Can you find the common thread that runs through all these images?
Hello friend,
How are you? I hope spring is treating you well.
So…? Have you figured it out yet?
You might be wondering where is the wow effect I promised.
Well, if you still have no idea this means all these visuals have nicely established a solid presence in our mainstream culture.
However, if you’re thinking of crossover products, congrats! You have a keen eye and 100% nailed it!
As I bet you know in product design, there is an established category where you mix two traditional categories or more to create a new one.
Let’s take a closer look
Crossover cars represent a mix of the sedan and SUV categories.
In the automotive sector it is also worth mentioning the hybrid category that offers both electric and gas benefits.
The casual shoe you see above is a cross between a sneaker and a dress shoe. Another crossover hit is landing this summer from New Balance - the 1906L, or “Snoafer” - a mix of a sneaker and loafer.
Fusion cuisine combines elements of different culinary traditions that originate from other countries, regions, or cultures.
Early this month Beyoncé’s new album, “Cowboy Carter,” made a splash as this R&B, pop, and hip-hop artist ventured into the country music genre.
“This ain’t a Country album. This is a Beyoncé album,” she wrote on Instagram.
Yep! The Fractional CMO job title emerged around the pandemic when remote working was trending high. In essence, it’s a part-time senior role at a fraction of the cost of a full-time traditional onsite CMO.
You might say it’s about adding some sheen to a C-suite role, now served courtesy of the gig economy.
Lastly, back in 2010, Apple launched the iPad, a cross between a laptop and a mobile phone.
What does it all mean?
All these examples illustrate the incredible potential of mixing genres to create new products or services.
They all work because when you combine two distinct product categories into a new hybrid category, you’re in essence adopting their respective form and function attributes into a whole new experience.
Another simple way to think about this is like a father and mother bearing a child.
However, sometimes the origin categories can come from more than two sources, like in fusion cuisine.
In the classic case of the iPad, consumers didn’t know they needed an iPad, but once introduced to this crossover product found a wide range of uses. From reading eBooks, watching films, taking notes, illustration, and more.
Look at your product or service lineup.
How does it compare to your competition? What your customer research or sales team are telling you? Does any pain point pattern surface? Any unexplained gaps in your performance reports?
Sometimes, like in the case of the iPad, the crossover opportunity won’t show up in any of these stats but will emerge internally from your team’s innovation brainstorming.
That sense of “feeling with but going without” is the distilled essence of crossover products. You go to a client meeting wearing a shoe that is both formally representable and comfy.
Over to you!
Wear your DJ hat and explore fresh go-to-market strategies that mix and match genres into a new product or service category.
This will help you to surprisingly delight your audience, stand out from the competition, support your brand narrative, and organically generate word-of-mouth.
Whatever you do, naturally, test your crossover creation with your audience before launching to ensure no blind spots and future backfires.
Best,
- Shlomi
Shlomi Ron
Founder/CEO, Visual Storytelling Institute
story > visual > emotion > experience
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