Piggyback inventing lets you ride the coat tails of hot new products to be successful. For example, Apple introduced the IPOD Nano 5. Their marketing machine kicks in to high gear, spending millions of dollars to generate sales. Newspapers write articles, bloggers talk about the benefits and features of the latest product, and Apple fans buy them. And you…well you create an accessory product that many of those new IPOD Nano 5 purchasers will want… your new product piggybacks on the IPOD Nano 5.
That is just what Grant Technologies did. They created the Tuneband, an armband that holds the IPOD Nano 5, so you can strap your IPOD to your arm and keep your hands free. Apple was gracious enough to create the market for Tuneband with all their advertising and sales of IPODS. Apple doesn’t sell carry cases for the IPOD. So all those new Ipod owners now need a carrying case so they can jog or walk, or just not have to carry it around. Enter–Tuneband–from Grant Technologies LLC, a fairly new and small manufacturer whose new product had a customer base waiting. Not only did Apple create a waiting market for this product, but you can build off the Ipod Nano name by using the name in the product description of your product. On Amazon you can search for Tuneband by searching on “ipod nano armband”. So Apple created the market for you, all you have to do is step up with a quality product that is attractively designed for the target market. For Tuneband that meant letting the customer choose a skin (a carrying case) color that protects the ipod and attaches to a Velcro armband.
Piggyback inventing on hot products by creating accessory items can cut years off of the process of building up the customer demand for a new product, and create sales from day 1. Another example of piggyback inventing is JIBBITZ . JIBBITZ are jewelry for your Crocs shoes, allowing you to customize them to your personality. 
While Crocs spent years building the customer demand in the marketplace from lowly beginnings, JIBBITZ jumped right into the market, and their sales soared. They were so popular that Crocs bought out the inventors of JIBBITZ to the tune of $20 million dollars within several years of their introduction.
Piggyback inventing is not a guarantee of success. But it can really kick start your product if the target market likes your accessory for their already purchased product.
