Go East has experience with both business-to-business and business-to-consumer product launches. While many of the product launches we have worked on have been successful, some of them have been painful from a planning standpoint and in attempting to meet much-too-early deadlines. Often by the time an agency is brought in to work on a launch strategy and creative execution, it is too late to back out of already committed deliverables and to-market deadlines. The graphic below is a good representation of the steps a product launch needs to complete in order to be successful. Many people believe that once the product is launched, the process is over and success is immediate. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

FOUR PILLARS FOR A SUCCESSFUL PRODUCT LAUNCH

1. Assign dedicated resources
2. Avoid overcommitment
3. Implement scientific process
4. Leverage collaboration tools

Ramping Up
In many cases, product launch strategy development begins too early. Sometimes R&D and marketing are working on product claims, key features and benefits while product names are still under development and packaging is incomplete. It’s the cart-before-the-horse scenario. Of course, unforeseen exceptions can creep up but, for the most part, all of these situations should be completed to allow enough time for the strategic and creative processes to successfully drive deliverables, meet timelines and ensure a successful launch.

Once the details are worked out, it’s important to assign dedicated resources to those who can deliver a consistent, integrated plan of attack – resources that have the brainpower to carry the product launch into the marketplace. You want to grow your business by communicating the product’s value proposition, which will also reflect on internal and external partners and your bottom line.

Strategy and Planning Development
Working with dedicated resources who have the knowledge and expertise needed is a huge gain for you, as well as your product’s success. Make sure your resources work together to deliver consistent, integrated messaging and imagery.

In today’s marketing strategy development, your resources should be able to deliver on multiple touchpoints and strategies, whether it be interactive, advertising, public relations, social media, etc. All touchpoints should be considered from the start and chosen or eliminated based on your audience. Try not to over-deliver, but look at the big picture and hone in from there.

Go in for the Kill
At launch, deliver with a splash, a pop and a bang! Make it well-known that this product is at the top of its game and, depending on whether it’s a business-to-business or business-to-consumer launch, hit your audience hard by being on brand, on message and on time with deliverables.

Keep in mind you need to be communicating to internal and external resources, keeping them in the know on what is happening and when and how it is happening. This will be appreciated by those involved.

Evaluate, Evaluate, Evaluate
So, once you launch the product it’s all said and done. Or is it? Have you measured results? What key points can you take away from the launch? What have you learned, both pro and con, which should or shouldn’t be implemented in the next product launch? Have you debriefed all involved, both internally and externally, to regroup and share experiences? These are key factors in delivering a successful launch.

Source: “Four Pillars for Product Launch, Best Practices from World-Class Companies,” by Rick Sklarin and Ling Gee, Crimson Consulting Group.

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How does one approach product photography before a product is launched? Well, since it’s essential that all aspects of a product and/or brand reflect its personality, it’s vital to consider how photography can be used to further promote and accentuate the persona of the product.

In a recent product launch for Scotch® Tough Duct Tape products, it was determined that the personality should stand out against the other Scotch® Duct Tape products and be positioned as more rugged, masculine, robust and naturally, tough.

Go East accomplished this by shooting each of the Scotch® Tough Duct Tape products in a rusty toolbox. The tools in the box relate to the specific product and the type of projects for which the six different tapes are used (e.g., paint rollers, brushes, a paint mixer and the 5-in-1 tool with Scotch® Tough Duct Tape – Outdoor Painter’s Clean Removal tape).

The lighting in the photos is dramatic and comes primarily from the right of the toolbox. The roughly textured background is positioned at a great distance behind the toolbox and is not in focus, unlike the items in the foreground. In the photos the color of everything except for the duct tape packaging was converted to a bluish-gray monotone to emphasize the product and ensure it would stand out. This monotone color also provided a blue collar, DIY aspect that fit in perfectly with how the products would be portrayed.

In addition, a rough edge that underscores the brawny aesthetic was added to the collateral designs and further communicates the tough and rugged brand personality.

The photos were a great success and used on product launch materials for the sales force, sell sheets, point-of-sale items like shelf danglers and product displays, as well as other merchandising tactics.

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Product launches in the design realm are tough. Designers are often asked to create launch material (advertising, product announcements, etc.) based on very early market testing or the package design. Unfortunately, this is often before a product’s personality or positioning has been determined and a successful launch requires these to stand out with confidence. The public communication of your launch should honor deep solution-oriented benefits. Expressing the need for your product and turning that into desire can be communicated with great design and the creative way you deliver the information. Your design agency should be brought in when the initial product personality and positioning is being formed. They can help you bring very creative ideas and trend-forward approaches to capture the attention of fickle buyers and targeted consumers.

The following are some strategies and tactics we like to employ:

Consider a pre-launch. These can be executed without alerting the competition and can cause some really good commotion about a secret new solution. There is some research that indicates you should be marketing toward the problem your product will solve before the launch.

We can also bring the product to social networks and capitalize on friends sharing information. There’s nothing like a great scoop to get people talking on Facebook and Twitter.

Some great product launches have really had fun with their approach. Mailings to buyers and store managers should be very “out-of-the-box.” They are a tough crowd and very, very busy. Simple, yet clever delivery techniques and stunning visuals can really get their attention.

Small budget? You can reduce all printing costs by going electronic.

Capturing the consumer will be much more targeted when your design agency knows the subtleties of your messaging. Samples that capture your consumer’s attention and drive them to action have a better chance when your agency knows how to communicate the essence of your messaging in quick and stunning imagery and words.

Another out-of-the-box approach is investigating the antonym, or opposite, of your goal. Artists will often turn a painting upside down to see errors or new compositional possibilities for their work of art.

