Multiplying the ways in which consumers can interact with your brand is often quite the challenge.
It usually requires companies to branch outside of their comfort zones, much like an oral hygiene business diving into the world of frozen foods.
So we at Bored Panda decided it would be interesting to take a look at the times when big names announced products they weren't really known for.
After all, he who never takes risks doesn't get to drink champagne, right?
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Audi Is Dog Friendly. My Car Came Back From The Service With These Dog Toys On The Back Seat. Both Of My Labrador Retrievers Went Nuts
My McDonald's Themed Deck Of Cards Has The Queen Holding The Burger, So There Wouldn’t Be A Burger King
But the deck is probably missing 4 cards, since they wouldn't want to include a jack in the box
It's easy to understand why companies decide to diversify. 65% of CEOs of large companies around the world predict that in five to seven years, their firms' main competitors would be different from their main competitors today, and 63% say that new competitors with new business models would pose a major threat to their firms' core business.
The CEOs estimate that in the next decade, 40% of the value their companies created would come from entering new markets and launching new business models. Clearly, the business landscape feels highly unstable to them, which is no surprise given that new technologies continue to upend industries and wipe out businesses at a remarkable rate.
My Dad Owns A Working 40-Year-Old Mitsubishi Sharpener And You Can Adjust The Sharpness Of A Pencil
Mitsubishi is one of the old Japanese mega corps called zaibatsu. They have since been broken up into smaller companies and that's why you can find anything from Mitsubishi cars and banks to nuclear power plants and, indeed, pencil sharpeners. Fun fact: Mitsubishi means "Three diamonds", so now you know where the logo comes from.
Subaru Branded Honey From My Local Dealership. Harvested From Their Rooftop
Just Bought A Porsche Today, And They Gave Us Paper Clips Shaped Like Porsches
The good news to them is that now is a great time for companies to try to build new engines of profitable growth.
One study estimated that global investment capital had tripled in the past three decades and stood at 10 times the global GDP.
Additionally, high-growth industries today don't require as much investment as they once did; disruptive businesses can scale up faster in size and power with less capital.
When You Order A Knife Directly From Fällkniven They Also Send You These Branded Band-Aids With Your Package
I Was Cleaning Out An Old Apartment And Found A 1982 Coca-Cola Screwdriver Set
This Was In An NHS Hospital In The UK. They Have A Toy MRI Machine In The Hospital Waiting Room
seems like a good idea to help children who are scared of an MRI machine get over their fear
However, experts point out that diversification is an unpredictable, high-stakes game. First of all, companies usually face the decision in an atmosphere not conducive to thoughtful deliberation.
For instance, an attractive company comes into play, and a competitor is interested in buying it. Or the board of directors strongly urge expanding into new markets. Suddenly, senior managers must gather mountains of data—including internal rate-of-return calculations, market forecasts, and competitive assessments—under huge time pressure.
Diversification as a corporate strategy goes in and out of vogue on a regular basis. Simply put, there is little conventional wisdom to guide managers as they consider a move that could greatly increase shareholder value or seriously damage it.
This Luxurious Watch
USB Power Bank Disguised As A Mini Generator
This Turkish Muslim Girl Working At McDonald's Has A McDonald's Branded Hijab (Istanbul, Turkey)
My Neighbours Also Park Their Lamborghini In Their Front Yard
Before diversifying, businessmen must think not about what their company does but about what it does better than its competitors.
Consider the history of Blue Circle Industries, a British company that is one of the world's leading cement producers.
In the 1980s, Blue Circle decided to diversify on the basis of an unclear definition of its business. It was, the company’s managers thought, in the business of making products related to home building. So Blue Circle expanded into real estate, bricks, waste management, gas stoves, bath-tubs—even lawn mowers.
Twix Seasoning For Popcorn, Ice Cream, Cookie Dough And More
This Radio I Found In My Attic Is Built To Resemble A Coca Cola Vending Machine
McDonald's Made A Fry Radio In The '80s And My Dad Gave Me His
Found This Old Volvo Cap Where The Strap Is A Seatbelt
According to one retired executive, “Our move into lawn mowers was based on the logic that you need a lawn mower for your garden—which, after all, is next to your house.”
As you might've guessed, few of Blue Circle’s diversification forays proved successful.
The Ketchup And Mayonnaise Packets I Got From A Restaurant With My Food Are The Opposite Brands Off What I Would Consider Their Specially
Heinz made the mayo and Hellmann's made the ketchup.
Dodgeball At Dodge Car Dealership
Fried Chicken Scented Fire Log
Dad Still Uses The Coleman-Made, Marlboro-Branded, 12V Car Refrigerator He Got From A '90s Marlboro Catalog
My dad smoked Marlboros and we had a ton of this stuff. Coats, beach towels, coolers, sleeping bags, backpacks. It was all high quality stuff. Still not worth smoking cancer sticks to get this.
