Business Sequels

Today, I'd like to discuss two of my favorite topics- Food and Cruising!

Recently, I've been reading a lot about businesses mimicking their own success or building out features of their products to create a new product life cycle. I mean, it makes PERFECT sense. If each one of your products could perform as well as your top seller, wouldn't you keep pushing out products? But, this is not the perfect business world. Generally, we are bound by the 20/80 principle: 20% of our products encompassing 80% of our sales. And, that's OK, so long as we learn from what worked and try to replicate it!

Below, you'll find an article about my favorite cruise line, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. With the largest, most commercially successful ship of all times, the Oasis of the Seas, RCCL has learned much about their customer. For starters, they have learned that they can increase the amount of dollars spent on specialty dining. What does this mean? Their average consumer experience will raise in dollar value with their marketing costs staying EXACTLY the same. Also, they've learned that entertainment like their hit broadway show Hairspray and brand new HUGE projector movie screens are a hit!

So, what has Royal Caribbean done to make use of this new information? They're adding new specialty restaurants and high end entertainment to some of their older and smaller cruise ships, increasing the amount of ships that carry these vacationer magnets. Amenities like these should mean not only more cruisers, but a specific type of cruiser: one who likes to spend MONEY!

http://www.cruisenewsweekly.com/2010/08/17/royal-caribbean-ships-set-for-makeovers/

Similarly, in the below article, companies like Burger King are offering new restaurants centered around their specialty sandwich, The Whopper. What they're doing is creating an entire customer experience revolving around their signature sandwich. Just thinking about it makes me hungry! Burger King has been reliant on customer loyalty for over a decade. They never had to seek out new markets and customers because their customers were retained very well. However, with a long looming recession, they find themselves in the same boat as McDonald's and Wendy's, struggling to gain market share. So, they have targeted a new market- one who REALLY wants it their way! I am curious to see if it will work. They certainly picked the right demographic in Manhattan.

http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzzlog/93937?fp=1

What other companies can you think of that have recently replicated their own success? Apple's iPad? Dodge's Challenger? How about Twitter as a microcosm of what worked well in Facebook? Get creative! Let's see your comments.