Break Free Product Life Cycle

Most firms build their marketing strategies around the concept of the merchandise lifetime cyclethe idea that after introduction, products inevitably follow a course of study of growth, maturity, and decline. It doesnt have to be that way, says Harvard Business School marketing professor Youngme Moon. By lieu their products in unexpected ways, companies can change how customers mentally categorize them. In doing so, they can shift products lodged in the maturity phase moxieand catapult new products forwardinto the growth phase. The author describes three positioning strategies that marketers use to shift consumers thinking.Reverse positioning strips away sacred product attributes magic spell adding new ones (JetBlue, for example, withheld the expected first-class seating and in-flight meals on its planes while offering surprising perks like leather seats and extra legroom). fissiparous positioning associates the product with a radically different course of instruction (Swatc h chose not to associate itself with fine jewelry and instead entered the fashion accessory category). And thieving positioning acclimates leery consumers to a new offering by cloaking the products full-strength nature (Sony positioned its less-than-perfect household robot as a quirky pet).Clayton Christensen draw how new, simple technologies can upend a market. In an analogous way, these positioning strategies can exploit the vulnerability of established categories to new positioning. A smart set can use these techniques to go on the offensive and transform a category by demolishing its traditional boundaries. Companies that disrupt a category through positioning create a lucrative place to escape their waresand can leave category incumbents scrambling.