Bananas and Ketchup

Sounds bizarre right?

Well, I have a friend who swears by this combo. The trick (if you’re interested) is to dip the banana into a small cup of ketchup –one bite at a time.

My daughter swoons over grilled cheese and sugar (a “tradition” at her summer camp).

Celery and peanut butter is one of my personal favorites. The stringy, crunchy celery and the smooth, sweet coating of the peanut butter. Yum.

What do these culinary combinations have in common?

And Is there a lesson in here for branding?

Each of these combinations seems a bit scary (even gross) but once tried, elicit an almost fanatical response.

When cooking up new brand ideas, too often we reach for the tried and true items in our marketing cupboard. We try new ideas but only those that are slightly different or complimentary to our current tastes.

Why not try going down a completely new aisle in our innovation grocery store? One that, on the surface, seems blatantly outrageous (like ketchup and bananas). Maybe it’s just the trick to creating a completely new and surprisingly scrumptious idea.

That’s my point of view. What’s your twist?

What’s your version of bananas and ketchup?