Title: Tsunami Product Launches
1Tsunami Product Launches
Tsunami Product Launches
How To Rip Your Product Into The Market and Ride
The Wave! Ted Finch President, Chanimal
Marketing Chanimal The Ultimate Resource for
Software Marketing www.Chanimal.com
How To Rip Your Product Into The Market and Ride
The Wave! Ted Finch President, Chanimal
Marketing Chanimal The Ultimate Resource for
Software Marketing www.Chanimal.com
2(No Transcript)
3Tsunami Product Launches
How To Rip Your Product Into The Market and Ride
The Wave! Ted Finch President, Chanimal
Marketing Chanimal The Ultimate Resource for
Software Marketing www.chanimal.com
4Tsunami Product Launches
Tsunami Product Launches
Tsunami Product Launches
- Background
- Product Managers Role in Product Launch
- 3 Main Take Aways
- Positioning Win Before After Development (and
Drown your Competition) - If You Build It - NO Field of Dreams
Marketing - Pre-launch Preparation Get This Done or Else
- What Works Best Where To Spend Your Cash
- Launch Day No Stealth Launches or Leaks
(Crash the Beach!) - Tracking Leveraging Results (Get Your Budget
Approved)
5Background Chanimal
Tsunami Product Launches
Tsunami Product Launches
- Chanimal The Ultimate Resource for Software
Marketing at www.chanimal.com. Short for Channel
Animal, Ted Finch 22 Years of professional
marketing - As co-founder and VP, built worlds largest
high-tech product launch service company from 13
to over 4,000 people while executing the launch
of over 400 products for over 150 companies
(Microsoft, IBM, Adobe, HP, WordPerfect, Intel,
Ashton Tate, Sony, Citrix, Autodesk, ATI, plus
more) - Published Netscape Navigator AOL. Helped
inaugurate .dot com era. - Wrote marketing plan, helped finance form Red
Storm Entertainment with Tom Clancy (Press
release on USS Nuclear Sub Cheyanne, ABC, CBS,
NBC) - Former Sr. VP Marketing at Motorola, VP at 130
billion GE. Acquired five times - Quoted in numerous trade publications high-tech
books, recently produced, How to Finance a
High-Tech Start-Up Video - Chanimal industry resource, offers start-up
Virtual CMO micro consulting (low cost retainer
high return)
6Product Managers Role
Tsunami Product Launches
Tsunami Product Launches
- How is this relevant? Do you do launch?
- The GM of the product (all the responsibility,
without any of the authority) - General Contractor. Responsible, but work through
sub-contractors (development, support, marcom,
sales) - As the GM/GC, must know how to define (and
position), make and launch to ensure product
meets financial objectives - In start-ups you do much of the work. In large
corporations, you manage through matrix - In either large or small, you must know what good
performance looks like and how to get the return
you need - Cradle through grave (launches prior to the
grave) - One PM scheduled his vacation on the day the
product shipped (along with development).
Misunderstood his role.
7Positioning
Tsunami Product Launches
Tsunami Product Launches
- Win Before After Development (and Drown your
Competition) - The apex of all strategy is to determine your
unique distinctive competence (unique value
proposition) your positioning - Positioning Why would anyone want to buy us
- The best way to launch your product, is to
position it before it is developedby building
your selling hooks (the biggest problem solved)
into the product in advance - If you inherited a me to product, you MUST find
(and articulate) a unique position before the
launch materials (or you have nothing to
promote!)
8Positioning
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Tsunami Product Launches
- Case Study 1
- The product manager is the case study--not the
software - CodeWarrior for Windows (an IDE for software
development) - Developed by copying Microsofts features
- The Product Managers positioning, Just like
Microsoft. (buzzer goes off, ton of bricks fall) - When challenged, it is cheaper came out
(bricks). Lower the price is NOT a
differentiator (a difference shouldnt take
seconds to match) - Didnt work, only 2 market share. Reason? The
PMM said, Missing a few of Microsofts
features. (buzzer) - What is wrong with this products positioning?
- Hint it wasnt determined before it was
developed and turned into a me to
(non-differentiated product)
9Positioning
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Tsunami Product Launches
- Case Study 1
- How do you sell (promote) this software?
