Just happened to be listening to "Kryptonite" by "3 Doors Down" and who knew that I could borrow the song for a post.
Superman was created on Krypton and can only be destroyed by a substance from the same planet - kryptonite.
Though that just sounds ironical, the question to ponder on is - Do marketers and companies have a kryptonite of their own? The answer seems simple - loyal consumers create a great company.
On the other hand, dissatisfied consumers now possess the power to bring these large organizations down. Blogs, review sites and the all too obvious networking phenomenon enable dissatisfied consumers to reach thousands of eager listeners.
Apple worked hard at creating an iconic status through the years. They launch innovative products with ease and then they screw it up.
Consumers love the company for the product, but they slip in something underhanded like a tie up with AT&T or a price drop in less than 2 months of the iphone launch. In fact following widespread crticism, Apple was forced to offer $100 credit for a purchase at an Apple store.
This results in the loyal fan, early adopter and advocate suddenly thinking twice before recommending the product. In fact it is suddenly cooler to say "I hate Apple" compared to "I love Apple"
That sounds very dangerous to me. Apple - The larger you become, the harder will be the backlash. Beware of your Kryptonite.
