Archetype 3: The Genius
The third product archetype is the product with a new approach. Genius products rethink the world and solve a problem in a new way. You buy a Genius and think, “I can’t believe no one thought of that before.”
Example of Genius products and services:
- iPod
- George Foreman Grill
- Walkman
- Swiffer
- Amazon
- Trader Joe’s
None of these products invented anything, but instead re-worked and re-presented existing technologies in new ways. That’s not to say that, for example, the iPod doesn’t use materials or interface technologies in revolutionary ways. But the use of non-standard materials and technology support the underlying story.
A Genius product often requires the company that made it to think about its business and the market differently, which may give it some interesting protection: to make a competitive product, other companies may have to think as differently. The iPod’s competitors have all failed to understand how Apple thinks, so competitors to the iPod merely add features or pretty design, without offering a more compelling story. On the other hand, the Swiffer had competition immediately, so Genius thinking is not an advantage in itself.
Genius products rely heavily on being able to convince the public that a new, possibly offbeat approach to a problem is the right answer. If a company can win over the market, Genius products can redefine the entire approach to the consumer. But that’s a big if, and it relies on timing and marketing stamina: as with Hero products, the company has to believe if the market is to believe.
[...] had an interesting discussion with a friend about the Genius model of a product. The Genius, you’ll recall, is a product that thinks about a problem in a new way. The Swiffer, the iPod, Trader Joe’s - [...]