First Week's Discussion Question:
Hot or Hype? Talk to us about one failed innovation of the past 15 years, describe it, and give a brief analysis of why it failed. Do you think this is a common mode of failure?
PS: Use the "Comment" function to leave a post.
Napster (peer to peer music sharing program, popular doing the early 2000's) - This software product was initially quite popular since it met a previously unsatisfied need, but it eventually failed because it was too disruptive and failed to adequately satisfy the legal frameworks which existed both before it was created (and some which were made after). More importantly it failed to gain approval from key stakeholders (artists, record labels) or to find a viable business model (though this likely could have been addressed in time via subscription models). Today only a few peer-to-peer networks exist and none are popular among the general populous. However products like iTunes have seemingly found a middle ground which is acceptable to most players (customers, artists, record labels, government).
ReplyDeleteThe Segway - Despite the tremendous hype surrounding its introduction (more important than the internet, as big a deal as the PC) it never gained widespread acceptance. While technologically advanced, they are not very practical. Because of safety concerns, many cities have banned them from sidewalk use. Consumers also care about looks, and Segway riders look pretty ridiculous. Additionally, they don't fit a particular need - they're too slow to replace a car, aren't faster than a bike, and too large to replace walking.
ReplyDeleteThe tablet PC. Not the current Apple version, but the version introduced by Microsoft in 2000. The product was better positioned (in my opinion) to replace the traditional desktop pc than the Ipad, offering a platform that was more similar to the traditional PC than the Ipad. However, the Microsoft tablet was too innovative for the time. While the Ipad is essentially a large Iphone, the Microsoft tablet required consumers to completely change their behaviors as it was a huge change compared to the way people traditionally used a PC. Additionally, much of the supporting hardware was not yet advanced enough to support a tablet PC. A stripped down version of Microsoft Whistler (later XP) ran on an under-powered processor that sucked down battery life. At this time, Microsoft did not consider itself a hardware manufacturer and introduced the concept with the hope that hardware device manufacturers would sign on to develop the supporting hardware for the tablets. With consumer interest relatively low, there was little interest by the hardware companies to make a large investment in an unproven technology as existing PC sales (at this time) were still quite good.
ReplyDeleteFlip Camera. Flip camera seems to be off after time since the development of camera in smartphone. A Camera in a smartphone can both take good videos and photos where as Flip camera can just only take videos. Moreover, a compact camera can also take video in HD quality while a Flip camera could not. Therefore, Flip camera does not seem appealing to customers.
ReplyDeleteStarbury’s - Stephon Marbury sought to change the athletic footwear market by introducing shoes that could compete with Nike in terms of quality and performance but would sell for under $20.00. I believe this product failed because he set a tight price, which would require that he sell A LOT OF SHOES in order to reach long-term profitability. This would be problematic without adequate marketing, powerful distribution channels, and effective inventory management. In addition, demand was also likely compromised as Marbury’s star status in the NBA began to dwindle (note: he is now playing in China, which may be good for his company).
ReplyDeleteA failed product innovation that comes to mind is Coca-Cola’s C2 product, launched in 2004. The soda, like the more recently launched Coke Zero was aimed at males who want the taste of a regular coke without all the calories. The difference between the two products (and likely the reason for Coke Zero’s success and C2s failure) was that C2 has some calories – I believe about half. However, Coca-Cola discovered that if consumers were attempting to restrict their calories in their beverage, they wanted none, not some. Effectively, there was no distinguishable advantage of choosing a C2 over a regular Coca-Cola since there still were some calories. Coca-Cola recognized this after the fact and subsequently launched the successful Coke Zero product. In my opinion, the failure of the launch of this product seems to stem from a lack of consumer understanding, perhaps from a lack of consumer research conducted during the period prior to launch.
ReplyDeleteMiniDisc player used to be very popular around 2000. It is a downsize CD player, which has the same music quality that CD players offer while is only 1/4 of the size. It is similar size as the first generation ipod. Therefore, it is very convenient to carry. At the time it was invented, the first generation of mp3 player was just invented (e.g., from Creative brand, 64MB, I happened to have one). It was sold on a premium over mp3 players, given its CD-like music quality.
