Archive for 2010
The Undefeated, Undisputed King of Smartphones
The saga of Steve Jobs and the Apple IPhone 4 gives warning to any strategic smartphone marketer who attempts to intrude on Apple’s turf.
Read MorePrice Change from $45 to $200,000,000: The Value of a Brand Part 1.
How much is a brand worth? For Rick Norsigian, a garage sale hunter and public school building painter, it represents the difference between a $45 set of nice glass negative plates and a rare $200 MM find of Ansel Adams’ art.
Read MorePrice Change from $3.49 to $2.99: The Value of a Brand Part 2.
How much is a brand worth? For Whole Foods, a premium grocer, it represents the difference between a $3.49 canister of Quaker Oats rolled oats and $2.99 canister of 365 store brand oats.
Read MoreTop 6 – July 2010
“What business are you in?” Theodore Levitt, 1925-2006. First to market doesn’t make you the winner, the best offering does. A growing population doesn’t ensure a growing market, an appropriate solution to a real problem does. Products rarely hold a market to itself, alternatives and substitutes always exist. The cheapest prices don’t guarantee market share,…
Read More Lessons from a Legend
A Tribute to Ted Levitt
The other day when I was looking trough the archived articles in Harvard Business School’s Working Knowledge, I happened on a piece published on December 17, 2008 entitled ‘Ted Levitt Changed My Life.’ The author was Julia Hanna, associate editor (at the time) of the HBS Alumni Bulletin.
Read More Prices and Product Lifecycle – Must All Prices Fall?
An examination of Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader, Barnes & Noble Nook, and Apple iPad
The classic product lifecycle theory predicts that prices fall as competitors enter. Well, do all prices fall? Similarly, many pundits like to talk about first-mover advantage. Well, does it really exist?
An examination of e-reader market demonstrates some serious flaws in a cursory acceptance of these premises. In this article, we look at the price and product evolution of the Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader, Barnes & Noble Nook, and Apple iPad to demonstrate some finer nuances of the product lifecycle.
Read MoreTop 6 – June 2010
“All I Really Need to Know I learned in Kindergarten.” Robert Fulghum “Say you’re sorry when you hurt someone.” Toyota should have done this earlier and more strongly. “Flush.” Nordstrom flushed the status quo and embraced change. “Play fair.” The intelligent customer-focused company will face its crises squarely and honestly and use the crisis to…
Read MoreToyota — Crisis Management at its Worst
Toyota clearly belongs in the team picture of the worst of failures – and will probably pay dearly in the end. However, making the mistake is not the biggest problem , it is how the crisis is managed that transcends the crisis and transforms a mere crisis into a marketing disaster.
Read MoreNow is the Right Time for LinkedIn
The beginning of a new decade is the best possible benchmark. It is the perfect time to evaluate current business practices, set goals, and discard methodologies that aren’t working. The slate is clean. As we move into the 2010’s, there’s no better opportunity to take stock on how the use of Internet – specifically, the…
Read MoreNordstrom: Price Menu Management Delivers Results
Going into the great recession, many commentators suggested and corporations undertook across the board price cuts. Many, but not all. Nordstrom took a different route. The results of their approach are in: better customer attraction, better profits, better post-recession positioning.
In this article, we will examine some key strategic decisions made by Nordstrom which enabled their counter-trend approach to triumph over the oft quoted “best practices”.
Read More