1. Address your classmate by name.
2. Specify your classmate's failed product.
3. Briefly summarize their product failure and why they thought it failed.
4. Do you agree with their analysis? Why or why not.

I have chosen to review Colgate, a well-known toothpaste and oral health-focused company. In 1982, Colgate attempted brand extension and launched a line of Colgate Kitchen Entrees to include items like lasagna. With this brand extension, the company hoped to reach the ready-made meals market, which was steadily growing.

The costs of product development, launch, and ultimate failure were substantial. Developing a product for consumption was entirely outside the company's expertise; therefore, gathering the specific resources required for meal development was costly. Upon the product's launch, customers complained about the bland taste of the meals. This caused Colgate to return to the test kitchen and change the recipe, which incurred further costs associated with testing and relaunch. The product's relaunch did not meet customers' expectations, which incurred even more significant losses for the company and caused distrust among stakeholders.

The main factors for product failures were ultimately due to poor taste of the product, strange brand associations leaving consumers feeling uneasy, and the company's lack of expertise in the market. The marketing strategy Colgate focused on was the health benefits of their frozen meals, but with that focus, they failed to address the lack of flavor within the product. Descent flavor is a minimum entry requirement into the food industry. There was sustainable growth in the frozen food market during that time, and competition was fierce. Offering an inferior product put Colgate at a considerable disadvantage. Furthermore, the target market felt uneasy accepting the Colgate brand as a ready-made meal company as they had always associated the company with toothpaste, not food for consumption. Colgate failed to communicate their vision of brand extension effectively, and the market responded with non-acceptance.