>Bad beer is fine as long as it is always bad? Don't improve it and then advertise to let me know you improved it because then I'll stop drinking it completely (even if it is improved) because you created the crime of advertising to gain profit? I guess you don't advertise your services? If one of your clients came to you because another of your clients recommended you, thus advertising your services on your behalf, would you turn that client away?

The "always equally bad" was the wisdom of an old beer drinker, about the beers he went through over the years. Any brewery that started experimenting had to undergo some badmouthing from its faithful regulars... who didn't complain as long as the beer was the way they were used to. It absolutely didn't matter whether the beer actually changed for the better or worse; the perception is that any change was for the worse.

Our local brewery is older than Guiness, being founded in 1745. In 1977 or so they tried a new recipe, with (yet another) relabeling, and actually introduced two strengths of beer (12%, 13% of extract), and the beer drinkers were so disappointed that they rather switched brands than to see their favorite lose its soul. Me too - I was actually zig-zagging among brands all summer, anything but. They later reintroduced the old recipe and gave up the new two, but too late. It took years to undo the damage. And not that the new ones weren't good, it's just that they were different, that wasn't it. A miniature new Coke story.

But that's beer specific, I didn't want to generalize.

As for advertising, I'm trying to be unobtrusive. No push, but be very ready to be pulled. Word of mouth is OK. Don't annoy. Don't lie. Don't exaggerate. Have a stand at a fair. Have references ready. Don't shove anything into anybody's face. Don't shout. Don't spam.

As for improving... beer (toothpaste, soap, bread, you name any old product) is made for centuries. The number of new recipes that come out every year is unbelievable - all that research! All those technological revolutions that happen at such a rate that they have a new and improved version of everything at least twice a year. Yeah, right.

I only believe they have found yet another cheaper ingredient to make an extra buck, so they'd be able to claim it's a new product or a new and improved version. They lied before.