Successful Product Launch Research Articles

The Role of Globalization, Time Acceleration, and Virtual Global Teams in Fostering Successful Global Product Launches

The present article presents a conceptualization of how firms can respond to the issues of globalization and time‐based competition through the use of virtual global teams to foster successful global product launches. It is argued that by combining input, managerial, and transformation‐based competencies effectively, the firm can configure a repertoire of strategic choices (e.g., marketing plans throughout the product development process) based on the national competitive environment, while at the same time being mindful of the need to maintain consistency within the firm's intermediaries operations—both in product development and global product launch. It is further argued that the linkages between globalization and time‐based competition necessitate managerial adjustments in decision frameworks to incorporate accelerated timescapes to maximize effectiveness in global product launch. In an effort to capture the varying impact of time on global decision makers a timescapes perspective is employed, where timescapes are analogous to landscapes because they include the temporal features of socioeconomic events in a variety of socially constructed contexts inclusive of timeframe, tempo, degree of path dependency, synchronization of events, sequence, anticipation, and ubiquity. The recognition of timescapes accentuates the contextual complexity of competition and creates the interface among events, environments, and individuals beyond the traditional numeric concept of clock time, thus requiring modification of a manager's decision‐making perspective. Further, it is argued that due to the rapid pace of globalization, many multinationals in their global product launches require that products, services, technical support, and prices throughout the world need to be coordinated. To effectively accomplish this goal of coordination as an accommodation, firms and their networks can form global virtual teams (i.e., culturally diverse, geographically dispersed, electronically communicating work group of members, who think and act in concert with the diversity of the global environment and intermediary needs–expectations) to enhance global product launch success. Lastly, it is argued that the hypercompetitive global marketplace cannot be managed ex post due to the level of cognitive complexity but must be managed ex ante by developing strategies capable of maintaining flexibility. To accomplish the task of competing in a hypercompetitive landscape, management must understand and incorporate a timescape of events that integrates the various perspectives of those involved in the global product development and launch decision‐making processes. Without a well‐articulated perspective of social time, managers will limit their ability to effectively coordinate global product development and launch across markets, thus hindering the firm's ability to maximize returns.

An empirical analysis of the valley of death: Large‐scale R&D project performance in a Japanese diversified company

Summary The purpose of this study is to contribute reference material that provides insight into innovative process management that increases R&D output in commercializing new products. A model of a process from research to commercialization with the cumulative profit and loss curve is put forward and hypotheses related to success and failure are developed at the stages up to product launch. Seventeen large projects that have resulted in successful product launches have been examined from the initial research stage to commercialization. Project duration, standardized cumulative R&D expenditures and research resource concentration are analyzed in terms of statistical method and patterns in cumulative profit and loss curves after product sales, as well as the reasons for and other aspects of success/failure are investigated and analyzed. Consequently, valuable information on future management tasks has been obtained such as: (1) project duration differs depending on market sectors, product types and presence/absenceof materials research (2) cumulative profit and loss curves can be categorized into four patterns (3) reasons for failure can be divided into technological and market problem categories and (4) these factors have an impact on product sales.

The Launch of Bacardi Silver

In January 2002, Anheuser-Busch is preparing to launch Bacardi Silver, a new premium malt beverage. Marlene Coulis, director of New Products for Anheuser-Busch, must decide what steps she should take to ensure a successful product launch. In particular, she must decide how much money to invest in the launch.

전자장비 냉각을 위한 2상 순환형 써모사이폰 시스템의 성능에 대한 실험적 연구

Cooling the electronic equipment is one of the major focal points of the design process and the key to successful product launch. The two-phase loop thermosyphone which is a good candidate among many available options was investigated for cooling of the high power amplifiers. The system is composed of evaporator which contains 6 parallel cold plates. fan cooled condenser. gas-liquid separator. and interconnecting tubes. Experiments were performed for several refrigerant charging values. hs and as a experiment result, the optimum charging value for this system was proposed. In order to optimize the system design, the operating cycle pressure and inlet/outlet temperatures of evaporator and condenser are measured and analyzed. The effect of the three parameters such as flow rate and temperature of condenser cooling air. and thermal load on the evaporator are investigated. The lower the operating pressure and the cycle temperatures are also better to prevent the leakage of the system. The system invesigated in this paper can be directly used for cooling of a real unmanned wireless communication station.<br/>

On cell biology, proteomics and career decisions.

On cell biology, proteomics and career decisions.

