Session fifteen
DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS
No. 25: Smith and Wesson
Mountain Bikes
A study commissioned by the company
found brand awareness so strong that
consumers said they would consider S&W
not only for handguns, but for other
products as well. As long as that something
isn't mountain bikes. S&W had been selling
bicycles designed for law enforcement,
security and emergency response since
1997. So in 2002, it took another step by
offering mountain bikes to consumers too.
Unfortunately, while the bikes continue to
be loved by public service officials, the
public never caught the "fever."
(c) Anabil Goswami
No. 24: Cosmopolitan Yogurt
Cosmopolitan has 58 international
editions, is published in 36 languages
and is distributed in more than 100
countries, making it one of the most
dynamic brands on the planet. You
could say it's got this "magazine thing"
down pat. All the more reason why it
should stick to what it does best. One
thing Cosmo does not do best is brand
and sell yogurt. Yes, yogurt. From the
time of its release, the yogurt was
supposedly off of the shelves in 18
months.
(c) Anabil Goswami
No. 23: Microsoft WebTV
WebTV (now MSN TV) offered
consumers Internet connection
via their television sets in the
mid-1990s. A Cable World article
by Andrea Figler describes it this
way: The service grew quickly at
first, attracting mainstream users
that typically shied away from
technology. But to WebTV's
dismay, they became the dreaded
consumer: a customer who failed
to produce new revenue streams
but insisted on creating expensive
customer service problems. So
Microsoft which bought WebTV in
1997, scrapped the brand. It
never passed the one-million-
subscriber mark.
(c) Anabil Goswami
No. 22: Life Savers Soda
According to Wrigley.com, chocolate maker
Clarence Crane invented Life Savers in 1912 as
he searched to find a sweet treat to withstand
the summer heat better than his chocolate.
Because of their resemblance to life preservers
the brand name Life Savers was chosen. Since
then, Life Savers have become the No. 1 brand
across non-chocolate candy and mints. That
success, however, did not translate to its fizzy
drink venture. Life Savers Soda failed even
though it had fared well in taste tests.
According to one brand critic "the Life Savers
name gave consumers the impression they
would be drinking liquid candy."
(c) Anabil Goswami
No. 21: Clairol's
Touch of Yogurt Shampoo
The Brand Failures blog says: The shampoo
failed to attract consumers (in 1979) largely
because nobody liked the idea of washing their
hair with yogurt. Of those who did buy it, there
were even some cases of people mistakenly
eating it, and getting very ill as a result. The
"Touch of Yogurt" concept is made even more
remarkable because three years earlier Clairol
introduced a similar shampoo called the "Look
of Buttermilk." This product instantly bombed
in test markets where consumers were left
asking: what exactly is the "look of buttermilk"
and why should I want it?
(c) Anabil Goswami
No. 20: Coors
Rocky Mountain Spring Water
If you're one of the most popular beer brands
in the world, it's a pretty safe bet that even
your most loyal consumers would not be
interested in buying bottled water from you.
Case in point -- Coors Rocky Mountain Spring
Water. Spring water from the Rocky Mountains
is indeed used during the brewing process of
some Coors products. However, when bottled
alone, it's missing one key ingredient -- alcohol.
Apparently Coors customers just weren't that
into buying water when it wasn't enhanced by
additional ingredients like barley and yeast
(c) Anabil Goswami
No. 19: Cocaine Energy Drink
Cocaine is a high-energy drink, containing
three and a half times the amount of caffeine
as Red Bull. It was pulled from U.S. shelves in
2007, after the FDA declared that its
producers, Redux Beverages, were "illegally
marketing their drink as an alternative to street
drugs." The drink is still available, however,
online, in Europe and even in select stores in
the U.S. Despite the controversy, Redux
Beverages does not plan to cease production
any time soon. You know what they say --
there's no such thing as bad publicity.
(c) Anabil Goswami
No. 18: Earring Magic Ken
Barbie and her companions have gone through
many incarnations since her creation in 1959,
but none is more infamous than "Earring Magic
Ken." Exit classy tuxedos and suits and enter
mesh t-shirt, purple leather vest, and earring.
Pretty soon "New Ken" was dubbed "Gay Ken"
-- and parents were not pleased with his
fashion-forward style. After an article focusing
on Earring Magic Ken's style appeared in 'The
Stranger' newspaper, Mattel discontinued
production and recalled as many Kens off the
shelves as they could.
(c) Anabil Goswami
No. 17: Colgate Kitchen Entrees
The Brand Failures blog explains: In what must
be one of the most bizarre brand extensions
ever Colgate decided to use its name on a
range of food products called Colgate's Kitchen
Entrees. Needless to say, the products did not
take off and never left U.S. soil. The idea must
have been that consumers would eat their
Colgate meal, then brush their teeth with
Colgate toothpaste. The trouble was that for
most people the name Colgate does not
exactly get their taste buds tingling.
