Not All Change Stays
Changed
As so many people and
organisations grapple with the concept of change, I wanted to look at it from a
slightly different perspective.
What about when brands
come full circle? Having disrupted an industry with a different approach, only
to find that in the end, customers force a change back in an almost 360? There’s
still disruption, and change has still happened, but often it is realised that
what was needed was not a dramatic shift, but a simple realignment or rethink.
I see this happening in
several areas. Retail is one. Bricks and mortar stores closed due to online
sales; but now netizens want to touch the product before purchasing, online.
Brick and mortar still has its place in the consumption process; it has only
declined in the final purchase stage.
F & B chains such
as Starbucks once were the ‘darlings’ of the F & B industry, replacing mom
and pop coffee shops, offering consistent quality and value to money. But, now,
these ubiquitous, and often boring, coffee experiences are losing out to
hipster cafes and unique concepts, as people want to feel special again,
especially as they seek instagrammable moments to share their daily lives with
the friends.
The funniest, yet
realist one, from 2019 was Apple and its AirPods. Seeking to offer a wireless
experience for their followers, Apple simply removed the pesky little wires
from the headphones and turned them wireless. Beautiful.
Except, people started
losing an AirPod or two, and that became super costly for them. The solution, “straps”
to attach to the AirPods so they couldn’t get lost while wearing.
Its not a full 360,
but it is a 320 at least – ultimately a realignment of the product purpose and
how they can be used, rather than a reinvention of it altogether.
Change isn’t always a
humongous move away from what we know; most often it is incremental, sensible
judgements to adjust a product, its category, or its brand, to align better
with changes in lifestyle, while still respecting, and accommodating, our basic
needs. For some brands, it just takes a little while longer to realise small is
the new big!
__________
https://www.comicsands.com/people-buying-nordstrom-straps-airpods-2641508385.html
No comments:
Post a Comment