Those sleeping bads were. Raza warm. Went cing in the winter and was nice and toasty
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I remember reading about a guy who would collect the rewards people would discard and cash them in for coats for homeless people.
My dad used to be sponsored by Marlboro when he raced motorcycles. We still have a ton of random Marlboro branded stuff. The leather overnight bag is almost 40 years old and still my dad's favourite travel bag.
I have a handful of Marlboro products... They are the first ones that say happy birthday every year LMAO
We had a family friend who smoked Marlboros and lots of them he had like the whole catalog of stuff ... Sadly hes dead now ... Not from cancer though.. a drunk driver hit him and killed him and his wife ... But smokings the big thing thats bad not alcohol
I won a trip to the Marlboro Ranch about 15 years ago and got a ton of swag and an amazing trip. I didn't even smoke at the time but my partner at the time did and had told me to sign up for a contest to see if we could win a laptop. He got the laptop and I got 500$ and an all expense paid trip for two. I still wish I had taken my mom instead of him.
Our family weren't smokers but neighbours were. I remember they used to get tokens or tickets or something in the packs, save enough and you could order from the catalogue
My folks smoked Benson & Hedges and I remember counting HUNDREDS of UPCs for them to cash in on merch. Sad but interesting
These products were more of a marketing campaign to get people to buy more cigarettes. It worked too. You had to collect Marlboro bucks and Camel cash with the purchase of a pack of smokes and send them in with a premium and shipping fees. They were both remarkably successful campaigns.
My uncle had a bunch of Camel-branded stuff he got from Camel cash. A jacket, a radio, even a camcorder I think. He died a couple weeks ago from COPD.
This brings back memories... Only it was Camel Cash. My parents both smoked 2 packs per day, and the guys at the fire station where my Dad worked also smoked Camels, so they'd save all of the C-Notes for me to choose stuff from the catalogue because we didn't have enough money for allowance. It was a small reward for helping with extra chores and keeping my grades up. Looking back I see how awful that whole campaign was (even worse because that was the first brand I smoked when I started smoking in middle school because of my familiarity with it, but I'm happy to say that I successfully quit smoking almost 2 years ago!), but at the time it was awesome because the products were very high quality. I still have a few of the things stored away in my memory box. 🙂
OMG! I also saved Marlboro points off packs for everything. From umbrellas to long sleeved tees!
Back when it was way better to order out of the catalogs because the s*** actually said Marlboro I collected so many Marlboro Miles back in the day before I was even old enough to smoke and I would have my cousin send them in and get me s*** out of the catalogs I still have a lunch pail super good condition
I still carry my dad's Marlboro swiss army knife he got from the catalog.
I loved Marlboro merch but saving those miles sure did a number on my lungs! I smoked for around 25 yrs only stopping while pregnant. I put a Marlboro 72 menthol out August 6, 2016 and haven't touched one since!
From back when EVERYTHING gave you points to spend on branded merch (Kool-Aid, Marlboro, and most cereals are the ones that I can immediately remember off the top of my head)
If it still works, why not. Take care of it, they don't make stuff as they used to.
I still have that same cooler (still works), my fav Marlboro ceramic mugs (great for homemade soup, still use them!), And the well-insukated suede jacket my husband ordered, among sime smaller things. I don't smoke anymire, though. But I still love those mugs! My husband said the jacket was really warm but costs him a lung. He eventually quit smoking too
I got a super nice dart board among other things from them. Surprisingly it was good quality
Diversification will remain a tough task, and managers must study their cards carefully. It takes smart players to know when it’s best to place their bets and when it’s best to fold.
But, as we can see from the pictures, they're still gambling.
If You Thought That The Perfect Soap Doesn't Exist, Here's For You
Volkswagen (VW) Is The Largest Producer Of A Particular Type Of Sausage (Currywurst) In Germany
Colgate Beef Lasagna
The Michelin Tire Company Is The Same Michelin That Issues Michelin Stars To Restaurants And Hotels
IIRC it's because they started producing travel guides for people on driving holidays.
IKEA Is Now Selling Hats Made Out Of IKEA Bags
I Got KFC Socks With My Delivery Order
LEGO Brick Shoe Box
This Hairdryer With A Ferrari Motor
I'll Wear This To The Next Wedding
Dr. Pepper, I Think You Went Too Far This Time
Dr. Pepper Scented Tissues
Big Mac Shower Gel (Courtesy Of Austrian McDonald's)
Hello Kitty Pasta Sauce Anyone?
There's a reason why that brand is in second place of the highest-grossing media franchises.
