Case Study: Dodge Diesel Fuel Cap

A successful product requires much more than a good idea.  Likely, if your product fits a need in your life, it fits a need in others' lives as well.  The biggest key is marketing. If people don't know your incredible product exists, there is no way for them to buy it, therefore I'd like to tell you a simple case study of a product we designed to fit a need and then used the internet to help us market with minimal effort -- a Dodge Diesel Fuel Cap.

THE PROBLEM

  • Ranchers, along with anybody traveling down a dirt road for that matter, were complaining that dust was making it past the door gasket and ending up on the capless fuel neck on their Dodge Diesel Trucks.  The factory provided solution is a red plastic cap that many owners were losing.

THE SOLUTION

  • After several iterations of building and testing the fit at a local dodge dealership, we designed a knurled aluminum cap with an o-ring seal that protects the fuel neck from any dust or debris.  The part fits on nearly all 2013 and 2014 Dodge Diesel Trucks (see amazon for supported models).

MARKETING

  • The internet offers a great means of marketing a product at minimal cost.  Amazon and Ebay have allowed us to put this product in front of many eyes at a minimal cost (e.g. Amazon charges 20% fee on most sales vs most brick and mortar stores demand a much higher percentage).
  • Additionally, blogs, such as this one, show up on google searches BEFORE paid advertisements, which offers a great means of driving traffic to the product as well.

Ultimately, there are several means of getting visibility for your product, but with the growing number of internet resources available, it is no longer difficult to compete with the larger established companies.  Happy Inventing!