The 3D product...do you really need to innovate??

Differentiation, innovation, adaptation, change management……the heavy weighs whenever we talk about product management. But what if we can survive or for that matter perform much better even without innovating…..

Sounds confusing?? …it has to… because we always follow the mantra CHANGE OR DIE….but is it possible to survive without changing…well in some cases it is

Let me explain this by considering the product to be a 3D object while what a normal customer sees is its 2D view. So you always have the opportunity to work on its 3rd dimension which is not visible to the customers….and guess what when the customer gets bored with the 2 dimensions he has been seeing from a long time, just rotate your product to display the 3rd dimension you have been working upon. Let the customer admire the beauty of the new dimension by the time you start working on the dimension that’s facing you…

Still confused??….let us take the example of Maruti 800 cc model, every now and then you see Maruti experimenting with it…the headlights, the tail, fog lamps and even new colors…I don’t call that innovation…but every time a new variant hits the market the sales boost up. If u think that is true only for the market leaders or established products…..let’s talk about Bajaj’s pulsar

Pulsar which is a comparatively new product (if we compare it to hero Honda or Yamaha bikes) has been repeatedly performing well with the introduction of each new model
(where new stands just for a color change like the ALL BLACK PULSAR or maybe a slightest change in design or engine capacity)

If you still consider that to be innovation let’s take the example of PEPSI COLA which being a highly non differentiated product (remember we are talking about product differentiation and not brands) has come up with Pepsi MY CAN which is a packaging in form of 250 ml cans…and I think that is a good idea….and its much more affordable than the existing can packagings

So if Pepsi can do it with packaging alterations, Bajaj can do it with engine capacities and Maruti can do it just with new colors ….so we have an answer to the above question…..