Backlash: How Early Adopters React When the Mass Market Embraces a New Brand
Episode Description
A well-established principle of product development holds that a small group of early adopters can spur mass-market acceptance of a new product. What is less well understood is how those early adopters react when that product or its brand is accepted by the mass market. As Wharton marketing professors David Reibstein and John Zhang explain in this video, the company could experience a backlash as early adopters move on to other new products. A case in point: Porsche saw a decline in sports car sales after it entered the SUV mass market. Research by Reibstein and Zhang discusses reasons for the backlash and suggests a strategy for dealing with it. đź“‚ Marketing
Brief Summary
Wharton professors discuss how mass market adoption impacts early adopters and strategies for managing backlash during product introductions.
Key points
- The Backlash Effect. Exploring how mass market influences early adopters, revealing potential negative impacts.
- Porsche's SUV Dilemma. Porsche's shift to SUVs sparked controversy and impacted their brand reputation.
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Episode highlights
- The Backlash EffectExploring how mass market influences early adopters, revealing potential negative impacts.“It's not surprising in a lot of image-oriented products.”0:56Mar 18, 2009
- Porsche's SUV DilemmaPorsche's shift to SUVs sparked controversy and impacted their brand reputation.“How could Porsche possibly be doing this and destroying the brand?”2:39Mar 18, 2009