- You MUST still position it (after the fact)
what are the most unique features of the product
that are valuable to the user (and that they will
PAY for)? - Through homework (research) we found something
unique (not brilliant, but unique). - Our product was better at cross-development
between Windows and other platforms - For those porting Window apps to Mac, Linux,
Nintendo, or any embedded systemwe had a unique
advantage.
10Positioning
Tsunami Product Launches
Tsunami Product Launches
- Case Study 1
- The ability to use a similar IDE interface and to
port to multiple platforms was our distinct
differentiator. - We were also faster, and had a few unique
characteristics, but the cross-platform approach
was the most defensible differentiator. - Leveraged with competitive matrix
- Offered a no risk option
- Promoted sizzle (more later)
11Positioning
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Tsunami Product Launches
- Case Study 2
- DCA (5th largest software company at the time)
- CrossTalk, 1 rated terminal emulation software
- CrossFax Added to CrossTalk for Windows
- Competed against Winfax
- I had launched 2 prior versions of Winfax so I
knew its capabilities weaknesses - Had to determine the unique differentiator
- Product Manager had a comprehensive matrix of
comparative features - While researching for the unique differentiators
(since we bought the product, rather than
developed it), we found out about a bid against
Winfax with Chrysler.
12Positioning
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Tsunami Product Launches
- Chrysler wanted to broadcast fax their brochure
via local dealers - Winfax had two critical flaws
- Could not broadcast faxes w/out crashing
- Could not fax greyscale
- This is how we positioned ourselves against
Winfax
13Positioning
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Tsunami Product Launches
This is a re-creation. The actual fax from Winfax
was MUCH worse (almost unrecognizable)
14Positioning
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Tsunami Product Launches
Re-creation of the original fax.
In contrast, CrossFax has never crashed during a
broadcast faxEVER!
15Positioning
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Tsunami Product Launches
- Did it work?
- Yes! Chrysler selected CrossFax for a 20,000 user
site license! - Similarly, you must find a marketing hook, a
unique differentiator that the user values and is
willing to PAY for (like Chrysler) - Key takeaway It is best to do your homework and
find out what prospects want in advance, so you
can build it into your product. - If you didnt build valuable differentiators in,
you have less leverage to promote later (i.e.,
CodeWarrior) - Regardless of what you have, it must have a
unique position to promote
16Positioning
Tsunami Product Launches
Tsunami Product Launches
- Resources
- I highly recommend Rick Chapmans book, The
Product Marketing Managers Handbook for
Software. Good sections on positioning. - In addition, go to Chanimal.com to get free info
about how to find the differences that folks are
willing to PAY for.
www.chanimal.com/html/research.html
17Field of Dreams Marketing
- 2 billion group, yet less than 100k in
promotions - 3 Junior marcom wrong ones (database, events,
project) - Sales (Engineers) were not good at prospecting
(only found 22) - 78 of our business came from marketing program
leads - Had to convince the company to spend more on
promotions to earn more leveraging ROI (latter) - Sometimes large corporate divisions have less
resources than start-ups
Takeaway You must promote the product once it
is developedor it often just sits. Sounds
obvious, but does management and your budget
agree?
18Marketing Mix 4 Ps
- Product
- Product type, name, features, benefits,
competitive positioning, buy/build or align - Price
- Objectives (marketshare, ROI, sales growth,
long-term profit) - Strategy (22 options floor, penetration,
parity, cross-benefit, etc.) - Structure (which products, by account, time
conditions) - Levels (volume break points, site license, by
product, service and peripherals) - Placement
- Direct and/or indirect
- Promotions
- PR, advertising, direct response, on-line,
alliance, events (proactive, reactive with
counter-strikes)
Strategy Identifying the uncontrollables
(competition, economy, environment, etc.) and
deciding what to do about them Tactics The
things you can control. The 4 Ps of the
marketing mix is the framework. You must decide
the first 3 Ps before you can determine how to
promote.
