It works as an icon brand in areas as diverse as music, airlines, and cell phones. (But it didn't work in cola, because nobody ever really felt a need to defy Coke or Pepsi.)
It is important to distinguish between brand extensions, line extensions, and licensed merchandise. Each works for a different reason. Brand extensions can be thought of as functioning |
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