PLASTIC OR SILICONE

Imagine the qualities and benefits of a new electronic device that was manufactured using semiconductors made out of plastic instead of silicone. The ability of this device to store and display hundreds of pages of newspapers, books, and documents makes this electronic reader a very useful tool and a great innovation.

The e-reader was introduced back in September. The use of this product will provide publishers and newspaper companies with an exceptional gadget. They can determine who is reading their paper, and even which articles are being read. Advertisers would be able to recognize their viewers and direct advertising to its most profitable customers. The reader will simplify the customer segmentation process tremendously by identifying profitable customers based on how many times they have utilized the electronic reader. They can conduct surveys and determine demographic, lifestyle, geographic, and life cycle stages of their most profitable customers. They can define and deliver tailored value propositions to those customer segments and obtain feedback from segments of the market on how to improve product functionality, appearance, quality, service, and support. This electronic reader is thinner than a typical pad of notebook paper, measures 8.5 inches by 11 inches and has a lightweight flexible plastic screen that imitates the looks of a newspaper. The manufacturer expects to create a new screen within the next couple of years that would allow users to write on it and view videos. This is a perfect example of product innovation that creates value to both business and consumers. The ability of this device to continually update via a wireless link, store and display hundreds of pages of newspapers, books and documents, creates tremendous value for consumers.

With the implementation of this new device, businesses such as newspaper companies will experience large savings in printing and delivering, which may lead to greater profitability. Marketing exchanges will increase between e-newspaper manufacturers and newspaper companies making them better off, create more capital, which can ultimately be reinvested in research and development leading to new product innovations. It’s what we see in sci-fi movies where everybody has a digital reader in their hands.

This innovation has created interest because of successful product development and brand management. The company focused on the benefits of their product in comparison to the competition by using the quality function deployment process.  The consumer benefits include crisp images with a lightweight mechanism along with the engineering capabilities to store and retrieve massive amounts of information. The value added to the e-reader thrusts it into a previously selective consideration set. Introducing the product in a tradeshow allowed the company to debut its new e-reader to many people simultaneously. Those who attend electronic tradeshows are looking for trendy innovations and are not as hesitant to purchase a product with a $350 price tag. In addition, consumer feedback received on the e-reader prototype can quickly be assimilated into the manufacturing process. Once perfected, the final product will include additional benefits and upgrades.  Creating a buzz about the product at the DEMO conference, a tradeshow, is a great marketing strategy for introducing a new brand into the market .The capabilities of an e-reader are just recently being enjoyed by the innovators and early adaptors of the consumer database. The concept of an e-reader is not new, but analyzing the need to diversify into other profitable segments pushed PlasticLogic to create a product that is compact and adaptable to various consumer situations while being priced competitively. Broadening its manufacturing process internationally with the construction of a factory in Germany lowers the cost of production while expanding its brand interest and consumer base. Setting a price that is competitive enables the consumer to base their decision making process on added value rather than price.
While product innovation is essential, we can never underestimate the importance of a good and effective marketing plan. PlasticLogic has definitely done that.