ReplyDeleteHowever, as the flash technology advanced quickly in the 2000s, there was not matching improvements in the minidisc technology. Once mp3 players have embedded 1G flash memory, it is hard for minidisc player to compete any more, either in music length or music quality.
In my opinion, there are two major issues with minidisc which caused its eventual failure. Firstly, it was more costly to produce minidisc than regular CD. Media companies were reluctant to publish new music in minidisc format. Secondly, user need to purchase CD first and then convert the CD into minidisc themselves, which is both expensive and time consumer. Compared to mp3 based players, digital music could be published and transported much easier.
Since minidisc player can not win the favor of media companies, and it lost customers to mp3 players gradually, it eventually turned out to be a failed product.
July 7, 2011, Sony announced the end of minidisc player.
Smokeless Cigarette - RJ Reynolds (Product is pretty self-explanatory)
ReplyDeleteBenefit: No more annoying smoke for cigarette user and those around user.
Why it failed? Smoke is considered more of a nuisance to those surrounding the user rather than the the individual purchasing the product. The product was not rigorously tested in situations with smokers and non-smokers because the smokeless cigarette made the non-smokers surrounding the user to feel sick.
Concorde airplanes: turbo powered airplanes that could travel at twice the speed of traditional aircraft (theoretically a great idea). A joint production between British Airways and Air France, only 20 Concorde airplanes were ever produced (losing out on any potential economies of scale), and the flights were too expensive for most people, making it an epic financial failure. The tragic crash in 2000 that killed 113 people marked the beginning of the quick end of the Concorde, which was retired from service in 2003.
ReplyDeleteGoogle Wave - Google's approach to merging email, chat, and social networks. Google Wave was launched in May 2009 after months of hype. However, once Wave launched, the hype had exaggerated users' expectations and thus the product was seen as under-performing; the product was less a game changing "new Gmail," as advertised, and more a convergence of applications that did provide any true value. In my opinion failure due to over-hype and under-performance is common because as soon as users start adopting the product, they quickly realize that they are not receiving the promised value.
ReplyDeleteThe Segway. Some very basic user behavior changes the company failed to account for:
ReplyDelete- How do you take it with you in a car?
- How do you park it?
- How and where can you ride it? Sidewalks or roads?
- Can you take it on a bus/train?
- What kind of insurance do you need?
- Where and how do you charge it?
Excedrin Quicktabs from Novartis - they were quick and easy to take and had the same efficacy of regular Excedrin. The upside is that you didn't need water to swallow a pill. You can take them anywhere at anytime.
ReplyDeleteThe downside of the product was their chalky, bad taste. In the end consumers needed water to wash away the taste. So the benefit of the product was reduced to zero.
Apple TV - the digital media receiver was once called the "DVD player for the internet" by Apple founder, Steve Jobs. Apple TV became a large hype and was the top selling item at Apple stores the week the product was released; however, shortly thereafter the sales of the product fell dramatically short of expectations. This product failed because it asked consumers to change their behavior too radically without easing them into the transition and has a very high price point against it's substitute. Consumers were unwilling to give up their current television watching habits for a more expensive alternative. Yes, this is a common reason for innovation to fail, as it is difficult to alter consumer behavior.
ReplyDeleteGoogle Plus — it may be a bit too early to say it's a complete failure, but it certainly hasn't done nearly as well as Google had hoped it would. Google's intention was to compete with Facebook by creating a tool that would essentially allow users to access email, social networking, and internet searches all in one place. Despite the initial hype, Google+ failed to catch on because users didn't understand how the social networking was organized. With 800 million users on Facebook, most people are accustomed to a certain format and process and this strayed too far away from the Facebook model. Secondly, the market is already crowded with a wide variety of social networking sites ranging from Facebook and mySpace to LinkedIn and Match.com. People simply didn't need another site, especially when it didn't add anything new and of value.
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ReplyDeleteA failed product that comes to mind is WebTV. Initially it was a success as people enjoyed using the internet on their TV screen to check email, surf the web and connect with other users. Unfortunately that was all they did and they were not as interactive with the programs as expected. Ultimately, users didn’t produce revenue by clicking on ads. Users also created expensive customer service issues when they called to complain about the service, such as its early default to disconnect after 4 minutes of non-use, and calls associated with problems with web sites that had nothing to do with WebTV.
