Most ridiculous brand extension

[VOW]

The entire Coca-Cola debacle was supposedly generated by testing Coke against Pepsi, and finding folks who preferred Pepsi. So they tinkered with the Coke recipe to give a “smoother, sweeter” taste.

Idiots…

Then came the flavor add-ins. Some folks like a squeeze of lime in their drinks. Then EVERYBODY jumped on board! The newest flavor addition is Vanilla+Orange.

eyeroll

If that is something that REALLY floats your boat, eat a damned Creamsicle with your Coke!
~VOW

[swampspruce]

@kenobi_65

I don’t consider that a brand extension, though (not unless AMF was re-branding the Harleys as “AMF Motorcycles”). That’s an example of a conglomerate, which was a common corporate strategy in the 1970s and 1980s, in which parent corporations tried to broaden their portfolios (and hedge against a downturn in any particular industry) by owning companies in an array of disparate industries.

It also led to such weirdness as General Mills owning Parker Brothers Games and Lionel Trains, Quaker Oats owning Fisher-Price Toys and JoS. A. Bank Clothiers, and Sara Lee owning Coach bags.

It’s not a common strategy now, in large part because companies realized that they were unlikely to be able to intelligently manage disparate divisions (such as a maker of bowling equipment being terrible at managing a motorcycle company).

Fair cop. Although I do tend to be amused by H-D F-150s, GMC and Jeep Bicycles, and Monster Energy slathered all over vehicles that have nothing to do with Extreme Sports or Rally. You could argue that at least tangentially they’re all tied to transportation, I suppose, but how to explain something like Caterpiller smart phones?

[Irishman]

I can’t believe nobody has brought up Trump Steaks, sold via Sharper Image. That’s right, a real-estate mogul selling steaks via a home furnishings store.

[Derleth]

@swampspruce

I’m surprised no one’s mentioned the fiasco of the AMF era Harley Davidsons. A company that manufactures bowling equipment is sure to be able to master motorcycles.:rolleyes:

Yeah, like Lipton tea and Hellman’s mayonnaise. Who wants to buy their tea from a mayo company? It would be like buying your ice cream from a soap company! Yuck!

[furryman]

One of the high end car companies, I think maybe Ferrari put out an SUV. I thought it was bizzare. I don’t think it lasted too long.

Sometimes it works. Nintendo started out as a playing card company.

[Barbarian]

@nearwildheaven

Yamaha makes motorcycles AND musical instruments.

This made my kids laugh immensely when I came home with my new motorcycle last year.

“Your motorcycle has the same logo as my recorder!”

[Dewey_Finn]

@furryman

One of the high end car companies, I think maybe Ferrari put out an SUV. I thought it was bizzare. I don’t think it lasted too long.

Sometimes it works. Nintendo started out as a playing card company.

I have a pepper mill made by Peugeot. I thought that was weird, considering the company is better known as an automaker, but reading Wikipedia, the pepper mill business came first.

Also, Nokia started off as a paper pulp mill, and Wipro (large Indian IT outsourcing company) started as a vegetable oil producer. The name is actually an acronym for Western India Vegetable Products Limited.

[Skywatcher]

@Dewey_Finn

I have a pepper mill made by Peugeot. I thought that was weird, considering the company is better known as an automaker, but reading Wikipedia, the pepper mill business came first.

And that reminds me of their bicycles; my PITA brother brought one home from Europe in the Eighties.