“PC makers in the Windows camp have done everything possible to make their products progressively worse by cutting corners to save pennies per unit and boost sales volume. There’s good reason Apple is seeing healthy profits while grabbing market share. It refuses to budge on quality and so charges a higher price. Rather than running ads that seem clever at first but really aren’t, the Windows guys ought to take the hint and just build better computers.”
The best companies — the ones who retain their brand equity while consistently increasing their bottomline — all think relentlessly long-term. They know that marketing means absolutely nothing if you have a bad product. So start allocating all of your ad money into the R&D department. You can get a lot farther on free word-of-mouth than with a multi-million dollar TV campaign.
Quality first, marketing later.
I think it’s funny that even the Microsoft commercials seem to fall behind on innovation and kind of poorly scrap together whatever seems to have worked for other companies in the past year or so.
Mojave experiment? Gimme a f’n break! So you called your terrible product something different and people seemed to like it? Why not address what made the product have a bad rep to begin with? Like tons of problems and poor marketing.
By: Nikc on April 17, 2009
at 9:53 am
Great point: “marketing means absolutely nothing if you have a bad product.”
Even if you have great marketing and a bad product, then you may get one sale from someone, but that’s it. No repeat customers. No referrals or buzz. You’re just a snake-oil salesman who is forgotten or reviled.
By: Brian Manning on April 21, 2009
at 8:40 am
I agree with the quality first philosophy, Charlie, but am confused as to why it’s so hard to do for so many.
Why do you think it is that so many companies don’t aim high on quality? And this while we have examples like the Apples of the world that always end up winning the long race.
Is it that some don’t care to be the best? Is it that long-term value is off their radars? Is it a mistaken overemphasis on R&D cost-cutting as a method to move the needle? Are they just out of touch and really excited by expensive TV commercials?
-Susan
By: susanfsu on April 21, 2009
at 7:27 pm
Great question as usual, Susan. Honestly, I think it’s unnatural to think in the very long-term, especially when you can cut corners and not have to deal with any immediate repercussions. It’s a matter of doing what’s sexy vs. what’s right. Most companies don’t seem to have the desire or the patience to do the latter. My 2 cents.
By: charhoehn@gmail.com on April 22, 2009
at 12:54 am