ReplyDeleteAnother invention that I think was designed especially for the iPhone, and that could have been used for any other touch screen devices was the Phone Fingers. The idea behind this invention was covering your typing fingers with a sort of rubber to avoid leaving fingertips on the screen. As you all can imagine, this invention failed for several reasons: putting them on and taking them off wasn’t that easy, unless you are willing to keep them on for extended periods of time, avoiding that process. Another problem was that finger of course, have different sizes, so the fit could be an issue. Screen cleaners (mops) were out there too, so it seemed kind of stupid having your fingers wrapped in latex to maintain your screen clean. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen such a product, and if I saw it, I would never think of buying it.
ReplyDeleteCocaine Energy Drink. Cocaine is a highly caffeinated energy drink distributed by Redux Beverages. It was pulled from U.S. shelves in 2007, after the FDA declared that Cocaine "was illegally marketing the drink as both a street drug alternative and a dietary supplement" The drink is still available in some shelves and online but with a side label stating, "WARNING: This message is for the people who are too stupid to recognize the obvious. This product does not contain cocaine. This product is not intended to be an alternative to an illicit street drug, and anyone who thinks otherwise is an idiot.” Since their product failed in 2007, Redux Beverages had tried to catch some market from the energy drink industry but the FDA has been always in their way.
ReplyDeleteGoogle Health, recently discontinued, allowed users to consolidate their medical information via an online portal and share the information with health care providers. Google didn’t promote the product, beyond making it available on their website, so it never gained much awareness. Also, the user had to go through the burdensome process of either manually entering their information or importing it from provider or insurer websites; this was both time consuming and technically challenging. Most doctors’ offices couldn’t use the data, so they would still make the user fill out paper forms before an appointment. Finally, many people would probably be reluctant to trust Google with their medical information. The theoretical benefit of always having your health information available never materialized because of Google’s poor execution.
ReplyDeleteDryer and Washer for Pets: The product consisted in a big box, more or less the size of a dishwasher, in which you put your pet, and the device will wash it as a car wash. I don't think that many people liked the idea of having their pets inside a box with high pressure water and air. If you see the videos, the pets seem very stressed. Usually people care a lot about their pets and would not want to see them to be treated as objects. The manufacturer encouraged to use rose petals for a better experience... crazy but true.
ReplyDeleteMyspace - Myspace is widely considered a failure in the online social networking world. Myspace failed primarily due to its management's inability to continue to innovate in a way that met the needs of the end consumer. Facebook recognized the primary needs of its consumers, i.e. to easily share experiences with family and friends, and created an innovate platform that met those needs. Although Myspace won early on in the social networking space, with 100 million users in 2006 and a valuation of nearly $12 billion, their inability to continue to innovate ultimately led to their downfall.
ReplyDeleteInternet currency was created in the mid 1990s, propelled by the birth of companies like eBay, with the goal of having a global payment option that could be used across the Internet. The primary idea was that the customer would buy or earn credits, which could then be used to purchase items and services from either a variety of vendors or one particular store. This system was considered to be an effective way to increase global commerce as customers in developing nations who could not afford to have credit cards now had another way to participate in electronic commerce. However, no one bothered to think why someone would use a totally new and unproven currency instead of credit cards or gift cards, which were backed by trusted merchants. This was the height of the dot com boom and it seems the company executives wanted to cash in on the trend without giving adequate consideration to market research, customer preferences or legal hurdles. Finally, when the bubble burst, three of the corporations providing Internet currency, InternetCash.com, Flooz.com and beenz.com, were shut down in August 2001 after declaring bankruptcy leaving scores of subscribers with currency that was valueless and gift certificates that were no longer redeemable.
ReplyDeleteAir Conditioned Football Shoulder Pads – The current shoulder pads used by football players are known to trap in body heat, thus leading to an increase in the player’s core body temperature. Nike along with a few other sports equipment manufacturers have looked into (and built prototypes used in actual games) providing shoulder pads that have the capability to be hooked up to A/C air compressors that provide blasts of cool fresh air under the pads. This was believed to then help the players actually lower their body temps while standing on the sideline. This product has failed thus far because it has shown to be only slightly effective in lowering the body temperature of a player and has done little to increase a player’s effectiveness while playing in hot conditions. It is also an expensive product that few teams can afford (besides the NFL). It is often very inefficient for players to use during a game; it can only be used on the sideline and often a game is very unpredictable so it is difficult for players to know when they have time to hookup to the compressor before having to run back on the field for play. There have also been complaints that the shoulder pads that have been designed for this A/C system do not absorb the impact from collisions on the field as well as conventional shoulder pads. In my opinion, these pads are providing little value to the actual player and in their current form, it is difficult to utilize them during a game.
