Product Marketing: No Message = No Context

Failing to find the words to easily define your product might mean your product is incomplete.

Over this holiday weekend I came across a new feature on TechCrunch called ‘Death/Star’. Death Star is a product review show hosted by Erik Schonfeld and John Biggs who offer quick thumbs up (star) or down (death) over the latest in the tech world. The take way for me was not necessarily the reviews themselves, but a reminder of the fragility of product / service positioning

Death/Star is a perfect example of why message matters. This first installment offered up three products. Instagram, Boxee Box, and the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Here’s a summary of each ( you can watch them in their entirety here)

Samsung Galaxy Tab: “An Android Tablet that is sort of like a big phone that you can hit with a hammer” Then a discussion of a bunch of the Tab’s features.

Instagram: “Take horrible photos and improve them slightly” Then a discussion of a bunch of Instagram’s features.

Boxee Box: “A way to get internet web video onto your TV. . . and Netflix and Vudu will be on there” Then a discussion about a bunch of Boxee’s features.

This is why message matters. TechCrunch is, for those of you who might not read the blog with regularity, perhaps the most coveted online media outlet for technology professionals in the U.S. Having their tech journalists cover your product or tech related service brings with it instant credibility. But is it enough simply to be covered? Let’s consider the results above. Each, in my opinion, missed out on an incredible opportunity to discretely define the value of their products in plain language. Think about it. How quickly will you rush out to buy an android tablet that is sort of like a big phone, an application that helps you slightly improve horrible photos, or a box that lets you watch internet video on your television.

There is no clearly defined, easy to remember, rooted in market targeted truth that John and Erik have come to understand about these products prior to getting their hands on them. What this does is magnify the position of the review from the perspective that the reviewers are bringing to the table, rather than the perspective that the company should have sought to define and establish.

Not that the companies making these products haven’t tried. A quick look at their website will tell you that Instagram is ‘fast beautiful photo sharing’ for your iPhone; Boxee is ‘the one box your TV needs’; and the Samsung Galaxy Tab is ‘a 7 inch touch screen’. . . well OK two of the three have tried. Samsung is clearly NOT trying at all, but the other two have made an effort to kind of state what their product is all about. Neither, however, seem ‘remarkable’. Nor does it appear that these statements have served as the foundational element of every single internal and external piece of product oriented communication.

Compare this with the messaging mastery of Apple. The iPad is ‘A magical and revolutionary product at an unbelievable price’. And you know what? That is exactly what it is. Revolutionary – the market is following its lead (e.g. Samsung Galaxy Tab). Unbelievably priced – just hit any trade show and see what the main give away of choice is these days. Apple not only invests a significant amount of effort in design, but places just as much importance over how they position and communicate the value of their products to the market.

For a more visceral juxtaposition take a look at two CEOs discussing newly released products. The first is Boxee’s CEO Avner Ronen shortly after the initial launch of Boxee Box. The second is Steve Jobs unveiling the iPad. Pay particular attention to Jobs at the one minute mark versus Ronen at about 30 seconds.

Jobs: “What this device does is extraordinary. . . it is the best browsing experience you’ve ever had. . .holding the internet in your hands”

Ronen: “It is a box that will cost less than $200 dollars and you connect to your TV with an HDMI cable. . . ”

The point is this. If you have not invested as much time working to easily and remarkably define your product or service, then you have missed a significant development step. Failing to do so results in having the market define your offering for you. Now to be fair, would better messaging have changed the review for these three products? Probably not. But better messaging might have changed the very context of the review itself, allowing the marketplace to evaluate the feedback given from the appropriate perspective.

It is always tempting to put off the painstaking exercise of clearly, and concisely identifying the words that you want surrounding your product. Some would argue that the ability to do so is more indicative of a company’s culture than anything else.

What has been your experience? How have you integrated messaging into the natural development of product? What are some examples you’ve come across that have been fantastic or have missed the mark? Why not share those examples in the comments?

Post Script: Success seems to follow those who have created opportunity with not only sound operational execution but a well formed, clear and easy to understand message. Another example would be the companies that delivered keynotes at Philly Startup Leaders’ Founder Factory two weeks ago. The most successful of which, Nat Turner of Invite media, hammered home the importance of clear communication by sharing the fact that early on in the life of Invite he and his co-founders spent not hours in front of a white board trying to clearly articulate the value of Invite but days.