100 Great Business Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World (100 Great Ideas)

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100 GREAT BUSINESS IDEAS • 105

Advertising 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.

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