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ReplyDelete(This is Ravi Venkataramani, my blogger name is "I am a man.")
ReplyDeleteAll-Star Batman & Robin, DC Comics (2005-2008): Not a product innovation per se, at least not in the CPG sense, but DC makes products that just happen to be stories. With ASB&R, DC was looking to take the brand in a new, exciting direction.
The All-Star titles were supposed to be self-contained “Elseworlds” stories that could be picked up and understood by anyone. DC had terrific success with All-Star Superman, which was being published simultaneously with B&R. For B&R, DC hired on Frank Miller to write and Jim Lee to illustrate.
It should’ve been the ultimate comic. Miller, author of Batman: Year One and The Dark Knight Returns—stories on which the Batman Begins and The Dark Knight films heavily rely—was experiencing huge success with film adaptations of his other titles, Sin City and 300. Lee was one of the industry’s best artists, largely responsible for the resurgence of Marvel’s X-Men in the early 90s. His work is almost universally beloved by the comics community, which is infamously fickle, e.g. Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons.
DC was set to reinvigorate one of their flagships with the ultimate writer and the ultimate artist working on an icon on the verge of a huge resurgence with the aforementioned Batman Begins in 2005.
The comic first met positive reviews for the usual Miller edge. Then with subsequent issues the reviews turned sour, until ASB&R devolved into a comics trainwreck. Miller and Lee failed to finish out, halting the series 3 years later at an odd point in the narrative arc, roughly halfway. While the art was highly-praised, Lee admitted that the reason for the series’ halt was that he couldn’t produce on time. All-Star Superman meanwhile had completed its entire arc within the same amount of time to critical acclaim.
Readers panned the book for its depiction of Batman as a sadistic, foul-mouthed lunatic. He murdered street thugs, had public gratuitous sex with busty femme fatales and relished the violence he inflicted—which might’ve been ok but then he abused Robin physically and emotionally, with the boy wonder depicted as a child. DC was criticized for allowing such filth to appear in a title marketed to children. The book did terrible damage to the DC name, its line of Batman comics, and especially the reputations of Lee and Miller. Lee would recover, Miller would become washed up.
DC deserved the brunt of the blame, mostly for hiring the writer famous for re-imagining characters in dark perspectives to re-imagine their darkest character. Miller had only one way to take the character that he himself had fashioned into a violent, disturbed genius in the 1980s with The Dark Knight Returns.
DC also failed by recruiting the artist famous for super-detailed art to work on a project that was not only a side-project but also huge in scope. He produced, but sporadically at best—in 2006 only one issue appeared. DC would’ve been better off with either a lesser artist who could work under Miller, or letting Miller illustrate it himself.
I guess this is what happens when there is no box. You hire two accomplished artists—one of whom is, well, crazy—and give them no guidance, no limits, and you get something that meets none of your specs and takes forever to produce, doing unknown amounts of damage to your brand. DC should’ve hired Captain Mike Bryant to draw nine dots and a line through them, or whatever he said.
EXCELSIOR!
I think I only own two comics - one of them being the dark knight returns - loved that one. Thanks for filling me in on the rest of the story.
ReplyDeleteMITCH BROWN
ReplyDeletePRODUCT: BUDWEISER E (ENERGY DRINK)
WHY IT FAILED: Budweiser claimed that their newest entry in a long line of innovative beers was, "a distinctive new product for contemporary adults who are looking for the latest beverage to keep up with their highly social and fast-paced lifestyles." The energy drink wasn't on the market for long. Among other unknown reasons, I assume from personal experience that this was due to obnoxious over powering taste of the energy component.