When science rides the MTA.

Shortly after a large-scale clinical trial in 1955, the first inactivated polio vaccine was being injected into tens of millions of people around the world — possibly the most successful pharmaceutical product launch in history. Asked why he had not obtained a patent on the phenomenally successful vaccine, Jonas Salk reportedly replied, “That would be like patenting the sun.”

Signaling New Product Introductions: A Framework Explaining the Timing of Preannouncements

Preannouncements of new product introductions is a prevalent practice in high-technology industries. The timing of preannouncements is a central construct and may vary from a few days to 2 years. An empirical analysis based on a telephone survey of 217 senior marketing managers in computer hardware and software manufacturing firms showed that the timing of preannouncements is contingent on factors that are product related (purchase cycle length, learning requirements, and switching costs), design related (forecast horizon), and industry related (perceived competitive elasticity). The length of preannouncement is important and can significantly influence the chances of a successful product launch.

The Impact of Sales Management Changes on New Product Success

Although the role of the sales force and sales management mix can be significant in influencing successful new product launch, the impact of specific sales management programs and tactics has not been examined in detail. This study explores whether firms that introduce new products were more successful in achieving their objectives when the new product introduction was accompanied by associated changes in sales management mix variables. Firms that were more successful in achieving their new product objectives accompanied their new product launches with significantly more changes in sales force quotas than did firms whose achievement of new product objectives was less successful. However, no significant differences in the number of changes in sales force structure, training, or sales support were found between firms with more successful versus less successful new products.

Learning from experience in positioning new computer products

The correct positioning of new computer products has become crucially important as markets saturate and competition intensifies. The logistic function can provide an aid to product positioning. The method presented her addresses questions of price and performance only, and involves determination of learning curves from data on past successful product launches. It assumes that companies learn like individuals and that variables such as performance/price grow according to logistic curves limited by the basic technologies at hand. Digital's experience shows that its VAX family of computers is amenable to such an analysis, which also provides insights on the overall evolution of that technology. Besides offering guidelines for product positioning, this approach provides a means for estimating price drops and/or performance enhancements necessitated from delays in product delivery.

Success and Failure in Marketing Innovation: Videotape vs Laservision

The area of innovation and new product development is both one of the most important and one of the most uncertain in management decision making. What looked like good ideas on the drawing board often fail in the marketplace for seemingly arbitrary reasons, or simply due to bad luck. Many innovations fail because the relationship between the innovation and the consumer is ignored in the quest for state‐of‐the‐art technology. While innovation will always remain a risky undertaking, the application of consumer behaviour models, such as that proposed by E.M. Rogers, can increase the proportion of successful product launches.

Marketing Hype: A New Perspective for New Product Research and Introduction

Marketing research procedures typically used to support new product development activities often emphasize the collection of data from potential customers, even when the product success depends on the decisions of a number of key stakeholders such as distributors, media, etc. Consequently, most conventional product introduction efforts focus on a target customer segment and ignore the needs of other stakeholders. These narrowly concentrated research efforts can lead to unfounded expectations regarding the product performance. Similarly, the lopsided focus on consumers can lead to reduced marketing effectiveness. Jerry Wind and Vijay Mahajan argue for the recognition of the process of “marketing hype,” a set of prelaunch activities leading to the creation of a supportive market environment. This can lead to the creation of broader strategies that focus on the key stakeholders as subjects for new product research, and targets for the introductory marketing programs. This could lead to a richer understanding of the intergroup influences on the adoption of the new product and increase the chances of a successful new product launch.

Project NewProd: Factors in New Product Success

Bases itself on the findings of Project NewProd — which was an investigation of almost 200 new product cases to probe what separates winners from losers. Presents results from the managerial perspective, showing how selection of new products and particularly that of potential 'winners' is undertaken. Outlines key factors that underlie new projects and the influence of these on product success. Examines merits of emphasizing certain new product activities, using information that helps to launch, with impact, product launch success. States that product development is critical to the firm strategically, beside its cost. Documents that of every 58 product ideas that enter the process just two reach commercialisation stage, and only one is a success. Proclaims that new product failure rates are estimated at between 30 and 60 per cent and of 100 products developed 21.9% are killed prior to launch, 18.7% are commercial failures and 59.4% are successful. Investigates and explores the reasons for failures and successes in great detail with use of figures and tables for further explanation. Concludes that Project NewProd has identified specific properties and dimensions differentiating industrial new product success and failure.