![]() ![]() But it worked, prompting widespread adoption of the nascent automobile, because it made something different feel more familiar.įast forward more than a century to the launch of the Toyota Prius, which succeeded not by going full electric, but making a gas-powered car, something people were already familiar with, more energy efficient. The head could also be used as a gas tank. Realizing that the issue was more psychological than functional, he created the Horsey Horseless, a car with a life-size replica of a horse head attached to the front. In 1899, however, inventor Uriah Smith came up with a solution. They were different from what people were used to, and that difference was inhibiting adoption. “Horseless carriages” not only looked and sounded strange, they also spooked the animals still using the streets. Horses had been the primary transportation method for thousands of years. But getting people to adopt early cars required a huge mind shift. In the late 1800s, gasoline-powered vehicles promised to revolutionize transportation, allowing people to travel further, faster and more safely. ![]() What is more effective than being different? Being optimally distinct-and marketing yourself as such. ![]() Almost 50% of market pioneers fail, and later entrants or organizations that don’t enter a market first often end up being more successful. Apple didn’t introduce the first smartphone IBM did. Remember the Segway, the Newton, or Google Glass? Further, Apple and other companies’ biggest hits usually come in areas where they are followers not leaders. While the success of companies such as Apple is often attributed to them “thinking differently,” different ideas just as often fail. ![]()
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