HD DVD. HD DVD was initially supported by Toshiba in an attempt to produce higher quality DVD's, improving off of standard definition DVD's. Innovation surrounding HD DVD consisted of developing the "Advanced Optical Disc" which could hold up to 30 GB's of data to support HD movies. The breakthrough of developing DVD's that could handle the amount of data needed for HD movies was a failure because it did not innovate far enough. Blu-ray was also being developed at the same time and the "blue laser diode" creation allowed for Blu-Ray to immediately put HD DVD's into decline and eventual death. HD DVD's innovation failed because it stopped short of producing what was possible. Blu-ray won out because of their better innovation in creating short wavelength DVD players and disc's with higher storage capacity resulting in better overall DVD quality.
ReplyDeleteApple Quick Take 100 - Ok, so technically this product was introduced 17 years ago and discontinued in 1997. This product was Apple’s version of an easy-to-use digital camera that could connect to a Mac computer using a cable. The camera was able to only store eight pictures, had a built-in flash but no zoom or focus and no way to preview the photos unless they were downloaded to your Mac. Additionally, there was no way to delete one photo, it was all or nothing. I believe this product failed because despite the fact that it offered an alternative to film cameras the particular product was very expensive and didn’t offer much benefit over film at the time. It also would require individuals to change their behavior related to taking photos and did not offer greater benefits than the costs associated with the camera. I think it represents a common mode of failure, in that the technology was very new, costly, and required consumers to change their behavior. While the technology was necessary to ultimately transition consumers into a new way of taking pictures, via a digital camera, the timing may not have been appropriate. Additionally, Apple may not have been the best company ( in terms of core competencies) to introduce the product, especially given other camera companies (Kodak, Fuji) that already had strong brand recognition and consumer perceptions of camera quality in the marketplace.
ReplyDeleteGizmondo – The Gizmondo was a handheld gaming device, which also had GPS capabilities and a digital camera. The Gizmondo also played music tracks and movies, and was considered a solid overall product. The parent company and creator of the devices failed to promote and advertise the device in an ultra competitive marketplace. The low awareness was probably due to minimal cash investment from the parent company toward advertising. Additionally, the limited amount of available games on Gizmondo also hurt its chances for success. While it had decent functionality and fairly interesting games, the Gizmondo handset did not have sufficient distribution channels to succeed. Lastly, competition from Sony, Nintendo and Nokia as well as other PDA devices also contributed to its limited growth. An innovative product must have a catchy, attractive and memorable name. The name Gizmondo lacks a catchy simplistic name typically associated with mobile gaming and PDA devices (i.e. IPhone, Game Boy, PSP, Palm). In conclusion, if a product or service is going to be purchased, consumers must be aware of it and the benefits that it can bring. And make sure your product has a memorable name.
ReplyDeleteDryel from P&G. This was an innovative concept but P&G's initial marketing strategy lead to false promises about the product's capabilities and miscommunication to its intended core consumer. The claim that the device works the same as a professional dry cleaner left the product open to criticism, leading to the failure of a innovative idea. This also opened up room in the space for competitors.
ReplyDeleteThe universal electronic medical record (EMR) proposed by healthcare reform cannot yet be called a failure, but there is enough standing in its way to predict that it won't make it. While all healthcare providers are being financially incentivized by meaningful use regulation to implement electronic medical records, these systems are disparate and do not work together. The consumers (patients) and providers (hospitals, clinics, doctors) are weary of sharing health information across systems and making health decisions based on another provider's diagnosis. The result is multiple IT systems, duplicative tests and procedures, and medical errors due to lack of information. These barriers will not be knocked down unless providers are forced to use a singular system. I don't see the government enforcing a singular system and backtracking on current meaningful use regulation any time soon, so for now, the universal EMR is a failed innovation.
ReplyDeleteWindows vista: only 8.8% users were running vista after 1 year of its official launch. Today, we saw that most of the IT department just skipped Vista and standardized on Windows 7 instead. Look at it from the six perspectives on innovation: the most obviously constraints: Technology. There were huge compatibility issues. Many software tools could not be used even after the long beta period. Also, the huge code size made the system even slower than the previous one (windows XP). The other constraint was from industrial level: Apple's smart advertising on "I'm a Mac" just exactly transferred the message to consumers that Vista was a boring, slow and difficult using system. Another constraint was from organization level. Microsoft was blamed for its redundant programs for a long time, while the firm did not really pay enough attention to find the root cause and change it.
