100 GREAT BUSINESS IDEAS • 105Advertising strategy can be geared toward the complementary
status of a product—for example, beer companies sponsor soccer
matches. This was taken to a new level in the 2006 World Cup,
when FIFA offi cials demanded that Netherlands supporters
remove trousers bearing the logo of Dutch beer “Bavaria,” as it was
a rival company to Budweiser, which was a major sponsor. While
this attracted criticism for being “ambush marketing” and was
probably an overly aggressive strategy, it demonstrated a corporation
fi rmly holding onto its status as the leading complementary good
supplier.
In practice
- Be aware of possible future trends in a market. If you can
anticipate a product becoming popular, you can develop a
complementary product and gain fi rst-mover advantage. - Consider timing the release of a new product or marketing
campaign to coincide with an increase in the popularity of a
complementary product. - It is dangerous merely to enjoy the success of a complementary
product and stop behaving competitively. If you stop delivering
high standards and reasonable prices, customers will often
develop ingenious ways to fi nd an alternative. - Try not to produce a complementary good for a product that
already has a surplus of complementary products; the competition
makes it diffi cult to gain a foothold. For example, pretzels go
with beer, but so do many other products. You won’t necessarily
sell more pretzels if more beer is sold. - Your product does not have to simply complement another
consumer good; it can complement a social event, seasonal
weather, or other factors.