As described in Launch Definitions, a product or service launch can be characterized from many perspectives. To a potential customer, the launch type may be characterized by parameters such as the size of the trade show booth, the number of advertisements for the product, and the quality of promotional offers related to the product or service.

To the development team, the selection of a launch strategy influences the scope of the development effort and launch activities. What launch strategies will maximize the potential for success? The search for these answers usually includes an analysis of the intended market.

Contrasts in Characterization

A partial list of items that can be used to characterize business or development/launch types are:

• Volume operations versus complex systems [As presented by Geoffrey Moore at the 2004 PDMA conference. Enthusiasts and visionaries are more likely to embrace complex systems. Volume operations occur later in the life cycle. ]
• Non-customers, undershot, and overshot customers [As described by Clayton M. Christensen, Scott D. Anthony, and Erik A. Roth in "Seeing What's Next: Using the Theories of Innovation to Predict Industry Change," Harvard business School Press, Boston Massachusetts, 2004]
• Learn (or terms such as emergent or morph) versus deliberate (or terms such as pre-defined) strategies and tactics
• Minor launch (such as a product line extension introduced with a minimal budget) versus major launch (such as a radically new product introduced with a significant budget)
• Onslaught (for an existing market), early adopter (for a new market), or niche (for resegmenting a market) [as described by Steven Gary Blank, "The Four Steps to the Epiphany: The Road Map for Successful Startups," Cafe Press, 2003]
• Light, medium, heavy, and intense scrutiny products [as described by Kristin Zhivago, Rivers of Revenue: What to do when the Money Stops Flowing," Smokin' Donut Books, 2004]

Questions that impact the customer's perspective of launch type may include:

• What features are expected for all products or service in this category?
• What features will differentiate our product or service?
• What are the characteristics of a sales and customer training program?
• How will target customers learn about our product or service?
• What is required to neutralize the impact of competitive products or service?
• What are the market deadlines that are not in our control?
• Who needs to collaborate with us?

From the customer's perspective, launch provides the opportunity to evaluate your solution. Does the value exceed the price they are willing to pay? Does it perform as expected? It is good enough to recommend it to a friend? The answers to these questions depend on the design and implementation of your launch design.

OpLaunch has the expertise to collaborate with your team to improve your launch design. Our new product and service development experience plus our immersion in new techniques, enable us to evaluate a lot of potential approaches and quickly select the techniques that will provide a robust design for your project. Our approach to the development of launch design is called Launch Architecture.