What do companies like Adobe, Apple, Jeep, Mazda, Nintendo, Research In Motion, Starbucks, Tivo, Toto and WebEx all have in common?
They all beat larger competitors and created entirely new market paradigms by developing and marketing “must have” products with compelling value propositions.
10 “must have” products and how they did it:
- Adobe. By developing consistently innovative products like Acrobat and Flash that enhance PC and Web productivity, Adobe has managed to flourish in Microsoft’s world without getting trampled.
- Apple. Mac vs. the IBM PC, iPod vs. everyone else’s MP3 players, iPhone vs. the entire cell phone industry; need I say more?
- Jeep. I know, it was a while ago, but still, what is it about a Jeep that makes you feel like a rugged explorer? It was the first of the sport utility and all terrain genre, and IMO, they broke the mold.
- Mazda. In 1990 the MX5 Miata started the convertible craze all over again by developing a cool, fun, reliable convertible. Now every car company has them.
- Nintendo. The Wii is simply a better user experience for less against the venerable Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox franchises.
- Research In Motion. The Blackberry became a “must have” in the corporate world because 1) RIM figured out that folks wanted to email anytime, anywhere, and 2) it really worked.
- Starbucks. It was a huge, global industry. We all drank coffee, maybe even had an after-dinner espresso once in a while, but Starbucks made us “want,” or even “need” to have our Starbucks drinks and now we can, almost anywhere in the world.
- Tivo. It’s been said that Tivo changes your life, and it’s true. While we were all waiting for on-demand programming, Tivo invented it without changing the programming. Simply brilliant.
- Toto. Okay, so it’s a big company, but Toto came to the U.S. just 19 years ago and, well, have you used these things? Innovations like the 1.6 gpf toilet, sensor-operated faucets and valves, G-Max, and SanGloss are simply incredible. It’s a better toilet.
- WebEx. The first company to offer worldwide video conferencing that allowed users to view, share, and manipulate presentations and other PC content among multiple participants.
So what are the common ingredients?
- Innovation.
- Entrepreneurial spirit and risk taking.
- Passion, sense, and empathy for the user experience.
- Providing a solution to a problem others didn’t even know existed.
What ”must have” products or common attributes did I miss?
