Marketing 360 Reviews: Innovators & The SmartWatch
April 29, 2015
As mobile phone integrated watches such as the Apple Watch are rolled out, marketers have a chance to watch innovative adopters in action.
Every once in awhile, it’s possible to see a theory at work in real life.
If you’ve ever developed and tried to market a new product, you’re familiar with the production adoption cycle. It purports that new products are adopted at different rates in ranges from early innovators, to majority, to laggards.
Innovators like to be ahead of the average consumer. They’re willing to take a risk on a new product in a way that creates the perception that they’re ahead of the trends. They take advantage of the benefits of a new product before others, establishing behaviors later adopted by the majority.
As the cycle move towards late majority, people are motivated to buy the product because it’s connected to perceived behavioral norms.
However, if early adopters don’t connect with the benefits of the product, it can fizzle.
SmartWatches
As of this writing in Spring 2015, marketers have a special opportunity to watch the product adoption cycle in action.
Apple and Samsung are both heavily marketing internet enabled watches as a new way to view content and receive updates – without having to take out your smartphone.
At this point, marketing will target innovators. They’re looking to establish a trend that you can be “always connected” without having to continuously (and intrusively) pull out your phone.
For marketers who want to observe consumer behavior, this product adoption is particularly valuable:
First, you have the ubiquity of smartphones themselves. The addition of the smartwatch represents an enormous target audience. As these products are taken to market, everyone will consider if it’s right for them.
Second, you have high physical visibility of the product itself. A device worn on the wrist is immediately noticeable, particularly since it’s interactive.
As people appear with smartwatches, you have an excellent chance to identify innovative consumers. It will be interesting to note:
Style – What is the perception of people wearing these watches? Are they setting a trend towards a desired appearance or seen as gadget happy “nerds” too involved with technology?
Behavior – Will conversational interruptions to text or gazing into phones while eating out become social faux pas? Will constantly checking your watch be even more intrusive?
Functionality – What are the benefits innovators love that turn them into product advocates and lead to majority acceptance? How will Apple and Samsung adjust their marketing to the most popular features of smartwatches?
If the impact of style, behavior, and functionality are positive, by Spring of 2016, will we have reached the point of early majority acceptance. By 2017, the wristwatch will have returned, strapped to majority of wrists with only laggards bucking adoption.
We’ll return with updates as smartwatch marketing gains momentum. In the meantime, keep an eye on people’s wrists.