Zippo Spread Its Bets
Zippo公司扩展产品线
For 78 years, Zippo Manufacturing Co. has been known for its "windproof" cigarette lighters, which are fashioned from brass and chrome at a factory in this northwestern Pennsylvania town of 8，400 people.
78年以来，Zippo公司一直以制造防风打火机而闻名于世，这种点烟用的打火机以黄铜和锋为原材料制作而成，其工厂位于宾夕法尼亚州西北部一座人口8400人的小镇。

So how will people react to a Zippo men's fragrance? Marketed as "the ideal companion for the adventures of day and the passion of night," the new cologne doesn't smell anything like lighter fluid, says David Warfel, Zippo's global marketing director. Instead, Zippo says, it's "woody" and "spicy."
那么，人们会对Zippo出品的男士香水作何反应呢? Zippo的全球行销总监大卫·沃菲尔称，这种香水的行销理念是:将白天的历险和夜晚的激情完美结合。这款新型的古龙水闻起来和点火液完全不同，Zippo称其具有木头和香料的味道。
In recent months, the family-owned company has stepped up its effort to diversify by launching the fragrance and other Zippo-branded products, such as casual clothing, watches and camping supplies. The plan is to offer some of the items in Zippo boutiques, including one due to open within six months at New York's Kennedy airport. Zippo hopes to reduce its dependency on smoking-related items as governments around the world deploy taxes and health warnings against tobacco.
最近几个月，通过推出香水和其他以Zippo为商标的产品，例如休闲服饰、手表和野营用品，这个家族式企业已经加快了业务多元化的步伐。根据这项计划，Zippo专卖店，包括一家将于六个月内在纽约甘乃迪机场开业的新店，将出售部分上述产品。考虑到全球各国政府对烟草课征重税并发出健康警告，Zippo希望通过这些举动来减轻公司对吸烟相关产品的依顿程度。
"We're turning ourselves into a lifestyle-products company," says Greg Booth，Zippo's chief executive. Other companies with iconic brands, such as Harley-Davidson Inc., have successfully placed their logos on apparel, jewelry and other items. But few of them face as big a challenge as Zippo's strong association with tobacco.
Zippo首席执行长格瑞戈·布斯称，Zippo正在转型为一家生活用品公司。像哈雷·大卫森这样拥有图腾性品牌的其他公司已经成功地将他们的标识推广至服装、珠宝和其他产品上。但是，几乎没有哪家公司像Zipp。这样因为与烟草行业紧密相关而面临如此巨大的挑战。
Stretching a brand to fit different merchandise "is very hard to do," adds Allen Adamson, managing director at the branding consultancy Landor Associates in New York. He says it works best if a company focuses on one or two potential hit products. It also helps to choose products that are "reasonably close" in function or style to the original item, Mr. Adamson says.
纽约朗涛设计顾问公司的董事总经理艾伦·亚当姆森称，扩展一个品牌使其适应不同的商品是一件非常困难的事。他说，如果一家公司专垃于一两样可能取得成功的商品，就能达到最佳效果。选择与原产品功能或类型适当接近的产品也会有所说明。
In the 1960s and 1970s, Zippo tried to spread its bets by making tape measures, key holders and belt buckles, but all were later discontinued. Zippo even considered making golf-ball warmers to increase driving distances. only to conclude that the legal liability would be too great if the heated projectiles bounced off people's heads. Over the past two decades it has added pocket knives and leather purses. But last year. lighters still accounted for 54% of the company's $200 million in sales. Unit lighter sales now run at 12 million a year. down from a peak of 18 million in 1998. and Mr. Booth doesn't expect a rebound.
在20世纪六七十年代，Zippo曾试图通过生产卷尺、钥匙架和皮带扣来扩展其产品线，但后来这些东西都停产了。 Zippo甚至考虑过生产高尔夫球加热装置来扩大产品线，但最终得出的结论是，如果加热后弹出的球体击中人们的头部，将给公司带来很大的法律责任。在过去的20年间，该公司在其产品线中增加了口袋刀和皮革钱包这两种产品。但是去年，打火机依然占该公司2亿美元总销售额的54%。目前，打火机每年的单位产品销售额为1200万美元，低于 1998年巅峰时期的1800万美元。布斯预计这个销售额不会反弹。
Zippo's men's fragrance. launched late last year in Europe. is made under license by Mavive SpA of Italy. Zippo hopes to introduce the scent in the U.S. and Asia in 2012.