At Go East we always look forward to opportunities to get involved early on so we can help our clients in telling their NEW story in a successful launch.

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Social media marketing (SMM) can and should play a significant role in any product launch. Say you’ve created a Facebook page for your product but all you hear are crickets instead of cash registers. Well, SMM isn’t about selling, it’s about engaging your audience, getting them talking about you and your product and hoping sales will follow.

An excellent example of a company that successfully used SMM to boost sales is BlendTec, makers of commercial food blenders. They had a great product but few had heard of them. In 2006, they launched the “Will it blend?” viral video campaign, starring CEO Tom Dickson. Dressed in a white lab coat and safety glasses, Mr. Dickson asks the question, “Will it Blend?” and tosses various non-food items such as cell phones, toilet plungers and tiki torches in BlendTec blenders. (My favorite is the iPhone video.) The videos were intended to increase the company’s brand awareness by showcasing their product’s toughness. The content was so compelling it got consumers watching. Within five days of posting their videos on YouTube and on their own Web site, the videos had generated six million YouTube views. They even got their audience involved by asking them to submit their own “blending” ideas for future videos. Ultimately, BlendTec saw their sales jump by 700 percent.

BlendTec did everything right. Their campaign aligned their brand personality and key messages into an entertaining and engaging series of videos.

Now I’m thinking I need one of these blenders for my own entertainment purposes: summer slushy drinks!

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Ever heard the term “virtual launch” when referring to a product launch? It’s a term I enjoy using which essentially means, “Let’s not load the sales reps down with a huge three-ring binder full of printed sales sheets, price sheets, brochures, FAQs, etc. It’s too heavy, too cumbersome and frankly, it really positions a company as old-school vs. innovative and modern. Instead, let’s be fresh and relevant and deliver the important information on an interactive USB drive or DVD – allowing the rep to navigate through the contents like a Web site to find important customer presentation materials, downloadable brochures, demonstration videos, etc. The rep will look organized and modern and the buyer will appreciate the efficiency.”

Ummm … OK, maybe you won’t find that definition at Dictionary.com. But, nonetheless, the definition stands.

When launching a new product, many teams look to their sales reps to determine what tools they need to sell the new product. It’s important to remember, though, while a sales rep’s job is to sell the product to the buyer, it’s not their job to advise on the business or communications strategy to do so. The insight a sales rep may be able to provide about their selling challenges will be quite helpful, but as marketers, we shouldn’t be settling for same-old, same-old. The rep’s job isn’t to think about how to launch the product better; as marketers, that’s our job and we can do it by reading between the lines and probing for deeper interpretations.

As you embark on your 2010 product launch calendar, think about including your agency in interviewing your sales reps to find out what the best tools could be. My suspicion is that after interpreting the feedback, 90 percent of the time, the groundwork will be laid for more interactive tools and less bulky binders. Would you agree?

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It seems every time I turn around I’m reading or hearing something about how “everything” is going online or mobile. It appears that if your brand is not online or mobile – in an engaging way – you’re losing out. Well, this may have some truth to it, but that doesn’t mean print solutions aren’t still valid.

Consider this:

• 70% of companies have renewed a relationship with a customer using direct mail
• Consumers receiving a printed catalog are two times more likely to purchase online than those who don’t receive a catalog
• 75% of consumers say they’ve made a purchase as a result of direct mail
• Worried about seeming wasteful? In 2007, 45.2 million tons of paper were recovered from recycling – that’s 57% of all paper and paperboard products

At Go East when we’re working on a project – to be distributed online or  via “old-fashioned” paper – we work hard to balance print and interactive strategies. Campaigns need to be integrated, but not redundant. They need to be impactful and they need to be targeted.

Don’t abandon one for the other or you won’t be able to capitalize on the biggest opportunities!

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Q: How can you race a new product to the market and ensure successful sales?

A: You can’t.

Was that painful to hear? Think about this: You might be successful, but you can’t ensure that you’ll be successful. Racing a new product to market ensures only one thing – and that’s missed opportunity.

Well, let me qualify that. You can race a new product to the market and ensure successful sales if you have a clear strategy. The problem with racing is that often teams get so focused on the final launch date, the strategy gets left behind – or worse – never developed.

A good launch strategy considers not only business objectives, but communication objectives for all of the audiences. What you say to the sales rep is different than what you say to the buyer, which is different than what you say to the consumer. Or at least it should be. (And, yes, you should be talking to all of those audiences.) If it’s not – you’re missing opportunities. Big time.

At Go East, we collaborate with our clients to create the communications strategy for new product launches. After all, how can we ensure success without this information? When you are working with a solid strategy, everyone can feel better about the accelerated timeline – including your team and the agency’s team.

So, think about this the next time you’re asked to participate in a product launch: How are you going to ensure success? Answer: Define the strategy and keep it close as you race to launch your product.

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It’s hard to believe that Facebook has been in existence for six years, which is also the age of my oldest son. I think back to what I was doing six years ago and how great it would have been to share with others the milestones I was experiencing with my first child and to have that history recorded so I could look back on it.

It’s crazy how Facebook has impacted my life and those around me. I’ve used it to connect with old colleagues, high school and college classmates and people I see all the time, like family and neighbors. I am also guilty of occasionally talking to my husband using the chat function of it.

It’s also interesting to think about how it has brought together generations of people. My mom is on it and many of my friends’ moms are on it. It’s become a must-have communication tool for my mom to stay in touch with her own friends and also see pictures of and stay connected with her grandkids.

Has Facebook impacted  your life? How?

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