History of one name, or positioning of a product on a new platform
MaCleaner is a utility for cleaning Mac computers that is already familiar to our readers. The promotion of this product on the market of wines for Mac was fraught with many difficulties - from the very beginning we knew that we were not the pioneers in the industry, that we would have to bypass strong competitors. However, the experience gained during the resolution of this case encouraged us to take a more serious approach to strategic planning, to really evaluate the obstacles and risks.
So, the work on market analysis yielded results: the 3rd and 4th versions of MaCleaner attracted many times more user interest than early iterations. But profit exists in order to maximize it, and, inspired by the success of the last months, we decided that it was time to take the next step. Since Mac users are now covered as much as possible, it is time to explore new markets. Which ones? First of all, Windows comes to mind, of course. Despite the fact that Mac devices are gaining popularity in recent years, Windows still holds a leading position among operating systems by a wide margin.
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The diagram speaks for itself: to such a wide audience it’s a sin to at least not try to break through.
To succeed in the Mac market, we used one of the most popular strategies - product differentiation strategy, which is actually to identify and meet the expectations of those dissatisfied with existing goods and services of customers due to external competitive advantage based on the company's marketing know-how. About how this happened in stages, it was mentioned in the previous article about the product, in particular, and that insufficiently careful study of the analytical component spoiled our debut somewhat. Therefore, before choosing one or another promotion strategy, we closely studied the new niche.
First, a little about market conditions. What is the situation with software on Windows in general and in particular with switches? Judging by our analysis, it is very disappointing for new players.
To begin with, the market of wedges for this OS is currently oversaturated. Detailed consideration of the functionality of the leading products on the market has shown that adhering to the differentiation strategy is more difficult here: everything that lies on the surface is already implemented in most successful products. The specificity of the platform itself aggravates the situation - in Windows, the clients have to bypass more restrictions than on Apple devices, which forces the developer to narrow and adjust the functionality.
Nevertheless, we have prepared several ideas, which in the future should significantly strengthen our project and bring it to the same level as the Mac counterpart. In particular:
And finally, the most ambitious of our ideas is a cross-platform web version that automatically detects the platform and cleans up with minimal user participation and no need to install software. But all this is in the long-term plans. And at the moment we are in the first stages of introducing our concept, adapting to the new platform and in the first version we can offer the audience only a fairly standard set of functions.
Thus, between the functionality that we plan to implement in the near future, and the fact that we have now, there is a clear gap. The question arises: how to bring these two products, ready and hypothetical, together, thinking about the positioning of the product?
If you answer this question briefly: in the short term - no way. Let's turn to the theory. In a saturated market situation, price differentiation is possible in two mutually exclusive ways:
a) dumping;
b) raise the price, based on the premium and the quality of the product.
Considering that the average Windows user spends less on software than the average Mac user, the first option, of course, looks somewhat seductive. By positioning our product as a budget solution with a compact set of basic necessities, we could avoid risks and earn something, and later, as the functionality is enriched, set the stage for radical rebranding.
At the same time, it would be unprofitable and unhappy for us to choose such a strategy: the labor costs for this project today are such that the application simply would not pay for itself if we gave it at a price lower than the market price. Having thought over everything thoroughly, we decided, in the end, to choose the opposite price policy and thereby classify ourselves as premium products.
Of course, this also implied appropriate positioning - a vague position from the point of view of the consumer could ruin our marketing strategy. But it turned out a bit awkward: after all, most of the unique features that would give the product a touch of premium, we can only promise users in advance today. Of course, we intend as quickly as possible to bring the product to the bar we are exhibiting, but how can we not discourage users from a mismatch from the very beginning? Fortunately, the decision turned out to be obvious - his predecessor from Mac came to the rescue of the Windows cleaner.
For the audience to believe the promises, they must come from someone who has already established himself as a successful player. In other words, we needed to make the most of the accumulated brand reputation. So, the product on Windows should cause direct associations with its counterpart on Mac - especially since the functionality they have in theory will be almost the same. Well, the easiest and most straightforward way to establish a connection between two projects is, of course, matching names.
When we released the product on MacStore, we used the name MaCleaner, as an abbreviation for the heavier Machine Advanced Cleaner. For this market, a similar reference to the device could not be more appropriate, even if it was necessary to have a little discussion with the moderators, arguing that it does not violate the rules.
For the version on Windows, of course, we could go back to the original Machine Advanced Cleaner - this would eliminate confusion with the platform, but at the same time, would reduce the brand awareness. Ultimately, after weighing all the pros and cons, we decided to keep the name unchanged. The need for credit user confidence at first brings positive associations to the fore, leaving the other criteria for effective choice of names far behind.
Summing up, we must admit that this case is the first time that we had to build a brand policy in this way. If we look at the state of affairs today, apart from the prospects, we should be content with the follower strategy (or late arrivals strategy). However, this was so much at odds with the planned update schedule and growth prospects that we took a different path. Now the product has to urgently grow to the level that the name and price give it, but this is a good incentive. One can only hope that the chosen strategy will justify itself, and MaCleaner for Windows in the coming year will join the list of products that ensure our company a good reputation.