19Marketing Mix 4 Ps
- Product
- Your unique positioning gives you the hooks to
promote. - Price
- You could leverage introductory promotional
pricing - Special pricing for upgrades
- Rebates in retail
- Bundles
- You could leverage your sales terms
- Financing (i.e., GE Capital advantageGE
Security) - Tape a month (Family Entertainment Network)
- Expose competitors bad pricing (CRM priced per
user, versus per pc) - You could leverage your license agreement
(concurrent license, site license, etc.) - Gratus package (good for series, giveaway items
for more volume or select items). Especially
helpful for direct sales. FEN, Holt - Price positioning always an objection, arm
sales with product positioning (set-top box
example) - Placement
- Direct sales dictates direct response, direct
sales (Internet), requires different collateral
(PowerPoint sales presentations, telemarketing
scripts, etc.) - Indirect sales (reseller channel) requires
generating leads and traffic for your reseller
channel, training and branding the resellers
Case Study 1
You must decide the first 3 Ps before you can
determine 4th P - how to leverage and promote.
Case Study 2
20Price Case Study 1
- Price
- Gratus package (good for series, giveaway items
for more volume or select items). Especially
helpful for direct sales. - Family Entertainment Network (animations (Swan
Princess, etc.)) - Provided items to include to encourage purchasing
more sets during the original visit - Allowed the One more reason to buy close
- Was highly leveraged to generate 2.5
sets/customer - Holt, Rinehart Winston (100 year old 200
million educational publisher (textbooks and
software), part of 4 billion Harcourt) - Provided software, teachers editions, tests,
overheads, ancillary material as part of the
overall packagebut wasnt being leveraged to
close the sale, but given away
21Price Case Study 2
- Price positioning always an objection
- Arm sales with product price positioning (set-top
box example) - Companies set-top was 800
- Competition was 200
- Q. How can you promote your price?
- A. Change the perception. Switch the criteria
from price to cost or revenue potential and
promote how much more they will make.
Our system produced up to 129/mo In revenue.
Competitors generated only 59. It required 79
for their business model to work. We produced
over 3,600 more revenue/5 yearsafter the
difference!
22Pre-Launch Preparation
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Tsunami Product Launches
4 Ps Plus Collateral
- Price list and matrix
- Customer PowerPoint's
- Reseller program PowerPoint's
- Alliance PowerPoint's
- Alliance kit
- Product demo script
- Folders w/sticker space
- Product packaging
- Product slick
- Sell sheet (resellers)
- Family brochure (if applicable)
- Press reprints
- Customer testimonials
- Business plan - investors
- Demo CD-ROM / Video
- Case studies
- White paper
- Sample RFI and RFQ templates
- Competitive matrix (sales version)
- 3rd party add-on book
- Branded give-away items
- PR Reviewers guide
- 35 mm slides, Web versions
- Hi-res .jpg of key executives and products
- Logo usage guidelines
23Where To Spend Your
Tsunami Product Launches
Tsunami Product Launches
- What Works Best?
- Depends on product (obvious)
- However, I usually always start with PR
- Positioning 1st (product positioning, pricing
positioning, unique placement (i.e., Autodesk
reseller loyaltyan asset) - Then, no budget, go with those that cost less
(guerilla (chanimal) website, online,
alliances) - With budget, go with those with the greatest ROI
- s for resellers are highly leveraged dollars
- For example, 1 customer 10. 1 reseller 1,000
x 10 - But, must also use dollars to drive leads to
support resellers
24Promotions - PR
- PR (1/7th the cost, 15 times more believable
always start with PR!) - Setup
- Determine objectives and measurement
- Company positioning statements
- 3-5 key talking points division and product
- Company backgrounder
- Internal media training (what to say, cautions)
- Establish policies (flaming, spokesperson,
routing) - Setup crisis management process
- Analyst for early referencing validation of
positioning - Trade press (1st looks, reviews)
- Business press (depending on product)
- Go big cheap
- Helped launch Red Storm Entertainment with noted
author Tom Clancy - Press event held on USS Nuclear Submarine
Cheyenne attended by ABC, CBS, MTV, etc.
