There it was on the corner. The sign announcing a business like no other: Spin Cycle Laundry & Tanning.
Extending a brand means to branch it out from one product or service line to another. Like Barbie dolls to Barbie bikes. Or, like Community Hospital to Community Hospital Medical Group.
Many hospitals have strong brands, as do many medical groups. They didn’t just happen, they were developed. Brands are a promise of known value and quality. Think Mayo Clinic versus Next Hospital Before Freeway.
Depending on the strength of the brand and on the extension (e.g., its quality, its value proposition, its relation to the original brand message, etc.), an extension might be a huge success or a huge failure. But then again, there’s no shame in failure. There’s only shame in not trying.
Laundry to tanning. That’s certainly a stretch. Will it work? Who knows. But they’re trying.
Are you?
