So has anyone developed a national brand product before? What is needed and what are the steps required?

Wayne!
While I can't say I've done a national brand I have one client who has tried to become an Internet brand. Looking at the greater market you have to try and think about a multihued approach. One on end you need to cater to the internet, especially if the product is web related, that?s a no brainier and sites like this one really do cover all of that. The harder part is off-line marketing simply because there are so many angles you can go. Most brands start within a niche focusing on a specific region be it a city or a state. Depending on the budget companies will combine tv and radio ads for regular branding along with print ads like billboards, coupons (if applicable), newspaper ads and the like. The idea is to really get your name out to everyone who would be a likely consumer depending on the niche and then go even further. If this product/ service is meant to be a major brand then before you even consider how to advertise the product you will need to put some serious effort into research and focus groups. No matter how good a product may seem consumers are the only true test and figuring out who your ideal market is before you try and blow out the name will mean a much higher sales rate later on. With research in hand and an understanding of the available print, newspaper, tv and radio ads it is also important to work with vendors/stores to put the product in direct reach of consumers. This is a huge mistake many web-only companies make in thinking they can blow out a product by selling the name and getting people to order online. As good as websites are, nothing beats being able to buy a product at a local walmart, bestbuy or whatever store is applicable (if it is a product). Obviously this is a very simplistic view of a complex process... whats the brand you're planning to sell here, W Luke cola

Have you considered franchising or reselling? If I remember correctly, you said a lot of business comes through local conventions but obviously you can't be everywhere. Others looking to re-sell your products would help give you a local presence nationally.

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Final Fantasy

Okay...

The brand I am thinking about developing would be more niche oriented. It wouldn't be as mainstream as something like Coca Cola or Nike. The products will be focused on Holistic and Homeopathic concepts. To start with I will most likely be doing gourmet tea blends along with homeopathic tincture remedies. As things ramp up this will also include dietary supplements.

The line will initially be developed and marketd in the Southern California Region. When I do start selling more nationwide, I want to deal with business owners rather than consumers so wholesaling is a good possibility along with co-op advertising.

Still working through trademark searches to develop a name for the line at this time.

Wayne - I don't get to the board very often anymore, so forgive me for taking two months to contribute my $0.02.

I know where you're going with this and I understand what you're trying to do, but beware of the danger of line extension. The fact that you put "gourmet tea" in the same sentence with "homeopathic remedies", and in proximity to "dietary supplements", suggests to me that you might be headed down that road.

Let me illustrate with a scenario that might have VERY little to do with you.

When someone says "gourmet tea" to me, I think "gourmet coffee". And when I think "gourmet coffee", I think GEVALIA. Now I would buy any coffee that Gevalia tried to shove down my throat, I would raise an eyebrow in an almost Spockian fashion if they told me they were getting into the dietary supplement business.

The advertising and marketing road is littered with line extension ideas that, while they made sense at the time, flopped miserably. And these are from massive, major, monster corporations that were able to sink millions and millions of dollars into their extended lines.

Want some classic examples?

Levi's For Feet
OS/2
Diet Vanilla Cherry Dr. Pepper

If you're going to introduce disparate lines of products (I see three distinct product lines there), create them under different names.

For example:

Coke's lemon-lime drink isn't called "Lemon Lime Coke", it's called "Sprite".
Soup giant Campbell's have a vegetable drink - it's not "Drinkable Campbell's Soup", it's "V-8".
Add to that the fact that half the different brands of laundry detergent on the shelves of your grocery store are made by Procter & Gamble, and you get my point.

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imusicians.com
The new website for musicians.
More features. Less money. And a lot less bull.

Actually the goal would be three separate lines.

Right now, I am focusing on our tea line which is taking off pretty well locally. Some simple changes to the packages such as brushed aluminum tins instead of cardboard boxes has inceased sales measurable, even though it resulted in higher prices to maintain profit margin. This may become a "Gourmet Hot Beverage Line" though because some people have been asking about coffee and cocoa. Haven't actually given the line a brandable name yet but have been developing recipes and selling it under the business name.

With dietary supplements and homeopathic remedies, I will probably remain in the resell business instead of developing my own distinct products because of issues with the government. So those will be branded by the suppliers. We do have some other products in development but haven't decided on branding with them yet.