PRODUCT & INNOVATION PITFALLS
Series: The many pitfalls of misguided growth.
When growth becomes the goal at all costs, brands lose their footing. This series explores the hidden ways brands stray—and how to course-correct.
Every brand wants to grow. But when growth becomes an obsession—disconnected from meaning, clarity, or loyalty—it opens the door to slow erosion, misplaced energy, and deeper disconnection. This series exposes the 8 most common categories of pitfalls brands fall into when chasing the wrong kind of growth—from internal culture to brand perception to innovation. For each, we’ll explore where it goes wrong, why it happens, and how to avoid it.
In the race to stay relevant, many brands fall into a dangerous trap: innovating without intention. They roll out product after product, line extension after line extension—believing that more SKUs or features automatically equal more growth. But here’s the truth: when innovation isn’t anchored in meaning, it erodes the very connection that made customers care in the first place.
Solving problems you were never meant to solve.
The temptation to grow horizontally can pull brands into categories that dilute their purpose. Just because you can make it doesn’t mean you should.
Result: The brand loses clarity.
What once felt focused now feels random.
Creating products for shareholders, not customers.
When innovation is driven by financial targets, not real human insight, you get products that check boxes but don’t stir emotion.
They launch.
They sit.
They die quietly.
Chasing trends instead of building belief.
Brands often jump on whatever’s hot—AI, “clean,” plant-based, limited edition everything—without asking whether it aligns with their DNA.
Short-term relevance can lead to long-term dissonance.
More SKU’s, less substance.
Too many brands equate innovation with volume. But adding complexity to your product line can overwhelm customers and confuse your team.
Signal gets lost in the noise.
The brand becomes a blur of options, not a beacon of clarity.
No emotional narrative around the new.
Even when the product is good, brands often fail to translate it into meaning. Features and functionality aren’t enough—they need to connect with identity, aspiration, or belief.
What you lose when innovation lacks depth:
- A focused, recognizable product architecture
- Trust from your most local customers
- A clear role in your customers’ lives
- Creative consistency and internal alignment
- The ability to say no—and stay differentiated
Great innovation doesn’t just fill a gap. It deepens a bond. So before you launch the next thing, ask yourself: Does it move us forward—or just out of focus?
THE
WAY BACK
Treat innovation as an expression of your core brand, not a departure from it.
If it doesn’t align with your brand’s why, it shouldn’t make it to market.
Use customer insight as your North Star.
Real innovation solves real tensions for your core audience—not a theoretical one.
Create fewer, better products.
Depth isn’t about flooding the shelf. It’s about launching products that feel inevitable, not opportunistic.
Wrap every product in a story.
Why does this exist? Who is it for? What belief does it reinforce? If you can’t answer those questions, it’s not ready.