Dear Google, Why Not be Different?
I began reading the book Different by Youngme Moon, a distinguished professor of business at Harvard Business School. I must admit, this is definitely not a book I’m going to finish as quickly as I did If You Have to Cry…; However, despite its slight textbook quality (sometimes I feel like I’m back in communication theory class from my junior year), I’m really enjoying it and feeling smarter by the page. I’m not even half way through and its already gotten me thinking so much differently about why brands do what they do: follow the competitive herd.
I just came across a New York Times article on Alltop titled “Google Android Tablet Imminent.” When I saw this, I instantly thought of Moon’s critique of the competitive herd. To put it as simply as I can, Moon explains that when there are several brands, and one or more brands has a weakness, those brands work at improving their weaknesses in order to compete and stay in the market. Makes sense, right? Well try thinking of it this way: What if one of the weaker brands set its concerns about its weakness aside and focused on further distinguishing its greatest strength?
Well, the answer to that is a bit complicated. One part includes the fear of that strategy failing, and the other is that as human nature, ignoring our weaknesses is very difficult to do. When we are told of or recognize our weaknesses, we can’t help but try improve them up to par with our strengths, or the strengths of our competition, even if that means consequently letting our strengths suffer or discontinue to strengthen. Now, to tie this all into the article about Google…..
Photo via Flickr Creative Commons. Steve Rhodes.
Google is following the competitive herd (Apple and the iPad). It has recognized its weakness (i.e. doesn’t have an iPad-like gadget) and is tackling that weakness head-on to compete in the market.
Now, I do have to give some credit to Google for being a little different. The article describes Google’s tablet as something that could be the “perfect opposite of Apple’s.” Well, at least these two products will have their differences, but Google is still following the competitive herd, nonetheless. I mean, why wouldn’t they? It’s just how things are done in corporate America. Consumers would be upset and confused if it didn’t. We want variation– it’s what were accustomed to and anything out of the ordinary is, well, scary.
However, I still can’t help but wonder what sort of precedent Google could make. What if Google refused to follow the competitive herd and said something like: “No, we will not be like Google and make a tablet. That’ll be their thing. We’ll do something different. We’ll make our existing products even better.” What would be the result? I have no clue because for one, I still have more than half of Different to finish reading, and two, I can’t think of any brand that has ever done something like that before. At least none I can think of right now…
So, what are your thoughts on the competitive herd. Is your marketplace ready for some changes? Are those changes possible?
