'Speedo Underbody' previewed on an Australian morning show

In a previous post I mentioned that Speedo is launching an underwear line for both men and women. A sampling of the product can be seen in this Australian morning show program.

Knowing a thing or two about branding I can tell you definitively that business diversification can dilute or even kill a brand if not done correctly.

Coca-cola gets away with it since who really knows that they own Vitamin Water, Dasani, A&W, DR Pepper, Canada Dry, Squirt and dozens upon dozens of other brands not branded with the Coca-Cola name.

From music to phones to airplanes and video games, The Virgin Group is a strong brand globally but it does command a number one position in any of the businesses it is in? The answer is no!

Nike does dominate the shoe business but failed in the swimsuit arena. They could grab the number one position now that Speedo has been spanked but can they? They do have TYR and blueseventy to compete with.

I think this is a bad idea for Speedo to get into the underwear business and they would have been better served buying an existing brand and building both the business and that new brand concurrently much like Coca Cola has.

Swimsuit companies are in disarray right now for the FINA rule changes have hit swimsuit companies hard. Suit manufacturers went to the expense of "toolin-up" for 2009, and now they are forced to "tool-down" for 2010. People are losing their jobs as a result.

Is diversification Speedo's solution to this mess?

How to beat Phelps: "One thing I learned from his book is, you can't say anything that will stir him up..."

From the Sydney Morning Herald: Andrew Lauterstein placed third behind Phelps in the 100-meter fly by .14-of-a-second. Andrew Swanton has written an article about how Lauterstein in regards to what he will or will not do to beat Phelps in Rome.

From The Sydney Morning Herald:

"...The 21-year-old Sydneysider has two distinct memories of rubbing shoulders with Phelps - and going within 0.14 seconds of gold. The first is of shaking his hand and realising, lo and behold, The Baltimore Bullet is made of flesh and bone. The second is of going weak at the knees - or the back of one knee - when he heard Phelps's traditional psych-up from lane three.

"I'm not scared of racing him now," Lauterstein says. "But at the Olympics, you know that slapping he does with his arms on the blocks? That can rattle you. ..."

[Link]

Keep in mind that I am really lousy at swimming predictions but I am going to make one about Phelps anyway. Phelps will do well at the World Championships in Rome but his results will be mixed. These are my reasons:

• Phelps has taken 5-months off; something he has NEVER done before
• Phelps has gained and will have to lose 15 pounds; that's like 2-gallons of milk worth of weight. (I weighed them on the scale for this post)
  
• Phelps is a multimillionaire now, the swimmers he is swimming against are not
• Swimmers like Ryan Lochte, Matt Grevers havn't stopped training and they are hungry. Oh, and they are not millionaires either.