The iPhone: Will it change your brand?

Yesterday, to much acclaim, Steve Jobs announced Apple's latest consumer electronics innovation, the iPhone. Its features are incredible. It’s a phone, personal digital assistant, email client, web browser, music/movie player, and camera. But, what’s really significant is the example it sets for every consumer product on the market.

There are already numerous consumer electronic devices that offer the same features as the iPhone. I own one, a Palm Treo. The problem has been that most products offer features, but few offer solutions. I want all of these nifty wiz-bang capabilities, but only if they’re easy to use!

The value of any solution (or brand) is factored by the effort required to get that value. The perfect example of this was demonstrated in a frozen food study we conducted. The overwhelming majority of consumers said they preferred items prepared in the oven, but they usually prepared them in the microwave. They were willing to give up product performance for the value of simplicity. When you can achieve both, you have a mega-hit. The iPod delivers superior performance AND is fantastically easy to use throughout the entire usage experience. That’s why it has forever changed the music industry. The iPhone may do the same in the wireless industry according to many. (See Larry Dignan's blog on ZDnet for more on that.)

The bigger question is what is your product’s solution and how can you make the total usage experience better. If you don’t think this opportunity exists with your products, just look at the innovations on supermarket shelves. From re-sealable plastic coffee “cans” with handles to yogurt in tubes, the incremental value resided in making the consumer’s process of using the product simpler.

Have you thought about how your "solution" makes your customers' lives easier from shelf to trash can? Can you make it easier to carry, prepare, pore, or store? Are you focused on the features of your products or the solutions they provide? Give CM Solutions a call and we’ll help you discover the complete value of your brand.

Easier solutions are worth more than hard ones. That’s why Apple will probably get lots of consumers like me that are willing to shell out big-bucks for the iPhone. Their solution is worth it even if the components aren’t.