防風打火機壟斷霸主Zippo公司擴展產品線

Zippo Spread Its Bets

Zippo公司擴展產品線

For 78 years, Zippo Manufacturing Co. has been known for its "windproof" cigarette lighters, which are fashioned from brass and chrome at a factory in this northwestern Pennsylvania town of 8，400 people.

78年以來，Zippo公司一直以製造防風打火機而聞名於世，這種點菸用的打火機以黃銅和鋒爲原材料製作而成，其工廠位於賓夕法尼亞州西北部一座人口8400人的小鎮。

So how will people react to a Zippo men's fragrance? Marketed as "the ideal companion for the adventures of day and the passion of night," the new cologne doesn't smell anything like lighter fluid, says David Warfel, Zippo's global marketing director. Instead, Zippo says, it's "woody" and "spicy."

那麼，人們會對Zippo出品的男士香水作何反應呢? Zippo的全球行銷總監大衛·沃菲爾稱，這種香水的行銷理念是:將白天的歷險和夜晚的激情完美結合。這款新型的古龍水聞起來和點火液完全不同，Zippo稱其具有木頭和香料的味道。

In recent months, the family-owned company has stepped up its effort to diversify by launching the fragrance and other Zippo-branded products, such as casual clothing, watches and camping supplies. The plan is to offer some of the items in Zippo boutiques, including one due to open within six months at New York's Kennedy airport. Zippo hopes to reduce its dependency on smoking-reLated items as governments around the world deploy taxes and health warnings against tobacco.

最近幾個月，通過推出香水和其他以Zippo爲商標的產品，例如休閒服飾、手錶和野營用品，這個家族式企業已經加快了業務多元化的步伐。根據這項計劃，Zippo專賣店，包括一家將於六個月內在紐約甘乃迪機場開業的新店，將出售部分上述產品。考慮到全球各國政府對菸草課徵重稅併發出健康警告，Zippo希望通過這些舉動來減輕公司對吸菸相關產品的依頓程度。

"We're turning ourselves into a lifestyle-products company," says Greg Booth，Zippo's chief exeCutive. Other companies with iconic brands, such as Harley-Davidson Inc., have successfully placed their logos on apparel, jewelry and other items. But few of them face as big a challenge as Zippo's strong association with tobacco.

Zippo首席執行長格瑞戈·布斯稱，Zippo正在轉型爲一家生活用品公司。像哈雷·大衛森這樣擁有圖騰性品牌的其他公司已經成功地將他們的標識推廣至服裝、珠寶和其他產品上。但是，幾乎沒有哪家公司像Zipp。這樣因爲與菸草行業緊密相關而面臨如此巨大的挑戰。

Stretching a brand to fit different merchandise "is very hard to do," adds Allen Adamson, managing director at the branding consultancy Landor Associates in New York. He says it works best if a company focuses on one or two potential hit products. It also helps to choose products that are "reasonably close" in function or style to the original item, Mr. Adamson says.

紐約朗濤設計顧問公司的董事總經理艾倫·亞當姆森稱，擴展一個品牌使其適應不同的商品是一件非常困難的事。他說，如果一家公司專垃於一兩樣可能取得成功的商品，就能達到最佳效果。選擇與原產品功能或類型適當接近的產品也會有所說明。

In the 1960s and 1970s, Zippo tried to spread its bets by making tape measures, key holders and belt buckles, but all were later discontinued. Zippo even considered making golf-ball warmers to increase driving distances. only to conclude that the legal liability would be too great if the heated projectiles bounced off people's heads. Over the past two decades it has added pocket knives and leather purses. But last year. lighters still accounted for 54% of the company's $200 million in sales. Unit lighter sales now run at 12 million a year. down from a peak of 18 million in 1998. and Mr. Booth doesn't expect a rebound.

在20世紀六七十年代，Zippo曾試圖通過生產捲尺、鑰匙架和皮帶扣來擴展其產品線，但後來這些東西都停產了。 Zippo甚至考慮過生產高爾夫球加熱裝置來擴大產品線，但最終得出的結論是，如果加熱後彈出的球體擊中人們的頭部，將給公司帶來很大的法律責任。在過去的20年間，該公司在其產品線中增加了口袋刀和皮革錢包這兩種產品。但是去年，打火機依然佔該公司2億美元總銷售額的54%。目前，打火機每年的單位產品銷售額爲1200萬美元，低於 1998年巔峯時期的1800萬美元。布斯預計這個銷售額不會反彈。

Zippo's men's fragrance. launched late last year in Europe. is made under license by Mavive SpA of Italy. Zippo hopes to introduce the scent in the U.S. and Asia in 2012.

