3 Reasons an "Already Been Done" Idea Can Work

In my world I have been presented ideas to market only to have the owner give up. The main reason givin is that it is already been done. My message is "Done Give Up!" and here is why:

1. First to market doesn't necessary count you out. The first spreadsheet on the market was Visi Calc. It quickly lost share to Lotus 123. Lotus dominated for years but lost out to Microsoft Excel. I'll bet most of you did not know Visi Calc and Lotus 123 ever existed. Why did this happen? Windows came along. It was more user friendly. The takeaway: Products should be usable by a majority of people.

2. You don't have to be the best to have the greatest market share. In the days of the VCR there was a war between Sony's Beta and the VHS standard. Beta was clearly the best. So why did they eventually lose out to an inferior standard. Well the people behind VHS marketed their product to the people who really counted, the movie studios. The takeaway: Products should have support by the distribution channel.

3. Biggest user base doesn't me there is no room for a newcomer. Not too many years ago MySpace had cornered the market for social sites. Today it is FaceBook. But before either of those it was AOL. As a matter of fact over 70% of all users with email had an AOL email box. Where will it migrate next? Location based apps for your smart phone have become big news. Foursquare, Gowalla, Colors, Instagram, Neer and soon SwarmTrooper just to mention a few. Who will be on top or will they share users. I've been to events where I see a user check in on Foursquare and Gowalla, take Instagram pics, update Facebook locations and send Colors updates. The takeaway: The notion of "There Can Only Be One" just doesn't apply in a free economy.

Do you have a killer idea you gave up because it has already been done? Dust it off, finish it up and hire the Marketing Imagineer to promote it.

Fred Abaroa
The Marketing Imagineer
Fred [@] TMIFred.com
@TMIFred

10 Aspects of Good UX Design

Good UX design:

1. Should be innovative
2. Should make a product useful
3. Is aesthetic design
4. Will make a product understandable
5. Is honest
6. Is unobtrusive
7. Is long lived
8. Is consistent in every detail
9. Is environmentally friendly
10. Is as little design as possible

Lead me to your examples by commenting.

Fred Abaroa
The Marketing Imagineer
Fred [@] TMIFred.com
@TMIFred



BMW Gets It!

Recently I saw an ad for BMW with the caption, "At BMW we don't just make cars, we make joy" and "What you make people feel is as important as what you make." Emotional contentions are the key to all marketing. I've said this time and time again. I truly applaud BMW for using this in their marketing campaign. This is what I like to call a "Making Mountains Out Of Mole Hills" campaign. Head on over to www.bmw.com and see for yourself. Now let's look at your products. How can you make this jump to an emotional connection. I saw a facebook update that said "does every product have to be made cool? Take Miracle Whip" Well the people at miracle whip have already don that in the commercial they put together with Bobby Flay and an ordinary home maker. Bobby asks what her challenges are. This elicits an emotional response. You see her concern for her family and trying to feed them something good that doesn't take much time. Bobby shows her a simple potato salad mad with Miracle Whip. Results: Bobby Flay uses Miracle Whip. Miracle Whip helps families eat with limited time. Do you need help making that emotional jump? Give me an hour with your product and you'll have it.

Fred Abaroa
The Marketing Imagineer
Fred [@] TMIFred.com
@TMIFred