Here at Technology Therapy Group, we love technology – but we also love marketing. We spend a lot of time looking at and analyzing the marketing endeavors of the world’s most successful brands, learning from what works and side-stepping what doesn’t.

One of our favorite areas of inquiry is the brand extension. A company that has reached a certain level of popularity can extend its reach and profitability by offering products and services that are different from their core offerings. Sometimes this works. When Starbucks decided to go into the coffee maker business – expect to see the Verismo on the next bridal registry list you peruse – it made sense. Same thing with Nestles’ decision to partner with the iconic Girl Scout Cookie brand to create new tasty treats.

Other times, brand extensions aren’t nearly as successful. When Zippo lighters decided to go into the perfume business, we were left scratching our heads. Who wants to smell like lighter fluid? Dr. Pepper marinade made our stomachs churn, and let’s just say that the Samsonite outerwear line was proof – at least for this group of fashionistas – that there’s peril in going too far off-brand.

Now we want to share with you our latest questionable brand extension:
Facebook’s Nail Polish. Called Social Butterfly Blue, the polish is an exact match for the blue Facebook uses for its header and font. It’s a cute, if slightly offbeat, nail polish shade. It’s only available at the official Facebook campus, which makes us think this is more of a novelty item than a strategic move into the cosmetics industry – probably for the best, given the very different nature of the fields.

What do you think? Would you wear Social Butterfly Blue? Is this a sensible brand extension for Facebook? Do you think the market exists for social-media themed cosmetics and accessories? Inquiring minds want to know – so tell us, here in the comments on the blog, on Facebook, or on Twitter.