(c) Anabil Goswami
No. 16: Apple Newton
Arguably ahead of its time, Apple debuted this
PDA device in 1993. Computerworld says it
flopped partially because of its high price
($700 or more), bulkiness and the ridicule it
received from talk show comedians and comic
strips like 'Doonesbury' which focused on the
supposed inaccuracy of the handwriting
recognition.
The Newton faded away in 1998, but chartered
the course for the Palm Pilot in the late 90's
and the popular BlackBerry & iPhone today
(c) Anabil Goswami
No. 15: DeLorean Car
Auto pioneer John DeLorean quit General
Motors in 1973 to start his own company. His
company's car was an unusual car featuring an
unpainted, stainless-steel exterior and gull-
wing doors. The car debuted in 1981, but when
the company failed less than two years later it
had produced less than 9,000 vehicles.
Despite horrific sales, the car gained a cult
following after the release of the 1985 movie
'Back to the Future' which featured the car as a
time-travel machine. Last year it was
announced that the car would be returning
with very limited production.
(c) Anabil Goswami
No. 14: Kellogg's Breakfast Mates
The idea behind Kellogg's Breakfast Mates was
fairly simple -- pack a box of cereal with milk
and a spoon, and you have a tasty meal on the
go! Hey, it worked for Lunchables, right?
Unfortunately, Kellogg's failed to take two
things into account. First of all, though the milk
included in the Cereal Mate did not require
refrigeration, no one likes the idea of warm
milk. And second, the ads showed parents
sleeping while children helped themselves to
Cereal Mates -- but the packaging was not
child-friendly. The confusion associated with
Breakfast Mates led to its ultimate failure.
(c) Anabil Goswami
No. 13: Pepsi A.M. and Crystal Pepsi
In the late 1980s, Pepsi came up with the
brilliant plan to cater to the breakfast cola
drinker, under the assumption that because
Pepsi contained caffeine, it must be a natural
substitute for coffee. Well, you know what they
say about assumptions -- but needless to say,
Pepsi AM was not successful, and neither was
Pepsi's later foray into clear cola, Crystal Pepsi.
Apparently, when it comes to cola, the
consumers know what they want -- they want
it brown, and they want to drink it all day long.
(c) Anabil Goswami
No. 12: Frito Lay Lemonade
Frito Lay Lemonade might seem like a good
idea: Eating salty corn chips makes you thirsty,
and lemonade can cure that thirst.
Unfortunately, when people think Fritos,
"thirst-quenching" is not an adjective that
comes to mind. Therefore, Frito Lay's "logical"
brand extension turned out to not be so logical
after all.
(c) Anabil Goswami
No. 11: Bottled Water for Pets
People tend to pamper their pets, so it's not
far-fetched to believe consumers might serve
bottled water to their cats and dogs. At least
that's what the makers of Thirsty Cat! and
Thirsty Dog! must have believed. But despite
the fact that the water came in such delicious
flavors as Crispy Beef and Tangy Fish, it never
seemed to catch on. Go figure.
(c) Anabil Goswami
No. 10: Bic Underwear
Bic has built its brand on the convenience of
disposable products. Disposable razors?
Disposable lighters? Convenient and
affordable. Disposable underwear? Just plain
weird. Other than the disposability factor,
consumers could not find a link between the
underwear and Bic's other products. With out
a unifying factor, people were just confused. In
addition, the idea of buying intimate attire
from a company that also produces pens
apparently does not appeal to most women.
(c) Anabil Goswami
No. 9: Corfam Fake Leather
In the 1960s, DuPont began to promote
Corfam, a synthetic leather substitute. The
company decided Corfam was best-suited to
being used in women's shoes, but they forgot
to take one thing into account -- comfort.
Unfortunately, Corfam did not have the
flexibility of leather, and while it may have
been a cheaper alternative, it was certainly not
a more comfortable alternative. In addition, as
a response to Corfam, leather manufacturers
began to lower prices and increase quality.
Thus, Corfam lost its appeal.
(c) Anabil Goswami
No. 8: Harley Davidson Perfume
Harley-Davidson fans are known as very loyal
customers. However, even the beloved
motorcycle brand can go too far. T-shirts and
cigarette lighters were one thing, but when the
company started to make aftershave and
perfume, fans were not impressed. As the
saying goes, less is more, and Harley-Davidson
had spread itself too thin. Or maybe people
just weren't too keen on the idea of smelling
like a motorcycle.
(c) Anabil Goswami
No. 7: Ben-Gay Aspirin
Ben-Gay cream is great for topically relieving
aches and pains. But the idea of swallowing
Ben-Gay? Not so appealing. That was the
problem the company faced when they tried to
launch an aspirin. Their first brand extension,
Ultra-Strength Ben-Gay, was essentially the
same product as the original and was very
successful. The aspirin? Not so much.
