What were they thinking?

Great product disasters and the lessons they teach

Here are four tips from McMath to help you avoid the same fate:

1. SOLVE A REAL PROBLEM

R.J. Reynold lost $325 million on a smokeless， ashless cigarettes.The product appealed only to nonsmokers 朼nd they don抰 buy cigarettes .

2. RESEARCH， RESEARCH， RESEARCH

Ask the right question to get the right answers. Coca-Cola didn抰 ask cola drinkers if

New Coke should actually replace Classic Coke.

3. PACKAGING MATTERS

Packaging can mean the diffirence between success and failure. BBQ Buddies， a barbecue sauce， came in a bottle so tall that grocers had to stocks it on their top shelves， out of sight and out of reach of shopper.

4. TAKE OFF THE BLINDERS

Rabbit Jerky was the brainchild of an entrepreneur who contacted McMath when the product didn抰 sell well. Simple ， McMath told the inventor: North Americans don抰 want to eat snuggly bunnies， no matter how good they taste. Don抰 let your enthusiasm for a project blind you to common sense.

(Quoted from Profit Magazine January 2003)

【译文】

他们到底在想什么？有名的新产品悲剧（disasters）和因其而得到的教训（Lessons they teach）

以下为Mcmath 所提出的四个警示（tips）以防您重蹈覆辙(avoid the same fate).

1.Solve a Real Problem 解决真正的问题（real problem）

R.J Reynolds在制造一种无烟（smokeless），无灰(ashless)的香烟上损失了美金3亿2千5百万元。这种产品仅能讨得不吸烟人的喜爱(appealed)——但是他们并不买香烟。

2．Research， Research，Research 研究，研究，再研究

要问对问题才能得到正确的答案。可口可乐在出产新口味可乐之前并没有问喝可乐的人他们是否喜欢用这种新口味来取代传统（classic）可乐.

3.Packaging Matters: 包装的重要性

包装可以直接影响（mean the difference）产品的成功（success）和失败(failure). BBQ 的好朋友，一种烧烤酱， 用了一种非常高的瓶子来装，因为瓶颈太高，以至于零售商需要放在货柜的最高层。消费者看不着(out of sight)，也碰不着(out of reach)。

4．Taking off the Blinders 打开您的眼罩 （又译：睁眼看世界，不要固执己见）

一个企业家（entrepreneur）研制出了（brainchild）一种兔子肉干（Rabbit Jerky），在市场上出售不甚理想时， 找到了McMath。Mcmath直截了当地（simple）告诉这个发明家(inventor)， 北美人是不愿吃可爱的小兔子（snuggly bunnies）的， 不管（no matter how）它有多好吃。

不要因您对一个计划（project）的热情(enthusiasm) 而对基本常识（common sense）视而不见（blind）。