Segmentation is the heart of marketing because it is the best way to guarantee the relevancy of the offering, of the value proposition, and of the messaging to the target market. So, by definition, what is aimed at one segment does not necessarily please another segment, nor should it. This “Marketing 101″ lesson seems lost on the mass of skeptical technology enthusiasts who do not see in the iPad what they were hoping for. But make no mistake: the iPad is a transformational product. Apple intends to capitalize on the momentum of the iPod and iPhone to rope in enough partners and spark another revolution.
Posts Tagged ‘segmentation’
iPad Strategy Misunderstood
Thursday, February 4th, 2010The Vertical Strategy: an Ace in the Hole for SMBs?
Saturday, February 28th, 2009Verticalization is a favorite strategy of small companies because it opens the possibility of upstaging bigger firms on specific markets . It is the classic case of a small force achieving a breakthrough against a larger opponent by concentrating overwhelming firepower on a small section of a long front.
Going vertical can proceed along two very different vectors: one is a “soft”, messaging-oriented axis, the other is more focused on product, or it can be a combination of the two. The costs and risks involved are very different in each case. (more…)
Verticalization: Ugly Word, Powerful Idea
Thursday, February 26th, 2009Verticalization is the ugly neologism that describes a long term trend in which BtoB companies see industries as the operative way of grouping customers . Conversely, verticalization also refers to a strategy of focusing on a specific industry in order to compete more effectively.
So what are the dynamics, and what can be done to maximize the chances of success with a vertical strategy? (more…)
Customers Have No Vision for You
Thursday, February 19th, 2009This may come as somewhat of a surprise to those who have stayed with the conventional wisdom that “the customer is always right“. But satisfying the request of every customer with the hope that the firm’s reputation for excellence will spread and be the key to riches is a noble but ultimately losing proposition.
Although customers as a group have requests, ideas, suggestions, and legitimate problems that need solutions, only the company’s management and the CEO can have a Vision. Only the company’s leadership (more…)
