Great article! Lots to think about. Yeah, what happened to Casper? D2C the best way to get consumer feedback, but you have have something in place to hear the feedback and act on it quickly. I watched a story about the Costco CEO that spent nearly all his time traveling to different stores, walking around and getting feedback. I agree with you (and Mr. Jobs) that the majority of consumers want to connect brands to a big idea rather than tech details. But, but you can do it the other way too. Google won with great tech. They won over the geeks and the geeks explained it to their families and non-geek friends. That probably takes longer and requires a significant tech advantage. It is also important to remember that when it is at its best, Apple has both a big brand and top tech - a great combination! We have great tech and the makings of a great brand, but, after reading this, I think we need to focus more effort on pitching that big idea that consumers can connect our brand with.
Just wanted to say that this was a delightful read!
Deepak, Mumbai
Great article! Lots to think about. Yeah, what happened to Casper? D2C the best way to get consumer feedback, but you have have something in place to hear the feedback and act on it quickly. I watched a story about the Costco CEO that spent nearly all his time traveling to different stores, walking around and getting feedback. I agree with you (and Mr. Jobs) that the majority of consumers want to connect brands to a big idea rather than tech details. But, but you can do it the other way too. Google won with great tech. They won over the geeks and the geeks explained it to their families and non-geek friends. That probably takes longer and requires a significant tech advantage. It is also important to remember that when it is at its best, Apple has both a big brand and top tech - a great combination! We have great tech and the makings of a great brand, but, after reading this, I think we need to focus more effort on pitching that big idea that consumers can connect our brand with.