25Promotions - PR
- PR
- Internal PR (80 internal, 20 external for
launch new press) - Proactive campaigning
- Setup interviews with analyst and key executives
- Follow-up with executives to stay in contact with
press as experts - Issue press releases
- Setup press tour (preferably at trade events)
- Speak at trade show events as the industry
expert - Write ghost stories and submit to freelance
writers - Create white papers to validate companys unique
value - Place success and case stories
- On-line ombsbudsman (viral marketing, crisis
detection management) - Submit for editorial schedules
- Create reviewers guide sets criteria for review
(Goldmine 8 editors choice in a row w/PC
Magazine, Corel over 150 awards!). Each article
pulled more leads than any ad, direct response,
or event! - Follow-up and tracking
- Read--correct all mistakes
- Setup clipping service, clip books, bulletin
board communicate - Calculate response and value (Media Quality
Quotient Analysis)
26Promotions On-line
- On-line marketing
- Definition stage
- Solidify objectives, consistent look and feel,
PR/reseller/alliance portal - Building stage
- Setup lead portal, product information,
plan-o-gram and e-commerce - CD-ROM version, site stats, on-line surveys,
search engine, Web policy - Promotion stage
- Metatags key search words, submit to search
engines, link to/from alliances, organizations,
op-in list, announce on-line forums, affiliate
program - www.wilsonweb.com (subscribe to news)
27Promotions - Alliances
- Alliance marketing Build, Buy or Align Strategy
- Setup definition stage
- Define objectives
- Identify potential alliances based on product,
complimentary sales contacts, etc. - Prioritize alliances into top 10 (most of your
time spent), top 25 and self-serve (compile
contacts) - Define the levels, benefits and requirements
- Create alliance policies (screening criteria,
process) - Setup self-serve alliance info for non-top 25
and above - Alliance kit
- Intro, benefits, agreement, NDA, logo usage,
hi-level roadmap, calendar, order form, contacts,
workshop agenda, alliance PowerPoint, Titan sales
script and presentation (cross-selling), alliance
portal - Recruiting stage
- Contact top 10, sign agreement, setup workshop
dates, contact next 25 - Engagement stage
- Connect three departments to justify alliance
- Product Management Development (to align
roadmaps and fill holes (drivers, secondary
technology (not core competance), codex,
peripherals) - Sales (for joint calls and cross leads (Dell /
Holt)) - Marcom (for joint promotions)
28Promotions - Alliances
- Alliance Case Study - HRW
- Smithsonian for online content
- Dell
- Product (PM and Dev)
- HRW had US History course that required 5 PCs
per classroom to use (didnt know how to sell
PCs) - Dell needed content to justify the PCs in the
class (didnt have or create approved content) - Sales
- Setup joint calls to show the multimedia history
course, and the equipment plus financing to get
it in the class - Marcom (split cost and/or doubled the exposure)
- Cross sell (Dell listed HRW content, HRW put Dell
ads on 600,000 catalogs) - Press release (peaked interest for both and
increased awareness) - Links to each others websites
- Part of the alliance portal (to communicate to
each sales force) - Cross trained teams at both sales meetings
- Joint ads
- Pre-qualified and tested configurations
- In each others trade show booth
- Acid test Make more money with the alliance
than without
29Promotions - Ads
- Advertising Mainly display ads in high-tech
- Expensive (must have budget)
- Strong proponent
- Strong opponent
- Believe in direct response with positive ROI
- Best way to brand is to buy product (put the Levi
on the bum) - Little belief in image ad (except image
products (Lexus)) - Greatest abuse in high tech most dont pull
- Created by designers with no marketing
background - But they look great, even if they dont maximize
leads - Rule run from agencies that flaunt design
awards - Use corporate templates, again created by
designers not marketing pros - Need to design templates that follow best
marketing concepts - Most high-tech marketing departments come from
non-marketing backgrounds (engineering, sales,
etc.). Dont know the marketing framework, cant
direct design since they dont know the
difference. - Typically, apx. 1/9th of my marketing departments
have a marketing background (usually the PR) - Most have never taken a course in marketing or
even read a marketing book - Most VPs of Marketing Ive met are the worst
culprits (OK operations, good networkers, bad
mentors)
30Promotions - Ads
- Advertising
- Ads that sell (produce leads) and maximize ROI
follow the - Persuasive format
- Attention
- Credibility
- Problem
- Solution
- Best Solution
- Overcome Objections
- Visualization
- Call to Action
- Design follows Z format
- Theory
- Result
- Won award at GE for having the Most leads of
any vendor - Increased leads at Motorola 35 times!
- Over 700 leads / week at Goldmine (up from 30)
31Ads - Examples
- Persuasive Elements
- Attention
- Credibility
- Problem
- Solution
- Best Solution
- Objections
- Visualization
- Action
Reverse type, justified margins, buried in design
Reverse type (hard to read), no special offer,
graphic catches attention, would you read?
