Not to pick on RIM, but why do most launches in the high-tech world fizzle? There are lots of reasons, or at least lots of excuses. But in my experience, the problems usually lie in one or more of four basic flaws.
Poor performance
Obviously, if your product doesn’t perform, or doesn’t perform as advertised, it’s not going to get very far off the launch pad. A classic example of this error is Microsoft Windows Vista, which quickly developed a reputation for instability after its launch in January 2007, a stigma it has never been able to shake.
But a product doesn’t have to actually be “broken” for it to fail. It may do what it’s supposed to, but if it’s cumbersome or difficult to use, it’s not going to get very far either.
It’s early days for the RIM product yet, and apart from a questionable battery life, there is little to indicate that it doesn’t work, so its initial lukewarm reception is not because of this flaw.
Premature ignition
There is also the pervasive view that the first company into a new market gets an unbeatable head start. That sounds right, and can occasionally happen. But only sometimes – look at today’s market leaders, and see which ones were the first in their respective markets. You won’t find many.
Rushing to market before your product is ready for prime-time is always a bad idea. You won’t win many customers and will establish an initial reputation that can be difficult to shake.
Take the time to plan and prepare your product launch if you want to improve your chances for success. While RIM took its time to launch, some of the feature sets are not fully baked. They may hope to add them later, but product response is all about what you have – not what you will have. And this could be one explanation for the cool response.
Wrong coordinates
At its heart, marketing is all about matching products to markets. If you can’t articulate your value or define your target audience, no matter how much you spend, any success you have is going to be an accident.
Defining your value and target market is one of the most challenging aspects of bringing new products to market. And even when firms take the time to do this research, you can see them “losing the plot” during the launch. This usually takes the form of companies getting so mesmerized by a competitive product that they end up positioning against the competition instead of positioning to their target market.
This is clearly happening with the launch of RIM’s new PlayBook tablet.
RIM plans on selling 70 per cent of its PlayBooks to enterprise customers, and yet its launch has fallen into the trap of focusing on how it stacks up against a competitor, rather than on the value it brings to the target market.
As a businessperson, the first question I have about any system is what it runs. Can I run my existing applications on it, or will I have to change my whole application suite? And I’m not getting those answers from RIM at the moment.
Instead, its early positioning focuses on browser speed, Adobe Flash support and HTML5 performance, which are only marginally relevant to the main value proposition of “enterprise-readiness.”
Not enough power
The Internet has changed the way products are launched. It’s now much easier to engage the marketplace, and it has given rise to a whole new class of market influencers. No launch can be successful today without engaging the media, bloggers, reviewers and analysts ahead of time with diverse messages that are wrapped around a consistent story and value proposition.
To build credibility today, you need to educate the market and explain your value in a variety of different ways, clearly showing prospects how your product could fit in their routine, how much better it is than the current alternative, and how easy it is to use.
Most high-tech organizations try to do this on their website, and some do a good job. But if you stop there, your launch will stall.
Prospects look for detail, peer reviews and different perspectives, and are adept at spotting inconsistencies. RIM for example, delayed the discussion on the PlayBook’s battery life, to the very last minute, which didn’t help them as most prospects will interpret that to mean it’s not going to be good.
While few of us have the resources of Apple or RIM, the lessons are valid for everyone. And if you are planning a product launch, avoiding these four common launch flaws will greatly improve your chances of success.
David Lynch is the founder of The Fios Group and former vice-president of marketing at Embotics Corp.
