Topics
new products, product adoption, innovators, early adopters, segment profile
Review the activity below or download the PDF student worksheet
Student Discussion Activity
Effectively reaching innovators/early adopters will greatly assist with a faster adoption of a new product. But who are these innovators?
For this exercise, your task is to describe these two innovators (using the various attributes in the table below). With this base information, we can then consider how we can leverage their networks through our marketing activities.
Consumer One
This person has all the entertainment gadgets. They were always one of the first to buy a smart phone, a DVD player, a Wii, a Xbox, a wide-screen TV, a car navigation system, and so on.
While they could wait a little longer and buy some of these products when their prices come down a little, this does not seem to be a consideration for them. They usually want to get a ‘new toy’ as soon as it comes to market. And if it’s not something new, they are usually upgrading to the latest technology.
Consumer Two
This person is right into new fashion trends, usually BEFORE they become popular.
Whether it’s new clothes, tattoos, body piercings, and hairstyles – they’re always doing something new. Sometimes what they wear later becomes very popular, and sometimes it’s just a fad that passes quickly.
Student Discussion Questions
1. Describe both of these consumers, using your best estimate of their following characteristics/behaviors:
- Male or female?
- Age?
- Married/partner?
- Occupation?
- Hobbies?
- Favorite TV show?
- Outgoing/friendly?
- Career focused/ambitious?
- When finished, give them a segment nickname
2. Outline some of the advantages of firms promoting to and connecting with innovators.
3. Given your profile in Q1, what are some of the ways that we could communicate effectively with these types of consumers.
Related Activities
Speed of Adoption: Comparing Two New Products
Improving the New Product Process
External Information
Innovators and early adopters in the diffusion of innovations: A literature review
