How NOT to market a new product / service ~ Selective Hearing

Developing the next product is a tough job.  Even more difficult is convincing the consumer that they want or need to buy this product.  There is a vast array of mistakes that could be made in any product launch; and each mistake is unique to the specific product.  These mistakes generally fall into one of four general areas:

SELECTIVE HEARING

I am going to assume that the purpose of every marketing endeavor is to sell a product or service, especially if this product or service is new to the marketplace.  Perhaps the greatest fault any firm can do is to fail to listen to their customers during the roll-out.  Ignoring what your consumers tell you will not only cause products to fail, it will ultimately lead to brand erosion.  Many new products fail because of something as simple as the company and consumers not agreeing on what the product is supposed to do.

   

Finding an accurate target market can help to determine how to market to this group by identifying what the target market wants or needs, and determine how your product or service can fulfill those needs/wants.  You can then build the marketing plan that will inform those consumers of the application of your product or service, and implement a strategy to generate revenue while building a strong customer base.  Harley-Davidson made a huge mistake, seeming to have completely forgotten their target market, when they introduced branded cologne and perfume.  Putting yourself in the shoes of the consumer will give you a good starting place, 

instead of merely throwing things at the wall and hoping that something sticks. 

It is very important to make certain the marketing of your new product will not alienate your current customers.  A good example of this can be found with Apple, who we now think of as a consumer darling.  Once upon a time, Steve Jobs developed a desktop computer dubbed “NeXT” that incorporated an optical drive as opposed to the magnetic floppy drives which were being used at the time.  The problem was that workers (these were marketed as workstations) could not easily move their files from one computer to another, a huge problem prior to the immediate electronic movement of data.   So, consumers saw no need for, nor any desire to pay up for a next generation product at the time.  Had the development and marketing process incorporated the insights of the consumer along the way, the product could have been a huge success.

Current customers are best suited to provide input on incremental products, for example, the newest model of cell phone or a newly shaped pan, in other words, something that they already have some experience with.  With incremental products, another great resource is your competition.  Watch what they are doing, how their marketing is working in the minds of your consumers, and how you can improve on their marketing efforts.   

In a truly innovative product, something the world has never seen before, obviously a knowledgeable consumer base is pretty much impossible to find.  This does not mean that the consumer should be written out of the equation.  Take for example, Microsoft with the original X-Box 360.  The machine was rushed onto shelves without a great deal of consumer testing.  Since consumers had no knowledge of the product, there was not enough problems encountered to work out all of the bugs in the system.  Had Microsoft taken the time to educate a group of consumers, allowed them to use the system and gain familiarity, Microsoft would have gained valuable feedback, and as a result the reputation of X-Box could be untarnished.  

By creating a base of educated consumers, you can utilize the process that they go through to master the new product or service.  This will allow you to understand the inevitable marketing hurdles you will need to overcome in the minds of end users.  The huge advantage this can create will far offset the time, money and effort. 

Listen to everything your consumers tell you about your new product or service, and learn from their mistakes and successes.  If not, you will have learned the hard way how NOT to market a new product or service.

Next up.... DELUSIONS

Laura

Second Chance Solutions