去年下半年在欧洲推出的Zippo男士香水是在意太利公司 MaviveSpA的授权下制造的。 Zippo希望能在2012年将这种香水推向美国和亚洲。
Last month. Zippo introduced a casual-clothing line. including hoodies. ball caps and jeans. made under license by Joint Base Ltd.. Hong Kong. Zippo says the clothes will be available through such retailers as Urban Outfitters Inc. and Glik Co.'s department stores.
上个月，Zippo推出了一个休闲服饰系列，产品包括套头衫、棒球帽和牛仔裤，在香港JointBase授权下生产。 Zippo称，这个系列的服饰将在Urban Outfitters这类零售店和Glik旗下的百货商店售卖。
In January, Zippo unveiled prototypes of the boutiques and kiosks that could display its merchandise in department stores. malls and airports. Along with the planned Kennedy airport store. Zippo is scouting for sites in Paris. London. Tokyo. Beijing and Shanghai. Already. overseas Zippo distributors have opened a few stores in China. South Korea and the Philippines.
1月份， Zippo推出了可以在百货商店、购物中心和机场陈列其商品的专卖店及柜行样板。在规划甘乃迪机场专卖店的同时，该公司还在巴黎、伦敦、东京、北京和上海选址。目前Zippo的海外经销商已经在中国、韩国和菲律宾开设了几家新店。
Zippo is also diversifying into outdoor products that are more closely related to lighters. including hand warmers and devices for lighting grills. torches and camp fires. Mr. Booth has high hopes for the products but concedes that Zippo hasn't yet found another "home run" to rival its lighters. So it's also looking for acquisitions in such areas as camping stoves. grills. flashlights and knives. he says.
Zippo还将业务扩展至与打火机关系比较密切的户外产品领域，包括暖手宝和用于烤架、喷灯、篝火的点火装置。布斯对这些产品寄予很高的期望，但他承认， Zippo还没有找到能够媲美其打火机的另一样主打产品。因此，该公司还在寻求野营炉具、烤架、手电筒和刀具这些领域的收购机会。
Some of Zippo's past diversification has been haphazard. In 1993. it bought W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co.. a maker of pocket knives and other cutlery. largely because Case was then a struggling local company. Zippo says it turned the business around.
Zippo过去所进行的一些业务多元化活动具有偶然性。在1993年，该公司收购了口袋刀及其他刀具生产商W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery ，主要原因是当时Case是一家在困境中挣扎的本地公司。Zippo称其已经使该公司的业务好转。
Later, Zippo tangled in court with a small Italian maker of women's handbags that were using the Zippo name. In 2004. Zippo bought the Italian company for an undisclosed sum. party to settle the brand dispute. But George Duke. Zippo's chairman and a grandson of the founder. says Zippo hasn't been very successful in expanding the handbag business outside Italy.
后来，Zippo和一家使用Zippo商标的小型意大利女士手包生产商因商标纠纷而闹上法庭。2004年，Zippo以一笔未披露数目的金额收购了这家意大利公司，部分原因是为了解决这场商标纠纷。但是， Zippo的董事长、公司创始人之孙乔治·杜克称， Zippo一直未能在意大利以外的市场成功拓展这项手包业务。
"It was an unnatural fit." he says. partly because Zippo knew little about the fashion business then. But. he says. the Italian unit has given Zippo expertise to help it Zippo now gets about 60% of its sales outside the U.S. China, its biggest foreign market, accountings for about 10% of sales.
他说，这并不是一次水到渠成、自然合拍的收购，部分原因是当时Zippo对时尚业务知之甚少。但他表示，这家意大利子公司给Zippo带来了一些专业技术，帮助其设计了主要用于户外的比较男性化的包具。
Zippo hasn't given up on lighters. It encourages the market for collectible lighters by churning out scores of new designs each year. Lighters with images of Elvis Presley and the Playboy logo are perennial favorites. Later this year, Zippo plans to set up a website that will make it easier for people to order customized lighters.
Zippo目前大约有60%的销售额来自美国以外的市场。中国是其最大的海外市场，大约贡献了10%的销售额。Zippo并没有放弃打火机业务。该公司通过每年推出大量新设计来鼓励打火机收藏市场的发展。印有猫王艾维斯·普雷斯利肖像和花花公子标识的打火机是永恒的经典宠儿。今年晚些时候， Zippo打算设立一个网站，使人们可以更加容易地买到定制打火机。