Who Owns Strategy? We All Do.
A couple weeks back, I was teaching a course at Santa Clara University for their high tech marketing program, when a bright young product manager asked me a question. In a room filled with engineers and a handful of…
See Rubicon at SoftLetter's Marketing and Selling SaaS Seminar
October 23, 2008 - 10:00 AM
, San Mateo, CA
Warning: Don't adopt the software services model in increments
Like an oyster, software as a service business models are best consumed in one gulp rather than nibbled over time.
The Apple iPhone: Successes and Challenges for the Mobile Industry
The Apple iPhone is easily the most publicized new mobile device in recent memory. But despite all the discussion about the product, there’s relatively little hard information available to the public on its impact. How is it being used? What effect is it having on customers and on the technology industry?
To help answer those questions, Rubicon Consulting conducted a detailed survey of 460 randomly-selected iPhone users in the US. This report summarizes the findings from the survey, and what they mean for users and other companies.
As Seen In…
bMighty
Strategy Matters: 5 Reasons Why Strategy Fails
July 2, 2008
by Nilofer Merchant
Following best practices can help drive a successful business strategy, but understanding what the “worst” practices are is just as important. Here are five reasons strategy fails in small businesses, in midsize businesses, and in large enterprises
I’ve watched strategy being developed within companies like Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, and Nokia. I’ve seen strategy created by individuals. I’ve seen the big suits of Bain and McKinsey at work. I’ve seen it done well, and occasionally I’ve seen it done poorly. Having read more than 100 books that define the best thinking on strategy, I’ve noticed that following the existing methods often doesn’t yield success.
The original publication can be found at this link.
Tags: Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, Bain, McKinsey, Nilofer, Nokia, Rubicon, strategy
Practice: Define
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9 to 5 Mac - Apple Intelligence
Motorola Massacre: iPhone Slices RAZR
June 30, 2008
by Andy Space
Apple’s iPhone is already snapping at the heels of Research In Motion and trouncing Palm, but spare a thought for another victim of the invasion — former partner, Motorola.
Motorola’s handset sales are suffering now in the PiP (Post—iPhone) world. A survey by Rubicon Consulting reveals 14 per cent made the switch from Windows Mobile; 13 per cent from Blackberry, 7 per cent ran from Palm - but almost a quarter, 24 per cent, of those surveyed were previously owners of a Motorola Razr.
The original publication can be found at this link.
Tags: Apple, iPhone, Motorola, Palm, Razr, Rubicon Consulting
Practice: Deliver
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SandHill
Warning: Don’t Adopt SaaS in Increments
June 27, 2008
by Michael Mace
Like an oyster, software as a service business models are best consumed in one gulp rather than nibbled over time.
We’re seeing more and more clients struggling to integrate online services with their existing software businesses. Most are trying to integrate part of the services model with their current operations. For example, they’ll try to create an on-demand product using traditional engineering practices; or they’ll try to sell services through the same channels as shrink-wrapped software. The companies that do this are experiencing…
The original publication can be found at this link.
Tags: Mike Mace, Rubicon, SaaS
Practice: Optimize
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bMighty
Strategy Matters: 9 Ways to Develop Team Motivation
June 19, 2008
by Nilofer Merchant
When the ancient Greeks invaded, they burned their ships so there was no choice but to move forward. By “burning the boat” on your next initiative, you can motivate your employees to contribute to the objective and help your business succeeed.
When we work with teams, we often find that members agree in principle, yet may not support the direction of the company.
How often has this type of scenario unfolded at your smaller business: The company decides to move sales (or marketing, or finance, or any other unit) in a new direction. An announcement goes out, a meeting is held, heads nod in agreement. Then day two merges into week two and that soon becomes month two. Somewhere in there you realize that no one is supporting the new direction. And there’s no talk about it — life goes on just as it did before. It’s as if all the planning, meeting, and strategizing never happened.
The original publication can be found at this link.
Tags: burn the boat, destination, make the move necessary, strategy, Thucydides
Practice: Define
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Chief Marketer
Is the iPhone Already Losing Ground?
June 17, 2008
by Rick Ferguson
A March 2008 Rubicon survey of 460 users revealed that 47% of iPhone buyers switched to AT&T from another carrier, and 35% of those switchers paid an early contract termination fee. Rubicon estimates that AT&T has enjoyed a revenue boost of roughly $2 billion from a combination of those switchers and existing AT&T customers upgrading their accounts.