Wife Asked For A Car For Her Birthday And I Promised Her That While I Was Drunk. So, Here It Is - I Bought Her A Toyota Car
Guinness - The Famous Brand Of Beer And "The Book Of Records"
I feel like a lot of world record attempts started with the words "hold my beer"
Samsung Runs A Fashion Store In South Korea
I accidentally read the headline as "Samsung RUINS a fashion store ...." LOL
Strawberry Mentos Bath Bombs
Samsung Made The Barbells At My Gym
Louis Vuitton Fire Extinguishers. To Fight Fire With Style
Does not conform to international standard of color designation....
Note: this post originally had 101 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.
Surprised I didn't see Yamaha here. Makers of fine motorcycles and musical instruments.
That's also what i wanna say，the logo of YAMAHA motorbike is actually three tuning forks.
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Many of the items above say, “This item was made by [Ford, Mitsubishi, etc.]. But the fact that a company’s brand is on an item doesn’t mean the item was *made by* that company; it just means that the company licensed the maker to put the company’s brand on the maker’s item. For instance, #99, Lamborghini cigarettes. Lamborghini doesn’t make cigarettes; they paid the cigarette manufacturer to put the name Lamborghini on the cigarettes or the cigarette manufacturer paid Lamborghini for same.
Lamborghini was a tractor and equipment manufacturer before it ever thought about building cars.
I've no idea if it's true, but the story goes that the founders of Lamborghini and Ferrari had an argument and Lamborghini makes cars, now.
Load More Replies... Wait till you find out about Yamaha and Kowasaki musical instruments and motorcycles
Husqvarna makes motor cycles, machine guns and sewing machines
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I used to have an Arm & Hammer adjustable wrench from the 1800s. I sold it to a person who collects antique tools.
My guess is that you need the same materials for both
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I'm surprised General Electric isn't on the list somewhere. They started making electrical supply and distribution equipment. Then home appliances and jet engines. Yet, they ended up being the largest credit card company in the 1990's. I did a summer engineering internship with them while in highschool and studied GE in business college because of how they were always able to diversify their products based on their share of market demand. Interesting history. In my career, I rebuilt many 100+ year old GE electrical substation components. Many people find it alarming that most East Coast of the US is operating off 100+ YO equipment, but they just don't make things of that quality anymore.
Ich frage mich oft wie dumm und/oder aufmerksamkeitsgeil manche "Autoren" hier sind. Die meisten gezeigten Gegenstände sind ganz einfach Werbeartikel und das mit dem Traktor und anderen Sachen ist Ahnungslosigkeit. Wisst ihr eigentlich wie viel Firmen andere Sachen gemacht haben bevor sie die Sachen machen die sie heute machen?
Tja, der Großteil der Leser scheinen Amerikaner zu sein, denen fällt sowas vielleicht nicht auf :-)
Load More Replies... Surprised I didn't see Yamaha here. Makers of fine motorcycles and musical instruments.
That's also what i wanna say，the logo of YAMAHA motorbike is actually three tuning forks.
Load More Replies... Many of the items above say, “This item was made by [Ford, Mitsubishi, etc.]. But the fact that a company’s brand is on an item doesn’t mean the item was *made by* that company; it just means that the company licensed the maker to put the company’s brand on the maker’s item. For instance, #99, Lamborghini cigarettes. Lamborghini doesn’t make cigarettes; they paid the cigarette manufacturer to put the name Lamborghini on the cigarettes or the cigarette manufacturer paid Lamborghini for same.
Lamborghini was a tractor and equipment manufacturer before it ever thought about building cars.
I've no idea if it's true, but the story goes that the founders of Lamborghini and Ferrari had an argument and Lamborghini makes cars, now.
Load More Replies... Wait till you find out about Yamaha and Kowasaki musical instruments and motorcycles
Husqvarna makes motor cycles, machine guns and sewing machines
Load More Replies... I used to have an Arm & Hammer adjustable wrench from the 1800s. I sold it to a person who collects antique tools.
My guess is that you need the same materials for both
Load More Replies... I'm surprised General Electric isn't on the list somewhere. They started making electrical supply and distribution equipment. Then home appliances and jet engines. Yet, they ended up being the largest credit card company in the 1990's. I did a summer engineering internship with them while in highschool and studied GE in business college because of how they were always able to diversify their products based on their share of market demand. Interesting history. In my career, I rebuilt many 100+ year old GE electrical substation components. Many people find it alarming that most East Coast of the US is operating off 100+ YO equipment, but they just don't make things of that quality anymore.
Ich frage mich oft wie dumm und/oder aufmerksamkeitsgeil manche "Autoren" hier sind. Die meisten gezeigten Gegenstände sind ganz einfach Werbeartikel und das mit dem Traktor und anderen Sachen ist Ahnungslosigkeit. Wisst ihr eigentlich wie viel Firmen andere Sachen gemacht haben bevor sie die Sachen machen die sie heute machen?
Tja, der Großteil der Leser scheinen Amerikaner zu sein, denen fällt sowas vielleicht nicht auf :-)
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