Archive for the ‘Product strategy’ Category
XBox Opens Dedicated Showrooms in Canada
Filed under: Product strategy, Retail, Shopper, Strategy | Tags: 3ds, microsoft, nintendo, nintendo 3ds, playstation, xbox
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Seen yesterday in Toronto and, according to the employees, also opening in some other big Canadian cities, but not in US. Nice and cozy inside, one can play games and even buy, but they claim it’s not the main scope.
The store is going to be a trial, up to December 2011. If successful it might extend into March next year.
So is Microsoft to mimic the success of Apple Stores? Or it’s a purely temporary exercise, to get more people to try the new Kinect technology? First reaction was to judge this as an Apple inspired initiative, but at a closer look there are a lot of differences. First, sales does not seem to be an objective. Then, the store won’t get the traffic that Apple has – there aren’t simply enough devices to interact with. And any of those that exist inside needs somebody to assist you. The store is also not in the most trafficked place (Queen West) – although it’s a super-premium location and a hip area – so one might argue they are going after some kind of influencers.
Anyway, it’s an area that might develop. A couple of weeks ago I’ve encountered a Nintendo boot allowing people to test their brand new 3DS. With breakthrough technologies appearing, it makes sense to get closer to consumers.
New Sony E-readers Leaked
Filed under: Product strategy | Tags: Amazon, e-reader, kindle, kindle romania, Kobo, Nook, sony
Leave a Comment E-reader fans were on high alert ever since Bloomberg announced back in July that Sony was launching new models in August. Amazon’s dropping prices for Kindle was also a sign they are preparing a new model, so we were up to an exciting autumn.
Now we have the first bit of actual data – some unofficial leaks from Sony. What’s new? Wi-fi, maybe multi-touch, lighter weight, some internet navigation (Google and Wikipedia search). All improvements, no revolution. Price wise, Sony’s still out of touch, with $200+ levels. One thing that is not clear is weather the response time of the e-ink screen will be improved. That might not sound huge, but it’s one point that can make a big difference in usability.
Sony was always at the forefront of e-reader innovation (I’m only talking device), so what can we expect from Kindle? With Nook & Kobo now featuring touch screens, this one is at least clear. Otherwise – probably not much. Color screens are probably out of discussion for now (not enough contrast).
It seems all e-reader producers are finally converging towards the same features – which is not a bad thing. Last years were quite annoying, having to choose between a present day technology (Sony with touchscreen) and a present day service proposal (Amazon with their decent book selection and wifi/3G proposals). Get the technology out of the way, maybe they can start focusing on services (books’ & periodicals’ selection, prices, reading on multiple devices, cloud services etc.) – where Amazon has a clear lead.
UPDATE: Today Sony has officially released the new reader. The only correction to above (and an important one) is the US price tag – 149$. The new specifications also seem to confirm the assumption above – no new screen, no improved response times. So the only significant changes seem to be WiFi, lighter weight and lower price. All details here.
Let the Battle Begin
Sony just launched the video. Via Contagious (here for more details about the actual campaign).
The gaming playground gets a bit more interesting. XBox is also expected to bring in some more inovation (full body movement recognition – or the way they call it – free hands gaming - here) Which I won’t believe till I see it in stores…
Cognac’s Targeting Issues
For years cognac had a very clear equity. One of the most refined and aristocratic drinks, usually to be sipped neat. May be combined in mixes, but … it’s a pity.
Found this article in the Globe and Mail that brings in a different perspective. Since the 90s it seems that Cognac’s target (in US) dramatically shifted from older affluent white consumers to younger black consumers. The figures vary from 50 to 90%, depending on who’s giving them (for a quick overview of figures – here). This trend was apparently sustained by rappers and hip-hop-ers who popularized the drink in their songs. This brings some interesting marketing issues on the table for the cognac marketers:
- they have two target consumers who have very little in common
- should they adapt the communication to each segment? An easy answer like – cognac appealed as it was and became successful to the new target segment would not really work – as it may have appealed with it’s original equity to some opinion leaders (rappers), but they spread it further in their own way
- it is clear that the existing equity of the brand splits in two; the new target simply uses the product differently, in different circumstances, in mixes etc.
- how should they capitalize on the new equity? Two separate equity campaigns? Target segments firewalled from each other through media choices? Or a total shift towards the new target, as it is on a growing trend? Or the third option of putting new products & line extensions in the market – as in Hennesey’s example below
- new competition from new brands, usually sustained by rap stars (Snoop Dogg being one famous example – again, see article above)
Food for thought…
PS: the issue is not singular to the cognac market and guess it might appear rather in the luxury segments, with it’s new vs. old money splits.
Differentiate or Die
Product initiative:
in action:
I’m not sure whether this is an option available with the competition but if it isn’t, they are probably asking themselves the classical question – why didn’t we come up with this?
Update: I’ve written the post some time ago but forgot to publish it (:)), apparently there are more options available, including Yoda.