ReplyDeleteAbout six years ago the entrepreneur Anthony Ferranti got the inspiration for a new product when he visited a noisy restaurant. He felt so disturbed by the people who were talking on their phones that he came up with a solution for it. In 2006 he built a prototype of the so called "Cell Zone", a phone booth that would allow people to use their cellphone in public without disturbing anyone and without allowing others to overhear their conversations. The founder thought this product would consequently replace pay phones in the US. It was about 2 meters high with a diameter ranging between 76 and 1.7 metres. The price varied between $2,500 and $3,500 depending on size and colour.
ReplyDeleteAt first, people whom he presented it to were very excited about it. He claimed to have gotten more than 6000 inquiries in the first few months after the launch. But neither restaurants nor nightclub owners were interested enough to actually buy a Cell Zone. Until today, Ferranti did not even sell 300 of them. His company lost $650,000.
PRODUCT: New Milk Container
ReplyDeletePICTURE: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18934095/New_Milk_Container.docx
WHY IT FAILED:Companies are always looking for ways to reduce costs and the new milk container design did just that. They projected, and proved, that the newly engineered milk container would reduce shipping costs by 50%. It not only saved on space (the new design can be stacked on top of each other, drastically reducing "dead" space in shipping containers)while shipping milk, it was also good for the environment because it was made of recycled materials and eliminates the need of milk cartons for shipment.
While the new design was innovative in reducing costs, there was little to no consideration on what the end consumer needed/wanted. Many consumers talked about the "classic" container with a "spout". The new container was very difficult to handle and consumers spilled milk when they used it. Also, the container was nearly impossible for children to handle because of the new shape. For this reason, Costco and Wal-Mart started to offer "pouring classes" to educate consumers on the use of the new container.
If you need to "educate" your consumers on new milk pouring techniques then I think it is a good sign that your product design has failed.
Ouch on the cell zone! Looks like creative people must be whacked! Or at least get stuffed into the bleachers.
ReplyDeleteThe XFL ... the professional football league started by Vince McMahon (chairman of the World Wrestling Federation) in 2001. The purpose of the league was to attempt to introduce a "tougher" version of the NFL where anything went (fewer penalties which would encourage rougher play). The thought was to win the appeal of both die-hard wrestling as well as football fans. However, once the league started, fans found out that the rules they thought would make it different and more extreme than the NFL were actually not in effect. It was one of the worst sporting events I have ever seen (I watched the first half of the first game and never watched again). It ended up being a minor league version of the NFL where the talent level was so inferior that the league shut down after one season. While various sports leagues have started up/barely survived over the last decade, it is difficult to take market share away from the major sports that fans are tied to. The XFL just so happened to attempt to dethrone the most popular league in the country ... and failed miserably in trying to do so.
ReplyDeleteI had a whole thing written about the XFL but when I tried to post it I got an error message. To add insult to injury, I refreshed the page and Terry took my idea. But you can rest assured my post was far more insightful and eloquent.
ReplyDeleteHow about that 100% compostable Sun Chips bag? It was hailed as the first environmentally-friendly, all-plant product chips bag that would completely decompose in your backyard compost in just 13 weeks. However, the bag was more rigid than normal chip bags and consequently very noisy. No sneeking chips at 2am.
ReplyDeleteConsumer reaction was so negative that Frito Lay pulled the bag from shelves after 18 months. There was even a Facebook group, "Sorry, I can't hear you over this Sun Chips Bag," 44,000 members strong. This innovation failure points out that even when consumers say that they want environmentally-friendly products, their preferences are still overwhelmingly anchored in convenience and predictability.
A recently failed innovation is Nokia's N9 phone with the "MeeGo" OS.
ReplyDeleteWhile many of the phone manufacturers were hopping in to Android and Windows-based smartphone operating systems (not to mention that big fruit company), Nokia moved off its Symbian platform and started developing a phone with a next-generation OS called MeeGo. It promised many of the best features of iOS, Android, and other leading products with the low development cost of open-source platforms.
Before the N9 was ready to go to market, Nokia entered into an agreement with Microsoft to be their OS partner for Windows Phone 7 and future versions. It has seen a limited release, with many industry experts and reviewers talking about the incredible integration ease of use, and beauty of the OS. Too bad for the Finns.
