The Chameleon Strategy. Changing appearance to match the environment or to mask oneself from competitors or even to entice potential suitors is a common tactic. But I’m not talking about the amazing arboreal member of the family Chamaeleonidae for whom we’ve come to appreciate as one of Mother Nature’s most unique works. I’m talking about companies — large and small — who in their marketing and product offerings adopt a chameleon strategy and try to be everything to everybody.

Most every successful company started out with a highly focused brand, selling an individual product, service or market. But somewhere along the way, most businesses become unfocused and embrace the chameleon strategy by trying to be all things to all people. They offer a lite version of their product. A clear version. A cherry-flavored version. A short version or a tall version.

The worse part of this marketing strategy is the fact that most company’s knowingly try to be a chameleon. It’s called line extension, and it’s a popular method for companies to appeal to every possible customer. Through line extensions, market expansions and new distribution channels, these businesses attempt to mold their successful brand into an amorphous product line that can please everybody.

"The power of a brand is inversely proportional to its scope. The easiest way to destroy a brand is to put its name on everything." 
— Al Ries

But the chameleon strategy is a trap. When you put your brand name on everything, your name loses strength. One company, one brand, one name cannot be everything to everybody.

Ask yourself, ‘What is a Domino’s? Easy. Domino’s is a moderate-quality pizza that is home delivered. Now ask yourself, ‘What is a Chevrolet?’ Well, a Chevrolet is big, small, expensive, cheap, luxury, economy car or truck. The Chevrolet brand name and what it stands for has been so watered down that the name itself stands for very little in the minds of consumers. Some other rather infamous line extensions include Listerine toothpaste, Coors Spring Water, Twinkies Light, Adidas cologne, Levi’s shoes and Harley-Davidson wine coolers. The list of senseless brand extensions goes on and on. So rampant are brand extensions that they account for about 90 percent of all the new products on America’s grocery store shelves.

The effort to be everything to everybody is as popular as ever. Why? The confounding aspect of the chameleon strategy is that it can increase sales in the short term, but it does so at the expense of your brand name’s integrity in the long term. So, in the end, the chameleon strategy is like a four-day-old Chicken McNugget. It looks enticing, but it might do you more harm than good.

The sound marketing strategy is to stay focused. If you’ve spent a lot of time and money building a brand name, your brand name stands for something. So, don’t plaster the name on anything and everything. If your brand stands for disposable lighters, don’t let it try to stand for panty hose too. (Sorry, Bic.) You can’t be everything to everybody. It’s a tough lesson, but it’s a profitable lesson once you learn it and stay focused.

2003© MENG & ASSOCIATES INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.