Has persuasive elements, Z format, short columns,
shows product, persuasive copy, screen shot
visualization, strong offer, readability
Graphic element tells you what? Reverse type.
- Strong direct response
- FREE (strongest word)
- 30 day trial (no risk)
- Special offer (enticement)
- Unique URL Landing page
- Phone number (tracking)
- Impending event (deadline)
Basic quick review of current ads
Not always the prettiest, but the format pulls
like a worm in a stocked pond
32Promotions - Ads
- Advertising
- Determine objectives
- Review competitors campaigns (if any) Adscope,
personal clippings - Determine target audience (buyers, influencer,
resellers) - Media selection (order trade pubs, review
demographics and editorial schedules, initial
media selection) - Create ad concept, copy and design (Z format,
direct response w/offer). Phone, e-mail, unique
URL (1st to do w/Netscape) - Determine frequency, negotiate placement, submit
ads - Create on-line direct response landing page
(unique URL) - Measure and evaluate media, message and response
33Promotions - Events
- Event marketing
- Roadshow for resellers and prospects
- Prospects 1st half
- Resellers 2nd half
- Trade shows
- Attempt to exhibit in alliance booth
- If own
- Determine who will coordinate
- Booth size
- Rent or buy a booth
- Pre-show activities
- Post-show follow-up
- Lead dissemination and follow-up
- Show report
- Keys to maximize return
- Demo show to draw crowds
- Incentives to register
- Paper qualifier (A,B,C)
- 24 hour lead dissemination
- Mandated follow-up
34Events Follow-Up
A 24-48 hours B 2 weeks C Database
35Launch Day Crash the Beach
Tsunami Product Launches
Tsunami Product Launches
- Tsunami Wave it all hits at once
- Entertainment industry
- Everything is lined up (posters, ads, toys,
websites, reviews) - Microsoft DOS 5.0, Windows 95
- Product was reviewed
- Applications were developed
- Drivers were completed
- All product was sitting in retail for 1202 sales
- No Stealth Launches or Leaks
- High-tech typically drizzles a product out
- Drizzles out much of the impact (name, features,
everything) - OK to create interest, but dont take out the
news or cant leverage PR (dont want old news) - Which has more impact?
- 100 normal waves
- 1 wave 100x size
Is this a trick question?
36Launch Day Crash the Beach
Tsunami Product Launches
Tsunami Product Launches
- What does a tsunami campaign it look like?
37Reseller Promotions
Tsunami Product Launches
Tsunami Product Launches
- Channel Marketing
- Reseller promotions vary depending on your
reseller type (retail (mass merchant, consumer
electronics, superstore, etc.) to system
integrator), from single to two-tier distribution - Target resellers distributors (spiffs,
merchandising, stocking promos, contest,
training) - Target their customers (rebates, ROP (run of
press), specials, upgrades, bundles, demo days) - Typically handled through MDF and Co-Op funds
(except pricing and rebates) - Where do we spend our money to get the greatest
return?
38Reseller Promotions
Tsunami Product Launches
Tsunami Product Launches
- One of the most important secrets in the world
with high-tech resellers - 67 of everyone that goes into a reseller
location asks for a recommendation. 97 follow
it. So 64 of the product sold is determined by
the name that comes out of the resellers mouth. - Takeaway the MOST important person to brand is
your reseller. - The best way to get your reseller to recommend
your product is to get them to use it. - Spiffs and contest create fast, short term
recommendations. But reseller training and NFR
copies are the two highest leveraged activities
to create long-term recommendations. - Test the recommendation rate currently
- One of my companies was 13, the competition was
71 - Train resellers and place NFR copies
- Test again
- My company went to 76, the competition went to
12 - We reduced our advertising by over 400k
- They spent more on advertising (since their sales
dropped), essentially driving prospects into
resellers that we owned and would switch them
at the point of sale - This is the all powerful reseller recommendation
rate. Often overlooked, but one of the best ROI
activities - I helped build an entire company (that grew to
over 4,000 people), just to increase this ratio
39Get Your Money - ROI
Tsunami Product Launches
Tsunami Product Launches
- Tracking Leveraging Results
- Build each promotion from scratch based on the
expected ROI - Following are methods to justify your
budgetsshowing ROI and industry ratios
40Promotional PR
- Items
- Press Release news wire services (each x 550
20k). ROI The Press Releases are required to
help generate hits - Press Kits (1,000 x 4, Plus 5k x 3 Reprints) -
19k ROI Cost. Materials required to run PR
campaigns - The budget only accounts for the cost and ROI for
each expensewhich stands on its own. However,
the overall expense also has a long and
short-term residual effect since it helps ensure
reviews, referencing, and Web hits. - A positive press hit has a greater value than
advertisement. We use the ad replacement cost
to calculate ROI in terms of placement saving
cost (what it would cost us to get the same
impression count via advertising). - ROI for press is calculated with a formula called
the Media Quality Quotient analysis.
