Novelty Naïveté
Good taste aside, I recently watched the movie Mall Cop. Amidst the various shenanigans and slapstick humor, I couldn’t help but chuckle whenever the protagonist cruised around on his mall police car equivalent– the Segway Personal Transporter. Though the Segway has been relinquished to the status of a comedy punch line, its history holds important lessons for marketers. It seems that it wasn’t too long ago when the upright device was going to be the next big thing. Unfortunately for the Segway, however, innovation without true meaning leads to marketplace failures. The dissappointing launch of the Segway demonstrates this principle and proves that sometimes even seasoned business professionals can get too caught up in the ‘sizzle,’ even if there is no steak.
When the Segway was introduced in 2001, it was backed by a media hype machine so strong that the i-Phone would be jealous. To the average observer, the product appeared destined for resounding success. And, to be sure, the Segway was in a category all its own. It required little effort to use, balanced by itself, and had a ‘wow’ factor that journalists everywhere were fascinated by; it was one of the most innovative products they had ever seen. Hyperbolic speculation by media big-wigs and even by executive level business people went so far as to herald the Segway as the device which would revolutionize civilization.
Despite the massive hype train, however, the Segway failed to revolutionize much of anything. Roughly 8 years later, the product is rarely seen in use, Mall Cop notwithstanding. As a recreational device or personal vehicle replacement, the Segway simply never caught on. There are many factors to blame; the device could only cruise at about 12 mph, it had to constantly be recharged, and it cost $5000 to boot. Once consumers weighed these factors against the current transportation offerings of the time (cars, bikes, roller blades, walking), the Segway simply failed to fulfill any unmet needs or wants from consumers.
In an age where consumers are more empowered than ever, it is essential that brand teams recognize the meaningful attributes of new and innovative products. Nifty product features alone do not necessitate success, particularly if the features in question don’t hold real value to consumers.
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I just saw a story on TV about the cardinals using these at training camp, Larry Fitzgerald got it started. He said he is a gadget guy and we know the cost would not be an issue to him? They are a real niche product mainly seen in airports, malls and now football practice fields? Other than that, not a mainstream necessity by any means? Too bad they look really cool, although I would take a bike any day!