Forget about innovative new products. Think line extensions, and pretty bad ones at that. It's not hard to see that there are plenty of products that fit the bill, but a poll conducted for Brandweek identified what marketing professionals felt were the absolute dregs of 2008.
At the top (or would that be bottom?) of the list was Burger King underwear. (The company's new cologne gets our vote). Among the list of derided items was also Allstate Green insurance, Coca-Cola's RPet clothing at Wal-Mart, Kellogg's hip-hot streetwear, Playboy's energy drink and Sleeping Beauty executive fountain pens from Disney priced at up to $1,200.
"The bad ideas keep flowing. It's amazing and there's nothing we can do to stop it," said Robert Sprung, co-founder of the TippingSprung, which has conducted the study for Brandweek for five years.
"Marketers are so in love with their brands that they think consumers are as well and will go to the lengths of wearing their brand name on their underwear," said Laura Ries, cofounder of Ries & Ries. "While people love the Whopper, they don't want to parade around in underwear that says, 'This is where my big, fat ass came from.'"
The emphasis on green marketing led to a number of missteps, according to the Brandweek poll.
Allstate's Green insurance was noted as a prime example of greenwashing. The company offers paperless statements (very common today) and says it will donate $10 to an unnamed environmental organization.
Neither was the Coke RPet clothing line, made from recycled PET bottles, given points for its eco-friendliness. Almost 58 percent of respondents said the line was more about greenwashing than green.
Discussion Questions: Does the number of line extensions today point to marketers who are less innovative than in the past? What gets your vote as the best and worst line extensions of 2008?