In eight months, AT&T and Apple captured 28% of the smart phone market. They even expanded that market, with 50% of the users surveyed upgrading from other smart phones and 10% choosing the iPhone as their first smart phone.
The original publication can be found at this link.
Tags: Apple, iPhone User Survey, RIMM, Rubicon Consulting, smartphones
Practice: Deliver
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PBS
MediaShift: Spain’s National Obsession With Mobiles, Texting
June 13, 2008
by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo
I asked tech consultant and blogger Michael Mace, who wrote a very detailed and enlightening blog post about the differing mobile cultures, why he thought the use of SMS in Europe evolved the way it did.
“Fixed-line phones were hard to get in Europe and expensive, so mobile phone usage took off there much more aggressively than it did in the U.S.” he said. “Prices for texting in Europe were lower than prices for phone calls, so people had an economic incentive to text. In the U.S., mobile service was not as reliable as in Europe, fixed-line phones were cheap, many more people had PCs, and IM was completely free. So texting never became the big force here that it is in Europe (and in much of Asia).”
The original publication can be found at this link.
Tags: cell phones, MediaShift, Mike Mace, Rubicon Consulting, Spain
Practice: Deliver
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bMighty
Strategy Matters: Smaller Businesses Move Quickly to Strategic Alignment
June 11, 2008
by Nilofer Merchant
Even seasoned business leaders struggle to put strategy into action, focusing on the “what” at the expense of the “how.” Because smaller businesses have more visibility into the interdependencies, conflicts, resources, and deliverables that often hobble larger organizations, they can move more nimbly to put strategy into action.
Executives at the helm of companies from small firms to large enterprises spend much of their time thinking about how to drive growth. But putting those thoughts into action can challenge even the most seasoned leader. Often executives focus on the “what” of strategy at the expense of the “how” — neglecting the “how” makes success a long shot.
The original publication can be found at this link.
Tags: alignment, eliminate conflicts and redundancies, enterprise, essence of strategic alignment, interdependencies, strategy
Practice: Deliver
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MSNBC
Smartphones are Heeding the Call of Consumers
June 10, 2008
by Suzanne Choney, MSNBC
Research done by Rubicon Consulting of 460 iPhone users found that about half of them said they had a “conventional” cell phone before moving to an iPhone. Another 40 percent said they bought the iPhone to replace their previous smartphone.
The remaining 10 percent “didn’t replace anything, meaning either that the iPhone is their first phone, or that they carry it in addition to a second phone,” the Rubicon study said.
The original publication can be found at this link.
Tags: Apple, Blackberry, iPhone, RIM, smartphones
Practice: Deliver
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TelecomAsia.net
Mobile form triumphs over function
June 9, 2008
By Matt Lewis/Arc Chart
If there was any doubt, a recent set of metrics from two market research firms show that consumers are placing emphasis on the aesthetics of their mobile phones and are increasingly prepared to pay a premium for it.
According to a survey conducted by J.D. Power and Associates of almost 20,000 mobile phone owners in the US, the average price paid for a handset has increased by US$9 over the past six months, to a record high of US$101.
In another study by Rubicon Consulting, the firm asked….
The original publication can be found at this link.
Tags: Apple, iPhone, J.D. Power, RAZR, Rubicon Consulting
Practice: Deliver
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MSNBC
An iPhone for the Masses
June 9, 2008
By Suzanne Choney, MSNBC
“Considering the number of people who are switching from other carriers in order to get the iPhone, that’s a subsidy well worth it for AT&T,” said Michael Mace of Rubicon Consulting.
AT&T iPhone plans start at $59 a month. Rubicon Consulting surveyed 460 iPhone users earlier this year, and found that they are spending an average of $90 a month for their phone service, he said. “That’s $1,000 a year per customer that they’re getting.”
Mace thinks that iPhone pricing might drop even further in the fall, down to around $100.
“A lot of users are very price-sensitive, and getting down to a more affordable price is absolutely critical,” he said. “The iPhone, even at the new prices, is still more expensive than a lot of the smartphones out there. A lot of them are $99.”
The original publication can be found at this link.
Tags: Apple, iPhone, Mike Mace, Rubicon Consulting, smartphones
Practice: Deliver
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