Archive for December 23rd, 2010

Dems establish some bad precedents … that’ll come back to haunt them.

December 23, 2010

Gotta give the Dems a hat-tip for pushing to the limits of the rules to cram their agenda in.

First, it was using the budget reconciliation process to pass ObamaCare.

Then, came the lamest of lame duck Congresses pushing through some debatable (but not debated or amended) legislative initiatives.

Note: I don’t have a clue whether the START Treaty is a good idea or a bad idea … but for the first time in U.S. history, a treaty is being ratified by lame duckers.  That sure sounds fishy, doesn’t it?

Now, the FCC – working though “executive authority” – implements rules to regulate the internet.  Rules that courts and legislatures have deemed inappropriate use of FCC powers.

Dems are feeling pretty proud about the way they’re using the system to their advantage.

But, as Grandma Homa used to say “what goes around comes around”.

Just wait until the GOP uses the same tactics.

The squealing will be intense.

Posted in Government & Politics | Leave a Comment »

Microsoft tries to stay relevant

December 23, 2010

TakeAway: As personal computing moves away from desktops and laptops to smartphones and tablets, Microsoft has yet to establish a foothold in either.

Its new smartphone platform offers the best chance get to gain market share but there are some steep challenges to overcome.

Developers don’t want to develop apps for the platform until sales justify doing so, but people won’t buy Windows 7 phones without compelling apps.

Not only that, but the platform won’t work on Verizon until next year, when Verizon is expected to launch the iPhone.

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Excerpted from Bloomberg Businessweek, “Microsoft is Pinning Its Hopes on Windows Phone 7,” by Peter Burrows and Dina Bass, October 14, 2010

In an interview shortly after he unveiled Microsoft’s new Windows Phone 7 mobile software on Oct. 11, Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer declared a new era for Microsoft. “This is a big launch for us—a big, big launch,” he boomed.

Ballmer, never known for understatement, may be lowballing this one. Gartner expects smartphone sales to surpass PCs in 2012. Microsoft remains immensely profitable thanks to its aging PC monopoly, and it will remain so even if it never figures out the smartphone market. …

By almost any measure, Microsoft is nearly out of the mobile game. Its market share fell to 5 percent from 22 percent in 2004, says Gartner. Customer satisfaction of Windows smartphones is 24 percent, according to ChangeWave Research; it’s 74 percent for iPhones and 65 percent for handsets powered by Google’s Android. …

… With Apple and Google each activating more than 200,000 customers a day, according to those companies, handset makers, carriers, and app makers have far larger audiences than Microsoft offers. …

… While AT&T and T-Mobile will offer Windows Phone 7 devices, the software won’t work with Sprint or Verizon Wireless until next year. (Apple’s AT&T-only iPhone may be on Verizon by then.) …

Holding share in such a fast-growing market could require sales of about 20 million units in 2011, no easy feat. That’s how many iPhones Apple sold in its debut year. …

Microsoft’s to-do list doesn’t end with Windows Phone 7. It has no tablet software that can match the iPad. Failing in smartphones would be bad. Failing in tablets, which users expect to run office software, would be catastrophic …

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Full Article
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_43/b4200042877975.htm?campaign_id=magazine_related

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2010’s Most Memorable Product Launches

December 23, 2010

TakeAway: In today’s mass production age, so many new products hit the shelves that most go unnoticed.  Schneider Associates, a Boston-based public relations and market communications firm, compiles an annual list of the year’s most memorable new product launches.  Here are the top ten to keep in mind.

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Excerpted from Forbes, “The Most Memorable Product Launches Of 2010” By Elaine Wong, December 3, 2010

This year Apple came in first with the introduction of its iPad tablet computer. Forty-two percent of consumers named it as one of the products they most remembered out of the flurry of new launches that came between October 2009 and September 2010.

Tech brands overall had a heavy presence, with new introductions, such as Microsoft’s Windows 7 (No. 2), Motorola’s Droid smartphone release (No. 4) and Samsung’s 3-D TV (No. 8) among the most recalled new offerings on consumers’ minds this year.

Sales aside, a product launch that’s effortlessly recalled by the public proves that marketers – and their brands – have staying power. Plus, with about 250,000 new products launched globally each year, creating one that stands out can be pretty tough. Consider, too, that the typical failure rate of new product launches can be anywhere in the 85% to 95% range, according to Mintel.

Rolling out a product that appeals to an audience that uses social media to chat about new things can help make it a hit. That’s what Kimberly-Clark did when it rolled out Huggies Little Movers Jeans (No. 9) this year. This limited-edition offering is a diaper with a denim-like style. Mommy bloggers loved them.

For some marketers, thumbing a nose at conventional wisdom can work. KFC did this by ripping the bun off its fat-soaked Double Down sandwich (tied for No. 10). That’s two pieces of chicken – fried or grilled – serving as the one and only cover between an indulgent bacon, cheese and secret sauce center combo.

Food companies, on the other hand, tapped into recession-weary consumers’ hunger for quick, cheap eats. Among the hits: McDonald’s Real Fruit Smoothies (No. 5) and Mars’ Pretzel M&Ms (No. 3). The latter was a simple spin on an idea, but it satisfied Americans’ craving for a sweet, simple treat in an economic downturn.

Edit by AMW

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Full Article:
http://www.forbes.com/2010/12/03/most-memorable-products-leadership-cmo-network.html

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Posted in Mktg - Product & Innovation | Leave a Comment »