Whenever we see a new product launch, we quickly run it through our Tuned In/Tuned Out filter to make a judgment. Most pass some of the tests but not all so it's hard to draw too much of a conclusion. Every once in a while, a product comes out that ticks all the boxes. And then there's Peek.
Peek is a new device that is targeting a niche it says the Blackberry has left as a standalone email device. It does only one thing ... e-mail. It's not a cell phone, doesn't take pictures, text or any of the other standard features of today's smart phones. So, let's see if we can figure out if this is tuned in.
- What unresolved problem does it solve? The developers say complexity of smart phones but forget that the market has already voted that they prefer ONE device vs. multiple.
- Which persona does this device serve better? Hard to tell and it wasn't really talked about. Problem is that the Blackberry has a proven read on the road warrior and small business owner while the iPhone has targeted the millenniels.
- How urgent and pervasive is the need for a better mobile email device? Not something there has been much clamoring for that we've heard.
- Is the Peek a breakthrough experience? Hardly. Pretty much mimics the Blackberry style (early version) and get this ... really isn't designed get office email unless your corporate servers have unusually lax security settings. Don't they all these days?
- What powerful idea is the company marketing? That the Peek is 'simply email'. Focused but on a feature, not a benefit of buying or using.
- Has the company established an authentic connection? Nope. No one is stepping up to talk about what how special this device is.
So, that's a 0 out of 6 for the Peek. Contrast this with a device we reviewed about a year ago on this blog ... the Jitterbug. Equally well focused on one thing (its just a cell phone), it is highly tuned in to a specific buyer persona (elderly users) and offers a unique experience (big numbers and emergency dial features). The Jitterbug has done very well in it's niche. We're a bit more suspect that the Peek will achieve anywhere near that level of success.
When you build your market launch based on what you perceive as a competitors weakness, you're starting from the wrong foundation. Start with a problem a distinct group of buyers has and create a solution that compels them to buy. If you don't, you might end up with a market of none like Peek.
