Planning Successful Company and Product Launches Marketing & Sales Roundtable September 2004

Marketing & Sales Roundtable
Planning Successful Company and Product
Launches
September 2004
Agenda
11:30 – Introductions/Objectives
11:45 – Company and Product Launches: Presentation
and Discussion
1:15
– Summary and Wrap-up
©2004 Rosemary Remacle
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The Importance of Launches
“A company….must choose a launch strategy that is
consistent with its intended positioning. The launch
strategy should be the first step in a grand plan for
life-cycle marketing.”
Philip Kotler
Marketing Management
Does your product launch plan reflect all of the money
and time put into developing the product?
©2004 Rosemary Remacle
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Some Factoids
• 85% of new B2B products are failures
• 95% of new consumer products are failures
• Failures = doesn’t meet company objectives, withdrawn from market
within 12-18 months
Source: New Product News
©2004 Rosemary Remacle
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Positioning Strategy Process
Market Vision
Market
Drivers
Technology
Enablers
Customer/
End-User Problem(s)
Definition
Market/Customer
Segmentation
Competitive Differentiation
Strategy Evidence
Market Segment
Market Entry Customer
Segment Critical Need and
Total Product
Requirements
Positioning Strategy
Statement
Customer Segments
Company Total Product
Solution’s Potential
Differentiators
Total Product
Assets
Critical Needs
Competitors’ Total Product
Solutions’ Potential
Differentiators
Applications
Product/Market
Category
Mission
Statement
©2004 Rosemary Remacle
Technology and Total
Product Roadmap
Partnerships
Company Product/
Service Match
Barriers to
Adoption
Market Entry Customer Segment
Roadmap and Market Segment
Leadership Roadmap
Company
Differentiator
Business Model
(Functional) Programs
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Positioning Both Company and Product
Company
Positioning Strategy
• Market
• Technology
• Product
• Company
Product #2
Product #1
Product #3
• Technology
• Functions/Benefits
• Technology
• Functions/Benefits
• Technology
• Functions/Benefits
©2004 Rosemary Remacle
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Launch Objectives
• Unite company around shared objective: making the launch
successful
• Provide strategy evidence of the company’s intent, and right, to
be a market segment leader in product/service category
• Build independent third-party validation, and strategy evidence,
of positioning strategy
• Start the ‘buzz’, market pull with a consistent message
architecture
• Support long leadtime sales cycles
• Facilitate fundraising
©2004 Rosemary Remacle
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Launch Objectives (con’t)
• Establish core technology/system as an extensible platform
for future products and partnerships
• Establish broad-based awareness and credibility with xxx
customer segment
• Generate market momentum/Accelerate the sales cycle for
Product XXX; delay customer purchase commitments to
competitors
©2004 Rosemary Remacle
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New Venture ‘Launch Phases’
• Company funding announcements: PWC MoneyTree, Venture Wire, etc.
• Company: Stealth mode
• Identify system lite: business cards, industry event attendance
• Content-free microwebsite: contact info, investors, team, etc. (note: may have password-protected real
site)
• Phone listing
• Company ‘launch’: Seeding the market
• Company: team, market vision
• Technology platform
• Product category, general problem addressed
• Product launch: Going ‘public’
• Positioning strategy: problem solved, market and market entry customer segment, competitive
differentiation
• Product details: ‘architecture’, technology and product roadmap
• Key customers and partners (especially channels)
• Pricing and product availability information
• A ‘grown-up’ website
©2004 Rosemary Remacle
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‘Pre-Announcing a Product’?*
• Why?
•
•
•
•
Complex problem/solution = market education
Big budget line item product = long budget cycle, complex buying process
Competitive pressures
Need market ‘buzz’ for funding round
• Risks?
•
•
•
•
•
Too much competitive information, too early
Market environment can change substantively
Product development slips
‘Obsolete’ an existing product
Analysts/Media won’t cover ‘the real deal’
* Often executed as a ‘crescendo launch,’ a series of targeted announcements leading up
to product launch
©2004 Rosemary Remacle
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‘Pre-Announcing’ Tips
• Do
• Describe key elements of technology
• Explain benefits of technology/potential applications
enabled
• Articulate initial total product assumptions (services,
standards, partnerships, etc.)
