Design for “Crossing the Chasm” — Strategy & Examples
In the 1990s, a new product category called PDA gained traction among corporate executives. Seeing the demand, several brands like Apple Computer, Motorola, Compaq, Microsoft, and IBM launched their PDAs. However, they struggled to crack the market and vanished after some time. When devices from bigger companies faltered so badly, experts began to wonder whether handheld PDAs could ever be a viable mass-market product. However, one brand came and showed how to succeed in the PDA market. It was Palm Pilot. By 1999, within three years of its launch, Palm controlled 70% of the PDA market, with an over 5 million user base. The brand became a cult phenomenon.
How did Palm succeed when other brands failed in the PDA category? Why did Amazon, Netflix, iPod, Facebook, Airbnb succeed when other brands failed?
How did only a few brands/products could taste massive success? How could they attract people on such a scale?
Before moving ahead to find answers, let’s rehash some key terms.