GENERIC EXAMPLE OF POSSIBLE BUDGET INFO
41Channel Marketing
- Promotions
- Direct Response
- 2,000 targeted locations 8k
- ROI 2,000 x 5 response 100 leads x 10
conversion 10 resellers x 100k/reseller/1st
year 1 million - Reseller database list - 5k ROI Needed to run
campaign - Events
- Reseller Roadshow (10 cities, 80k less
contribution) - 25k - ROI 10 cities x 25 resellers/each x 10
conversion 25 resellers x 100k 2.5 million - Reseller Collateral ((brochure, binders) (2,000 x
50/ea)) - 100k - ROI Necessary to run the program.
GENERIC EXAMPLE OF POSSIBLE BUDGET INFO
42Advertising
- Objective We have 1 new product and 2 new major
release launches in 2004. We expect to generate
new sales via the new product and releases, plus
penetrate 6 new vertical markets. Total expense
is 416k (216k are new initiatives), our ROI is
1.8 million. - 6 different verticals, 1 best pub per vertical,
6 placements each 36 placements - 4 different horizontal (security) pubs x 6
placements each 24 placements. - 6k each (with graphics/placement). Each launch
campaign will run for 90 days.
GENERIC EXAMPLE OF POSSIBLE BUDGET INFO
43Budget Summary Expense/ROI
- Channel Marketing recruit new resellers, sell
more through existing resellers (increase
recommendation rate). Expense 160k Channel
Mgr Return 4.9 million. - Advertising new product announcements, generate
leads for sales and resellers. Expense 416k
(50 new verticals) Return 1.8 million. - Promotional PR generate leads, credibility and
awareness. Expense 144k PR Manager
(contractor). Return 2.3 million. - Events generate leads, customer, consultant,
reseller and press meetingsonly ASIS 03.
Expense 338. Return 513k - Customer Reseller Conference customer,
consultant and reseller support, pre-sell
on-going releases. Expense 320k (320 CASI,
110 other divisions). - Collateral product catalog, price lists, CDs
(support material), reseller sales kits, data
sheets, etc. Expense 394. Return Cost.
Required to sell the products.
GENERIC EXAMPLE OF POSSIBLE BUDGET INFO
44Industry Ratios Marketing Only
GENERIC EXAMPLE OF POSSIBLE BUDGET INFO
Source Software Success, 3rd Edition, Software
Industry Operating Ratios. Based on 122 surveys
for the 1st eight months of 2001. Data is apx. 1
year old.
- Current Marketing Expense Ratio
- 2003 4 million (w/salaries)/62 million sales
6 - 2 million (apx. 50 of total CASI Marketing
Budget ) is variable program expenses 3 of
company expenses - Based on how products are sold, we will use 9
as a comparable ratio (although almost all
revenue comes from resellers which is 13.1
comparable). Even with the new initiatives, we
are still below the industry ratios, regardless
of which set of comparable data we review. ½ of
our expenses are programs, ½ is salary (including
product mgmt).
45Summary
Tsunami Product Launches
Tsunami Product Launches
- Positioning Win Before After Development
- Position your product, your pricing, with
placement before you promote - Pre-launch Preparation You must get this done
- What Works Best Where To Spend Your Cash
- Launch Day No Stealth Launches (Crash the
Beach!) - Tracking Leveraging Results (Get Your Budget
Approved)
46Tsunami Product Launches
Tsunami Product Launches
47(No Transcript)