• Don’t
• Name product, provide specifications
• Announce pricing
• Provide precise launch date
©2004 Rosemary Remacle
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Launch Dependencies: Strategy Evidence
Product
Concept
Go/No Go
Preliminary
Positioning
Strategy
Go/No Go
Business
Model
Beta Product &
Reference
Customers
Positioning
Strategy
Validation
Go/No Go
Be prepared to postpone for key
pieces of strategy evidence!
Launch
Planning
Strategic
Partnerships
(channel)
Go/No Go
Post Sales
Support
Plan
 18 months
©2004 Rosemary Remacle
Ongoing Market
Reinforcement
Launch
Date
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Launch Plan Outline
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Positioning Strategy Statement and Message Architecture
Objectives and Strategies
Competitors/Competitive Response
Market leverage/Influencer plan
Sales training and lead generation (closed loop)
Marketing programs materials
Schedule/Timeline
Momentum milestones
Appendix
- positioning toolkit
- customer segment profile
- buying decision process
©2004 Rosemary Remacle
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Launch Checklist: Some Strategy
Evidence Options
Positioning Toolkit
• Sales, channel strategy
• Product Release schedule
Programs
• Ads, site sponsorships
• CD, Flash demo
• Customer seminars
• Data sheets, application notes
• Direct mail, e-mail, list promotions
• Newsletters
• Sales, channel launch; training
• Trial, swap-up program
• Trade shows, conferences, events; suite briefings
• Advance press and analyst tour
• Speaker program
• Regional field sales champions
• User groups, customer councils
• Webcasts/Webinars with guest
experts: customers, analysts, partners
• Lead management system…salesforce.com,
eloqua, etc.
©2004 Rosemary Remacle
Materials
• Brochures
• Data sheets, application notes
• Presentations
• Price lists
• Product catalogs
• Product demonstrations
• Product roadmap
• Press releases
• Technical articles
• Technology, company backgrounders
• Testimonials
• White papers
• Web site update
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Launch Manager is ‘Command and Control’
Weekly Status and
Project Management
Sales:
Customer
Advocates
Content
CTO/Guru:
White Papers,
Simulation
Strategies
Creative,
Website,
Interactive
Marketing
Launch
Program
Manager
Shows,
Conferences,
Events
©2004 Rosemary Remacle
Product
Development/
Technical
Marketing: Data
Sheets & Demos
Press/Analyst
Relations,
Materials
Production
Strategic
Partners, Investor
Relations
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Launch Responsibilities
Launch Strategy
Marcom: Creative, Website,
Interactive Marketing
Product Marketing:
Data Sheets & Demos
Marcom: Press/Analyst
Relations, Collateral
Biz Dev: Strategic Partners
Marcom: Tradeshows,
Conferences, Events
CTO/Guru: White Papers,
Simulation Strategies
Sales: Customer Advocates
Content
Finance: Investor Relations
Product Development:
Product Availability
Launch Manager and Champion
©2004 Rosemary Remacle
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Developing Strategy Evidence: Market
Leverage Model
Education
Company
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Market Segment
Market
Entry
Customer
Segment
Validation
©2004 Rosemary Remacle
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Market Leverage/Influencer Plan
Category
Names
Relationship/Objective/Program
Company Owner
Investors
Sales Channel
Beta Customers/
Targeted accounts
Industry Partners,
Leaders, Gurus
Industry Organizations
Industry analysts
Financial analysts
©2004 Rosemary Remacle
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Launch Pitfalls
• Launch planning starts too late in product development process
• Positioning strategy half-baked and untested, externally
• Not enough (credible) strategy evidence: bug-free product, the right – at least
one Tier 1 - customer testimonials and references (negotiated into contracts),
application notes and documentation, channels, customer support
• Proper market foundation has not been laid, no one has heard of the
company or product
• A non-programmatic approach (‘escapes’ vs. launches): lack of launch manager,
market leverage and message models, launch objectives, plan, measurable goals
• Lack of fully integrated plan (from product management to marketing
communications to product development)
©2004 Rosemary Remacle
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Summary and Wrap-Up
The Launch Plan is the chance to get the company and product
off to a good start in the market!
©2004 Rosemary Remacle
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Presenters
• Rosemary Remacle, Consultant
Market Focus
408-244-0412
rosemary@mktfocus.net
©2004 Rosemary Remacle
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