Some other recent related examples I've seen of changing the format to differentiate:
Guacamole squeeze bottle: Typically guacamole at supermarkets come in tubs, but one company put it into a squeeze bottle which lets it last longer and use it to squirt on your tacos easier. Normally I would compare prices / taste but the format trumps all of those other factors. https://www.instacart.com/products/21844889-yucatan-guacamol...?
Flour: I typically see flour sold by multiple companies in these small paper bags that you would throw away after you put it into a real container. Wondra put theirs in a shaker bottle, making it easier to use when you want to thicken up a sauce while cooking. Now their brand is shown and maintained when other wise it would just be yet another flour company: https://www.instacart.com/products/16409225-gold-medal-wondr...?
The most important thing I think that activity teaches you is that business is a huge multidimensional space, and you can always find a quiet region within which there’s probably some profitable point. So much startup advice is basically how to structure a walk through this space.
Indeed, other times the customer relationships, or the packaging, sometimes it is even about technology, but not so often .) Having attended and then participated in the masters program in Technological Entrepreneurship @ Sofia University, this all seems now so apparent. But you can only really grasp it when you have a business activity, otherwise it is sounds like common sense talk.
One could argue that Nike using influencer marketing with Michael Jordan was one of these hacks as well (at least at that time). Apple's 1984 ads and the marketing made them more valuable and that is step 1 of distribution.
The Gas app by Nikita also had this new distribution channel through Instagram etc.
These are actually the real secrets of business. If you do know one of them you are for sure not sharing them on Youtube.
Some other recent related examples I've seen of changing the format to differentiate:
Guacamole squeeze bottle: Typically guacamole at supermarkets come in tubs, but one company put it into a squeeze bottle which lets it last longer and use it to squirt on your tacos easier. Normally I would compare prices / taste but the format trumps all of those other factors. https://www.instacart.com/products/21844889-yucatan-guacamol...?
Flour: I typically see flour sold by multiple companies in these small paper bags that you would throw away after you put it into a real container. Wondra put theirs in a shaker bottle, making it easier to use when you want to thicken up a sauce while cooking. Now their brand is shown and maintained when other wise it would just be yet another flour company: https://www.instacart.com/products/16409225-gold-medal-wondr...?
Interesting that there is demand for this, I couldn't imagine using either one. Maybe it's a small niche, but with very profitable margins.
> after you put it into a real container
What? Who recontainers flour?
We do, easy way to avoid bugs getting in there.
Guess it's related to the fact we don't bake that often, a 2kg (4.5 lbs) bag of flour can last us a month.
And do you in practice seen bugs in your flour? How often?
Because i too consume flour at a similar rate to yours, I don’t recontainer my flour and never in my life seen bugs in flour.
Yes, not terribly often but enough that the simple act of putting it in an airtight container is worth it.
I always pour flour from the paper bag into my giant plastic container. I haven't in almost half a year though.
You guys are talking about all purpose (wheat) flour, right?
Don’t sleep on any of the boxes in the business model canvas!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_Model_Canvas
The most important thing I think that activity teaches you is that business is a huge multidimensional space, and you can always find a quiet region within which there’s probably some profitable point. So much startup advice is basically how to structure a walk through this space.
Indeed, other times the customer relationships, or the packaging, sometimes it is even about technology, but not so often .) Having attended and then participated in the masters program in Technological Entrepreneurship @ Sofia University, this all seems now so apparent. But you can only really grasp it when you have a business activity, otherwise it is sounds like common sense talk.
Upvoting this because it made me think about SaaS and its relationship with open- and fair-source.
Often a change in distribution v. closed-source can be its own moat.
Can you expand and maybe give an example of what you are saying?
One could argue that Nike using influencer marketing with Michael Jordan was one of these hacks as well (at least at that time). Apple's 1984 ads and the marketing made them more valuable and that is step 1 of distribution.
The Gas app by Nikita also had this new distribution channel through Instagram etc.
These are actually the real secrets of business. If you do know one of them you are for sure not sharing them on Youtube.