Reverse thinking. Japanese clothespins that are pure genius

Wednesday 25/12/2024 | 18:50 PM

One may say that it’s much nicer to hang the laundry outside. However, you have to make sure it doesn’t get blown away.

Also, don’t you worry about the marks left by the clothespins on your clothes?

Ivy Ltd, an Osaka-based company that designs and manufactures household goods, came up with the idea of making clothespins that do not leave marks:

“When we looked at the products of other companies, we noticed that many of them are marketed under the catchphrase “less likely to leave a mark”.

Then we proceeded with product development to try to make something that would never leave a mark. However, this was quite difficult.

If we weakened the grip, it would leave no marks, but this would not be suitable for use as a clothespin. We tried to balance the gripping force and the shape of the gripping part, but the reality was that, like other companies, we could only produce a product that was resistant to leaving marks.”

Reverse thinking

The idea was to reverse the situation, “If you can’t erase it, just make a mark that everyone will want to leave behind”.

“If it’s a stylish shape, even if it leaves a mark, it will still be cute. So, we made a cat’s paw print on the grip.”

While maximizing their function as clothespins with a firm grip to hold on to, they have created a design that makes you happy to have marks rather than to worry about them.

They are sold in 100-yen shops in Japan but have become a hot topic on social networking sites and are in short supply all over Japan.

The product is a great success, realized through reverse-thinking.

For non-cat people

Cat paws are very cute, but say you prefer dogs to cats, or even birds to cats and dogs. Don’t worry. They can be custom-made with a design of your choice. You can make them with your favourite mark, or you can even make them with your company logo and hand them out as novelties.

I think it would be a pretty good publicity stunt if people all over the world were walking down the street wearing the JAPO logo wash marks!

Many companies make novelties, but practical novelties are appreciated by everyone. Why not consider this for your company?

It’s in Japanese only, but here is a link to the Ivy Corporation website:

https://www.ib-bb.jp

I think this is a very good example of how reverse thinking can create great business opportunities.

So, when you are stuck for a business idea, please be flexible and try to think in reverse.

ABE KENGO