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Responses to Missing a Prediction
21 March 05
For some reason, this
update generated a lot of responses.
Here are a few:
Jerry M. (the late adopter) said:
Ya know, I would've said the
same thing. After reading Rembrandts in the Attic, my distaste for
Gillette grew.
I don't understand our
passion for ever more blades. Four blades? Feels like using one of those
long lawnmowers on your face.
In protest, I still use
two-bladed razors. But they are Gillettes.
Barry N. added:
I'm a big fan of the M3. Not only dies it give a closer shave, but
fewer nicks and the razor is MUCH easier to clean under the sink --
hence the blades last longer. Note, I am a bit unusual in that I
shave w/o cream.
Stefano G. said:
What's also worth noting is that the concept for a vibrating razor was
aired on British TV around 2002 (if my memory serves me) so a 3-year design
to market lag if that was the origin of the design. Would be interesting:
was Gillette inspired by the Richard Seymour and Dick Powell design aired on
Channel 4, or did they really have their own idea independently of the
"Better by Design" series? Or did the series cause them to dust off an old
idea before someone else beat them to it...
Take a look at the series:
Long internet address
Ah the challenge of deciding where it all started!
Robin P said:
We (our whole family) make fun of the MP3 all the time, too, disparaging
its HP-like strategy (buy what you think is just a razor but turns
out to be a battery-eating machine, conveniently also made by your company,
as HP does with printers, paper and ink.)
We are teaching [our son] to be skeptical and even cynical, perhaps,
about marketing, particularly because we let him watch so much sports on tv
and the ads are particularly noxious, then.
and Mark L contributed:
Another
explanation for what happened (beyond women buyers and high felt need)
could be found in Michael Silverstein’s book, Trading Up: The New
American Luxury.
These
nice guys from BCG do a compelling job of describing why mass market
consumers will pay a premium for selected indulgent experiences like
Starbucks coffee, Calloway golf clubs, SONY flat screen televisions,
etc.
Mass
consumers can’t afford to buy an actual Ferrari, but they can afford the
Ferrari of coffee, golf clubs, television, etc… Maybe Gillette’s new
razor falls into this category?
This was all on the first day! The next day I got
some more.
Mark P added:
What
about the notion of fashion – how does that factor in? Do people
just want the newest, coolest thing sometimes, especially when it
comes in a snazzy box from a company that I already buy things
from? My thought on this product is that it sort of scares me and
makes me wonder about battery replacement. I, however, am not the
market either…
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