Why Do All the Teapots Look Alike?
Ever wonder why the teapots at Walmart look the same as the ones at Target, Nordstrom, Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and so forth—even though they all appear to have different packaging and branding?
These products are mass-designed in the far east, then marketed to “brand managers” in the US who seek to integrate these completely non-integrated products into existing lines. Basically, they are cheap, generic junk that ends up shoehorned into what should be a cohesive brand. In this article, an industrial designer breaks the silence about this dirty little secret. From the article:
Product Managers, responsible for hefty financial goals amidst a recession and a reactive nature of our market, are sourcing pre-developed/designed products. This has become the go to thing for marketers, as it is a very efficient way to ship new products. Sourced products are often rich in value-add features that are purchased at very attractive margins. However, is this convenience worth the price of design cohesion within a product line or brand image?
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