KraAHMflop, BabupPLURFT and MeetooOOZE are not creatures in a 1950s sci-fi movie. They’re launch sounds. In fact, they’re the most common. Unfortunately, they result from launch efforts that miss the mark. ShaaZOOMah, now that’s what your ears are after. And while the words sound silly, successful product introduction is serious business. Perhaps nowhere in business are the stakes so high… and the success rates so low. So pause for a moment to ponder: What sound do you want for your launch?
(shaa) early internal team alignment, (zoo, oo and oom) rapid early adoption into the mind based on real understanding of emotional needs, (ma) launched internally first and (ah) continued upward momentum consistent with business and brand strategy.
This is the sound of an awfully good launch. The kind that makes you jump, cheer and wave a victory flag—a breakthrough launch that gives you an unfair advantage in the marketplace. A ShaaZOOMah results from achieving the right trajectory, which incorporates six key factors we’ve identified as critical to launch success.
(Kra, ahm) Failing to understand the motivational variables (flop) of audience involved in purchase decision. May have considered the motivational triggers of the incorrect target audience.
KraAHMflop is arguably the most common of the launch sounds. It's heard when a product has failed to adequately meet the real needs and wants of its audience. This is often the result of not fully understanding the motivational variables so critical to product definition, design and engagement of audiences involved in a purchase decision.
(meetoo) Product, service or business lacks unique and purposeful offering when compared to others in similar category. Often late to the game and (ooze) not perceived as different in the mind of the target audience. Lacks impact.
The result of lack of differentiation in the mind; the audience doesn't perceive your unique difference. Simply being in the market doesn't guarantee sales. In a more competitive landscape, it can be a turn of a phrase or a shift in approach that means the difference between success and being lost in the noise.
(ba-bup) Late to establish a cross-functional launch team. This creates a group that works in silos; (plurft) often taking the brand strategy off-course. Lack of synchronization.
Ba-bupPLURFT results when there is lack of early and ongoing alignment with a cross-functional team. In many ways, the whole effort is impacted—becoming generally less effective and is earmarked by misreads, missed steps, rework and disconnect.
Increasing the odds of success in launch (or any other communication) means achieving the right trajectory.
Not dissimilar from an actual (rocket) launch, trajectory is defined by two variables: AIM and MOMENTUM. Now, there are six key factors related to Aim and Momentum that we've found inherent to every successful launch. The combination and emphasis of these factors creates a unique launch trajectory and the resulting by-product is a unique launch sound—ShaaZOOMah. Sound complicated? It is rocket science, after all.
Learn more about the six key factors for a successful launch found in:
The right aim is differentiated, emotional connection in the brains of the right audiences. Seems simple. Then again, these are human brains.
The truth is, the reason someone buys your product or service is usually not why you (logically) think they would. That's because human beings are emotional creatures—and they buy that way—even in B2B. It’s important to really, truly understand your audience. Get beyond logic to motivations, aspirations, emotional needs, beliefs and behaviors. From product concept through launch, it can make all the difference.
There’s a reason complex sales are named as such. Different people with different roles and motivations (emotional variables) get to weigh in. It’s critical to understand all who are involved in the process, and how their roles relate to one another. Then prioritize. Put the right person at the center of your bulls-eye and engage them accordingly.
In this commoditized world, companies must differentiate how they communicate what they offer or change the offering altogether to win. Differentiate communications: Use your unique voice, simplify complex subject matter, find a relevant standard of identity or even create a new category. Change the game: Deliver, from the outset, a distinct unfair advantage competitors can't easily replicate.
The energy to properly propel a product or service into the market, the right momentum is mainly about alignment—getting everyone working in lock-step to success.
A cross-functional team established at the outset helps assure all aspects of the effort are accounted for in the end. An aligned team throughout a defined process ensures fewer missteps and rework or missed opportunity altogether. Marketing as part of the team is critical because it represents the needs and wants of the customer whose insight is instrumental for a successful endeavor from concept to market.
Context is important. Your products/brands relate to one another and fit under a definition that must be consistent with current business perceptions, reputation, and purpose. Making sure that strategic thinking accounts for long-term product and business intentions—and is effectively communicated—helps avoid unnecessarily hitting a wrong chord.
In the hustle bustle, it's easy to overlook employees and other stakeholders. Your internal audience is of primary importance for the launch. (And not just the sales force.) If nothing else, it’s a simple matter of proper order that can strengthen the consistency of a differentiated product or service.
With so many smart minds, great ideas, best intentions and resources involved, why do so many product and service introductions fail to meet expectations?
We believe the answer is not fancy—it's fundamental; that by following a handful of vital principles, more companies could increase the odds of success. We're Introworks, a branding and marketing communications agency specializing in launch. Our Mission: To deliver, from strategy through execution, a fully integrated, breakthrough launch that gives you an unfair advantage in the marketplace. We've been doing just that for an impressive list of B2B clients since 1992.
We hope this site has shed some light (and sound) on several key fundamentals that can help increase your odds of product and service success.
To talk further about your launch initiatives, contact Bob Freytag at 952-288-2715
New products represent 40% of companies' sales revenue and 38% of profits.1 And those numbers are rising dramatically.2 Clearly, new product success is more important to corporate success than ever yet success rates are staggeringly low. For every 100 projects that enter development, only 16 will end with a successful launch.3