So, the work on market analysis yielded results: the 3rd and 4th versions of MaCleaner attracted many times more user interest than early iterations. But profit exists in order to maximize it, and, inspired by the success of the last months, we decided that it was time to take the next step. Since Mac users are now covered as much as possible, it is time to explore new markets. Which ones? First of all, Windows comes to mind, of course. Despite the fact that Mac devices are gaining popularity in recent years, Windows still holds a leading position among operating systems by a wide margin.
')
The diagram speaks for itself: to such a wide audience it’s a sin to at least not try to break through.
To succeed in the Mac market, we used one of the most popular strategies - product differentiation strategy, which is actually to identify and meet the expectations of those dissatisfied with existing goods and services of customers due to external competitive advantage based on the company's marketing know-how. About how this happened in stages, it was mentioned in the previous article about the product, in particular, and that insufficiently careful study of the analytical component spoiled our debut somewhat. Therefore, before choosing one or another promotion strategy, we closely studied the new niche.
Market situation
First, a little about market conditions. What is the situation with software on Windows in general and in particular with switches? Judging by our analysis, it is very disappointing for new players.
To begin with, the market of wedges for this OS is currently oversaturated. Detailed consideration of the functionality of the leading products on the market has shown that adhering to the differentiation strategy is more difficult here: everything that lies on the surface is already implemented in most successful products. The specificity of the platform itself aggravates the situation - in Windows, the clients have to bypass more restrictions than on Apple devices, which forces the developer to narrow and adjust the functionality.
Nevertheless, we have prepared several ideas, which in the future should significantly strengthen our project and bring it to the same level as the Mac counterpart. In particular:
- cleaning cache and logs;
- delete browser history;
- elimination of system garbage;
- cleaning the Downloads folder;
- filtering large files;
- search installation files;
- uninstall extensions;
- mail client cleaning;
- deletion of private data;
- duplicate search;
- system status monitoring.
And finally, the most ambitious of our ideas is a cross-platform web version that automatically detects the platform and cleans up with minimal user participation and no need to install software. But all this is in the long-term plans. And at the moment we are in the first stages of introducing our concept, adapting to the new platform and in the first version we can offer the audience only a fairly standard set of functions.
Thus, between the functionality that we plan to implement in the near future, and the fact that we have now, there is a clear gap. The question arises: how to bring these two products, ready and hypothetical, together, thinking about the positioning of the product?
Pricing and positioning
If you answer this question briefly: in the short term - no way. Let's turn to the theory. In a saturated market situation, price differentiation is possible in two mutually exclusive ways:
a) dumping;
b) raise the price, based on the premium and the quality of the product.
Considering that the average Windows user spends less on software than the average Mac user, the first option, of course, looks somewhat seductive. By positioning our product as a budget solution with a compact set of basic necessities, we could avoid risks and earn something, and later, as the functionality is enriched, set the stage for radical rebranding.
At the same time, it would be unprofitable and unhappy for us to choose such a strategy: the labor costs for this project today are such that the application simply would not pay for itself if we gave it at a price lower than the market price. Having thought over everything thoroughly, we decided, in the end, to choose the opposite price policy and thereby classify ourselves as premium products.
Of course, this also implied appropriate positioning - a vague position from the point of view of the consumer could ruin our marketing strategy. But it turned out a bit awkward: after all, most of the unique features that would give the product a touch of premium, we can only promise users in advance today. Of course, we intend as quickly as possible to bring the product to the bar we are exhibiting, but how can we not discourage users from a mismatch from the very beginning? Fortunately, the decision turned out to be obvious - his predecessor from Mac came to the rescue of the Windows cleaner.
Branding and name
For the audience to believe the promises, they must come from someone who has already established himself as a successful player. In other words, we needed to make the most of the accumulated brand reputation. So, the product on Windows should cause direct associations with its counterpart on Mac - especially since the functionality they have in theory will be almost the same. Well, the easiest and most straightforward way to establish a connection between two projects is, of course, matching names.
When we released the product on MacStore, we used the name MaCleaner, as an abbreviation for the heavier Machine Advanced Cleaner. For this market, a similar reference to the device could not be more appropriate, even if it was necessary to have a little discussion with the moderators, arguing that it does not violate the rules.
For the version on Windows, of course, we could go back to the original Machine Advanced Cleaner - this would eliminate confusion with the platform, but at the same time, would reduce the brand awareness. Ultimately, after weighing all the pros and cons, we decided to keep the name unchanged. The need for credit user confidence at first brings positive associations to the fore, leaving the other criteria for effective choice of names far behind.
Summing up, we must admit that this case is the first time that we had to build a brand policy in this way. If we look at the state of affairs today, apart from the prospects, we should be content with the follower strategy (or late arrivals strategy). However, this was so much at odds with the planned update schedule and growth prospects that we took a different path. Now the product has to urgently grow to the level that the name and price give it, but this is a good incentive. One can only hope that the chosen strategy will justify itself, and MaCleaner for Windows in the coming year will join the list of products that ensure our company a good reputation.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/317934/
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