去年下半年在歐洲推出的Zippo男士香水是在意太利公司 MaviveSpA的授權下製造的。 Zippo希望能在2012年將這種香水推向美國和亞洲。

Last month. Zippo introduced a casual-clothing line. including hoodies. ball caps and jeans. made under license by Joint Base Ltd.. Hong Kong. Zippo says the clothes will be available through such retailers as Urban Outfitters Inc. and Glik Co.'s department stores.

上個月，Zippo推出了一個休閒服飾系列，產品包括套頭衫、棒球帽和牛仔褲，在香港JointBase授權下生產。 Zippo稱，這個系列的服飾將在Urban Outfitters這類零售店和Glik旗下的百貨商店售賣。

In January, Zippo unveiled prototypes of the boutiques and kiosks that could display its merchandise in department stores. malls and airports. Along with the planned Kennedy airport store. Zippo is scouting for sites in Paris. London. Tokyo. Beijing and Shanghai. Already. overseas Zippo distributors have opened a few stores in China. South Korea and the Philippines.

1月份， Zippo推出了可以在百貨商店、購物中心和機場陳列其商品的專賣店及櫃行樣板。在規劃甘乃迪機場專賣店的同時，該公司還在巴黎、倫敦、東京、北京和上海選址。目前Zippo的海外經銷商已經在中國、韓國和菲律賓開設了幾家新店。

Zippo is also diversifying into outdoor products that are more closely related to lighters. including hand warmers and devices for lighting grills. torches and camp fires. Mr. Booth has high hopes for the products but concedes that Zippo hasn't yet found another "home run" to rival its lighters. So it's also looking for acquisitions in such areas as camping stoves. grills. flashlights and knives. he says.

Zippo還將業務擴展至與打火機關係比較密切的戶外產品領域，包括暖手寶和用於烤架、噴燈、篝火的點火裝置。布斯對這些產品寄予很高的期望，但他承認， Zippo還沒有找到能夠媲美其打火機的另一樣主打產品。因此，該公司還在尋求野營爐具、烤架、手電筒和刀具這些領域的收購機會。

Some of Zippo's past diversification has been haphazard. In 1993. it bought W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co.. a maker of pocket knives and other cutlery. largely because Case was then a struggling local company. Zippo says it turned the business around.

Zippo過去所進行的一些業務多元化活動具有偶然性。在1993年，該公司收購了口袋刀及其他刀具生產商W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery ，主要原因是當時Case是一家在困境中掙扎的本地公司。Zippo稱其已經使該公司的業務好轉。

Later, Zippo tangled in court with a small Italian maker of women's handbags that were using the Zippo name. In 2004. Zippo bought the Italian company for an undisclosed sum. party to settle the brand dispute. But George Duke. Zippo's chairman and a grandson of the founder. says Zippo hasn't been very successful in expanding the handbag business outside Italy.

後來，Zippo和一家使用Zippo商標的小型意大利女士手包生產商因商標糾紛而鬧上法庭。2004年，Zippo以一筆未披露數目的金額收購了這家意大利公司，部分原因是爲了解決這場商標糾紛。但是， Zippo的董事長、公司創始人之孫喬治·杜克稱， Zippo一直未能在意大利以外的市場成功拓展這項手包業務。

"It was an unnatural fit." he says. partly because Zippo knew little about the fashion business then. But. he says. the Italian unit has given Zippo expertise to help it Zippo now gets about 60% of its sales outside the U.S. China, its biggest foreign market, accountings for about 10% of sales.

他說，這並不是一次水到渠成、自然合拍的收購，部分原因是當時Zippo對時尚業務知之甚少。但他表示，這家意大利子公司給Zippo帶來了一些專業技術，幫助其設計了主要用於戶外的比較男性化的包具。

Zippo hasn't given up on lighters. It encourages the market for collectible lighters by churning out scores of new designs each year. Lighters with images of Elvis Presley and the Playboy logo are perennial favorites. Later this year, Zippo plans to set up a website that will make it easier for people to order customized lighters.

Zippo目前大約有60%的銷售額來自美國以外的市場。中國是其最大的海外市場，大約貢獻了10%的銷售額。Zippo並沒有放棄打火機業務。該公司通過每年推出大量新設計來鼓勵打火機收藏市場的發展。印有貓王艾維斯·普雷斯利肖像和花花公子標識的打火機是永恆的經典寵兒。今年晚些時候， Zippo打算設立一個網站，使人們可以更加容易地買到定製打火機。