Do you guys remember the bubblegum that came in toothpaste tubes and that you squeezed in your mouth? I specifically remember this product launching since I got really excited about the Ghostbusters brand of gum. I saved up money and bought some but it did NOT have the same consistency as regular gum. I don't see this product or packaging making a comeback.
ReplyDeleteNintendo DSi
ReplyDeleteNintendo tried to develop upgrated version of Nintendo DS which was successful product, but portable video game industry was transforming from a portable game machine to handheld devices such as Iphone or IPad with app store. Today people are willing to buy game at online store instead of going game shop. They couldn't attract new customers.
An interesting failure in innovation to me was the launch of various knock-off iPad tablets. I think that its pretty sad how poorly they have been designed. People have focused so much on price as the key "innovation" that they have forgotten how to add product value. The result? A rush toward the best products; the Samsung Galaxy product and of course, the iPad.
ReplyDeleteBetamax- Sony rolled out the first format for home video cassette recorder called Betamax in 1975. In 1976 JVC rolled out VHS and it took the market by storm, quickly eliminating the market for Betamax. Part of the reason for this was although Betamax recordings were higher quality, it was much higher price, could only hold 1hr of recording (compared to VHS's 2hrs) and Sony was very slow to license the technology to other manufacturers which keep the prices high. Also they refused to let pornography use the format. This is ironic because when the porno industry sided with BlueRay over HD DVD it was seen by many as the end of that "super DVD" format war.
ReplyDeleteEclipse Cigarette - I worked on a new iteration of this product this summer. Basically, it is a traditional appearing cigarette that emits a tobacco vapor instead of traditional smoke. This means that a lot of the carcinogens that are released in a traditional cigarette are not present in this product. The major reason that this failed is that they failed to realize that they created a cigarette with benefits that their consumers did not care about. This was a lack of smoke odor, no side stream smoke, and potential health benefits. The tobacco user cares about one thing only and that is the pleasure they gain from their product. Unless you gain pleasure from a newer product, they are very hesistant to accept it. They marketed Eclipse as a healthy alternative thinking consumers would grasp onto this but they did not. At the end of the day, they created a worse version of a cigarette thinking that the hoped benefits would outweigh the things tobacco users were given up. They were mistaken and this product has cost them over $2 billion dollars between development and marketing.
ReplyDeleteHow about those magnetic wireless charging pads for cellphones and other portable electronics? I think it failed because charger cables (especially now the universal USB ones) are cheap and easy enough already (thank you Chinese knockoffs on ebay) so why pay an extra $80 or whatever for another way to charge your phone? Yeah it's cool that I don't need to plug in my phone anymore, and I can still use my old charger, but whatever - I'll save my money for beer.
ReplyDelete(Dani)
Late add to class... hopefully better late than never, otherwise for fun
ReplyDelete"New Coke" A reformulation introduced in (April 23rd) 1985 to replace the original formula. There was speculation that the new sweeter formula was created to compete with Pepsi. Even though many Coke drinkers like the flavor of the new beverage, Loyal Coke drinkers FREAKED out, felt completely betrayed and inevitably forced Coke to retreat to the old Coke recipe.
Macintosh TV:
ReplyDeleteIt was a 520 Mac running System 7.1 with a 14-inch Sony TV built into it. The idea was to watch tv on your computer. The problem? It was introduced in 1993 and technological restraints didn't allow it to succeed.
Cabeto = Carlos Acevedo. Spray-on hair. consists of a powder-like material that is supposed to look like hair after applying it to the "few hair left". It was sold in infomercials like this one: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GeF7A05zQ8
ReplyDeleteI think the product didn't take off because of social awkwardness and people didn't get used to get their hair out of a can.
Friendster. As one of the first social media sites, the website was undone by numerous factors, including a challenging user interface and apparently an inability to keep up with changing technology.
ReplyDeleteSidharth: Pay Toilets. Essentially, you pay to use the toilet. For 25c you could get 10-15 minutes of complete privacy. Sounds like a great deal. Unfortunately, once the time ended, the toilet door would automatically open. I witnessed this first-hand in a London subway. Although there are some places in the US where this innovation is used, manhattan???, for the most part, this has failed to take off because of social groups against the idea.
ReplyDelete