Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Product extensions we want to see

Posted by Jonathan Bender on Wed, Sep 2, 2009 at 10:30 AM

product.extensions.090209.jpg

Who did Benjamin Franklin turn to when he was thirsty? Kool-Aid man -- at least according to the bizarre alt-history envisioned by The Adventures of Kool-Aid Man. The comic book/product-placement vehicle encouraged readers to follow Kool-Aid Man "as he battles the thirsties (yellow spiky suns with green tongues and mad eyes) through time and on a camping adventure." Because everybody goes camping to unwind after a wearisome travel through the ages.

In light of Eat Daily's nod to the comic book, Fat City began to wonder what other product extensions might find success if they were to be created today. So get out your Sharpies, R+D departments, these are winners.

First and foremost, the Taco Bell meat gun. What grown up kid would not enjoy shooting chicken or steak into his or her mouth? Whether it's a low-end model like the PVC-based marshmallow shooter

or something with pressurized air, a meat gun would be the best present

under the tree. Vegetarians could enjoy the handheld bean squirter or

sour cream raygun.

Arby's is running an entire ad campaign

in which a cartoon red hat appears above a hungry man

with the tag line "I'm thinking Arby's." How are we not seeing novelty,

oversized foam red hats right now? The time of the foam finger has come

and gone, so there's an entire foam industry just waiting to move on this

new, groundbreaking idea.

To honor Talk Like a Pirate Day

in the past, Long John Silver's has offered, in addition to some sort of food promotion, hoop earrings, toy

cutlasses and eye patches to help people get in character. Perhaps, now the seafood chain could

offer a blindfold -- akin to when a condemned prisoner walks the plank.

This might help customers imagine that they were in another restaurant.

[Image via Flickr: Steve Snodgrass]

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