Take the money! Don’t try to reposition your product so that the intended customers use it as intended. But learn where and why you are succeeding, then adjust.
~ Guy Kawasaki (paraphrased from The Art of the Start)
Vibram Fiver Fingers, the ridiculous-looking reptilian like footwear, have been idolized in the running community as the perfect tool for barefoot runners.
However, Vibram’s intention was never to change the world of running. The shoe was created for sailors.
In fact, the evolution of the Five Fingers is a poster child example of how to adapt to an unintended customer base and shift a product’s market positioning based on actual real world customer use and feedback.
The Five Fingers Evolution
As an avid sailor, Marco Bramani, the grandson of Vibram’s founder, was inspired by the idea of footwear that could protect his feet from dangerous rigging and obstacles on board while delivering a surefooted grip on deck. And the Five Finger was his attempt to create a better boat shoe.
Five Finger website at product launch, cerca 2006
The shoe was launched and positioned as an alternative for boaters and water sports enthusiast alike. However, after the initial launch, the Five Fingers team noticed their product catching on among a different and unintended niche market, runners.
As Derek Silvers argues in his 2010 TED talk, the most important part of starting a movement is recognizing and accepting your first followers as equals, and then nurturing them as evangelists to take your idea from nutty theory to mainstream product.
In the case of the Five Fingers, Vibram latched on to their innovative mega-early adopters who saw potential in the shoe for barefoot runners.
Barefoot Ted, an avid barefoot runner and blogger, was one of these first evangelists.
I liked the product so much I contacted Vibram to let them know. When I told them how much I liked the product and that I was using them for running they were pretty surprised. Now they provide me with product to test and report back [and] they help pay for some of my travel expenses for races.
Vibram could of easily beefed up their marketing and taught people that their innovative footwear was supposed to revolutionize sailing. Instead, they listened to their unintended customers and repositioned their business to capture this new obsessive and passionate user base.
In April of this year, Vibram launched the Bikila, the first Five Fingers model made specifically for barefoot runners.
Guy Kawasaki, serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist, urges company founders to listen to their unintended customers and take the money!
Assuming you know exactly what the market wants and exactly who your customers are is a big bet. Be innovative in bringing something new to the marketplace, but when your customers speak, even if they aren’t the “right” ones, you should listen.
If you liked this post, please pass it along and share it via facebook, twitter, or google buzz!
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Take the Money and Run: Vibram Five Fingers Shoes Case Study
Vibram Fiver Fingers, the ridiculous-looking reptilian like footwear, have been idolized in the running community as the perfect tool for barefoot runners.
However, Vibram’s intention was never to change the world of running. The shoe was created for sailors.
In fact, the evolution of the Five Fingers is a poster child example of how to adapt to an unintended customer base and shift a product’s market positioning based on actual real world customer use and feedback.
The Five Fingers Evolution
As an avid sailor, Marco Bramani, the grandson of Vibram’s founder, was inspired by the idea of footwear that could protect his feet from dangerous rigging and obstacles on board while delivering a surefooted grip on deck. And the Five Finger was his attempt to create a better boat shoe.
Five Finger website at product launch, cerca 2006
The shoe was launched and positioned as an alternative for boaters and water sports enthusiast alike. However, after the initial launch, the Five Fingers team noticed their product catching on among a different and unintended niche market, runners.
As Derek Silvers argues in his 2010 TED talk, the most important part of starting a movement is recognizing and accepting your first followers as equals, and then nurturing them as evangelists to take your idea from nutty theory to mainstream product.
In the case of the Five Fingers, Vibram latched on to their innovative mega-early adopters who saw potential in the shoe for barefoot runners.
Barefoot Ted, an avid barefoot runner and blogger, was one of these first evangelists.
Vibram could of easily beefed up their marketing and taught people that their innovative footwear was supposed to revolutionize sailing. Instead, they listened to their unintended customers and repositioned their business to capture this new obsessive and passionate user base.
In April of this year, Vibram launched the Bikila, the first Five Fingers model made specifically for barefoot runners.
Guy Kawasaki, serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist, urges company founders to listen to their unintended customers and take the money!
Assuming you know exactly what the market wants and exactly who your customers are is a big bet. Be innovative in bringing something new to the marketplace, but when your customers speak, even if they aren’t the “right” ones, you should listen.
If you liked this post, please pass it along and share it via facebook, twitter, or google buzz!