(c) Anabil Goswami
No. 6: Maxwell House
Ready-to-Drink Coffee
The way Maxwell House described its ready-to-
drink coffee sounded appealing enough -- it
was "a convenient new way to enjoy the rich
taste of Maxwell House Coffee." Just one
problem -- the coffee could not be microwaved
in its original container, virtually canceling out
any "convenience" it may have offered. If you
can pour the "ready-to-drink" coffee into a
mug and microwave it, you can certainly pour
yourself a mug of coffee from a coffeemaker.
And that's just what consumers continued to
do.
(c) Anabil Goswami
No. 5: RJ Reynolds'
Smokeless Cigarettes
In 1988, when even second-hand smoke was
deemed a serious health risk, the company
behind brands like Camel decided to launch
Premier, a line of smokeless cigarettes.
Reporter Magazine said that smoking the
Premier "produced a smell and a flavor that
left users retching." The taste, combined with
the rumor that the cigarette could be used as a
delivery device for crack cocaine, pretty much
guaranteed the product's failure.
(c) Anabil Goswami
No. 4: McDonald's Arch Deluxe
In an effort to class up the McDonald's brand,
the company created the Arch Deluxe, a
product marketed towards adults with more
sophisticated palates. Just one problem --
people don't go to McDonald's for
sophistication. McDonald's customers know
what they want, and what they want is a
classic and convenient burger. Needless to say,
when the Arch Deluxe debuted in 1996,
consumers weren't lovin' it.
(c) Anabil Goswami
No. 3: Sony Betamax
The Betamax video recorder hit stores in 1975.
A year later, Sony's rival released another video
recorder -- the VHS. By early 1977, four other
companies were selling VHS machines.
Meanwhile, Sony chose not to license Betamax
technology. Because the two formats were
incompatible, consumers had to choose
between the two. As Sony was the lone
Betamax producer, you can guess which system
they chose.
(c) Anabil Goswami
No. 2: Ford Edsel
The fact that the Edsel is known as
'The Titanic of Automobiles' speaks
volumes about the car's
performance. It was launched with
much hype in 1957, and showrooms
were packed with curious consumers
-- at first. Unfortunately the car did
not live up to the high expectations,
and only 64,000 were sold in the first
year. Perhaps it was the fact that the
design of the front grill was
compared to 'an oldsmobile sucking
a lemon,' and 'a toilet seat' that
turned off consumers.
(c) Anabil Goswami
No. 1: New Coke
In the 1970s and early 80s, Coke began to face
stiff competition from other soft drink
producers. To remain in the number one spot,
Coke executives decided to cease production
on the classic cola in favor of New Coke. The
public was outraged, and Coca-Cola was forced
to re-launch its original formula almost
immediately. Lesson learned -- don't mess with
success.
(c) Anabil Goswami
What is QFD ?
Do not bother to define.
Is it a process or a tool?
It is both!
In fact, it’s a trigger to change
your thought process
Should it be a business initiative
or functional initiative?
Ideally business, but can be functional
Final Goal
Satisfying Consumers / customer
expectation infact exceed consumer
expectations
Kano’s Model
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Customer Orientation
Requirements Engineer
Marketing Manager
? QFD
VOICE OF THE Akao: “A method for developing a
CUSTOMER design quality aimed at satisfying the
consumer and then translating the
+ QFD consumer’s demand into design
targets and major quality assurance
=
points to be used throughout the
CUSTOMER production phase.” [Akao, 1990].
SATISFACTION
32
To Be or Not to Bee
• A structured method for translating the
Voice of the Customer into design • A method to justify your own agenda
requirements • A method to build cool looking charts to
• A method to keep the organization focused impress the boss
on what is important to the customer • A way to get out of the office and hang
• A standard approach to present, around with your buddies
document, track and create consensus on • An exercise in futility, confusion, and
customer needs aggravation
• A technique to balance the ‘voice of the • A way to produce reports that are shelved
executives.’
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Deployment Through the Levels of Product
Development
House 1: House of Quality
• List the customer needs with importance.
• Develop the technical response with priority and relation
to the customer needs.
• Document customer competitive perception and
competitor technical comparison.
• Develop planning priorities for meeting customer needs.
• Identify technical correlations between substitute quality
characteristics.
House of Quality
QFD Matrix
QFD Matrix
Define & Prioritize Customer Needs & Wants
QFD Matrix
Analyze competitive opportunities
QFD Matrix
3
Plan a product to respond to Needs &Opportunities
QFD Matrix
Evaluate Product Characteristics with Competition
QFD Matrix
Establish relationship b/w needs & product characteristics
QFD Matrix
6
Establish trade-off b/w various characteristics
QFD Matrix
Establish product character Target Value
QFD Matrix
Difficulty & Importance
QFD Matrix
6
2
1
5
4
7
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T h a n k Yo u
