If you spent 1 Billion $ in product development in a low-tech category like shaving razors with a powerful brand like Gillette, the shaving experience should be enough.It was true till the economy slowed. And Gillette market share dropped 3% between 2010 and 2012. And now Gillette is apparently revealing a razor industry secret, i.e. how long a shaving razor lasts according to Fortune. If you are wondering, its five weeks….
Category Archives: Branding Strategy
Innovation: Product Innovation Charter (PIC) helps prevent scope creep in technology and market
A Product Innovation Charter (PIC) can help prevent scope creep for both the technology and market dimensions. The PIC is supposed to have guidance from top management to the innovation team about the market focus and the technology focus that the multi-disciplinary team should try to maintain. Here is how both these focus points are derived:
What CEOs’ can learn from the sixty years reign of Queen Elizabeth II
Sixty years of reign by Queen Elizabeth II with 12 Prime Ministers must make all CEO's wonder. Given that CEO's are barely able to last 7 years at the helm of companies. OK CEO's are not monarchs but you have to to wonder at the enduring success of the British monarchy in an ever-changing world. Continue reading “What CEOs’ can learn from the sixty years reign of Queen Elizabeth II”
2012 Yale Consumer Insights Conference gets better as Practitioners and Academics engage
The 2012 Yale Center for Consumer Insights Conference was the 7th one and reached a new level of excellence over the last weekend. This blog has covered past YCCI conferences but this year both Academics and Practitioners seemed really wanting to engage. Perhaps both groups feel overwhelmed with rapid technology changes,globalization, uncertain economies and aContinue reading “2012 Yale Consumer Insights Conference gets better as Practitioners and Academics engage”
Innovation in vacuum cleaners : Dyson with 5127 prototypes and luxury positioning
According to the Costco Connection magazine Sir James Dyson did 5127 prototypes over 13 years before perfecting the DC 01 cyclone technology bag-less vacuum cleaner which no retailer wanted to sell in Britain in 1993. So Dyson started selling its own vacuum cleaners and became the market leader in 18 months of introduction in Britain.Continue reading “Innovation in vacuum cleaners : Dyson with 5127 prototypes and luxury positioning”
Pfizer Nutrition acquired by Nestle: Baby food for emerging markets
Nestle has reached an agreement to acquire the Pfizer Nutrition business for $11.85 Billion. A big focus of the merged enterprise will be serving emerging markets in Asia,Latin America and Africa where baby birth rates are not declining as in the developed world. Dual earner families want the best for their infants and the PfizerContinue reading “Pfizer Nutrition acquired by Nestle: Baby food for emerging markets”
Innovation is always in context of customers,stakeholders and society
If we think of innovation, invariably we think of radical innovations like the iPhone or Facebook. By doing so, individuals succeed in just beating up themselves and their organizations – and for no reason. Consider that after the iPhone or Facebook started taking off entire industries (eg. smartphone for iPhone) and social media (eg. LinkedInContinue reading “Innovation is always in context of customers,stakeholders and society”
Organizational bases of power: what’s up and what’s down with the Internet ?
"Power" in distribution channels is a fascinating topic and so is the notion of organizational power on which Jeffery Pfeffer had a book out that this blog discussed in an earlier post. But this post is about the six bases of power (see the lower part of the Wikipedia page) that seem to be changingContinue reading “Organizational bases of power: what’s up and what’s down with the Internet ?”
Thinking in the customers/receivers shoes: say exactly what you want your customer to do
When you send out a CV via email or upload for a job do you call the attached file "CV" , "resume" or "Document1" ? You are not alone…. most people seem to do this in email attachments. When they know that there may be hundreds of other emails with the same type of documentContinue reading “Thinking in the customers/receivers shoes: say exactly what you want your customer to do”
Happy 100th Birthday to Oreo cookies: keeping the soul of a brand
In a rapidly changing world- Oreo cookies give you a sense of stability and comfort and that is the soul of the Oreo brand. The largest selling cookie of the 20th century has survived numerous wars,technology upheavals,financial meltdowns and extreme globalization. If you were used in childhood to "twist,lick and dunk" and are now watchingContinue reading “Happy 100th Birthday to Oreo cookies: keeping the soul of a brand”