Has The World Been Duped by “Big Razor, Inc.”? Is Less More? The problem is widespread education in the art of wet shaving without billion dollar ad budgets
Since the inception of the original safety razor patents, Big Razor has sought to secure its market dominance by maintaining a very effective moat around its products. This moat includes consumer over-education, patent protection and broad-scale distribution.
Once the original patents on the safety razor expired in 1921, Big Razor had no choice but to attempt to erect new fortifications against other potential market entrants. Additional patents ensued, each adding a new twist and additional technology on top of the original razor and blade design. With each added feature, the cost to the consumer escalated.
Additional engineering included greater marketing dollars and increased brand awareness. Branding and marketing created demand and a dominance in both distribution and therefore market share. In fact, the brand alone has been estimated to be worth some 25% or more of the total value of the business. With each iteration, Big Razor added additional features, patenting them all the while. Multiple blades went from one to five. Heating elements, vibrators and lubrication strips were included, all with the aim toward shave improvement.
But somewhere things went too far. Somewhere the public realized they were sold a bill of goods. It’s not that the shave was bad, it’s simply that the marginal cost no longer matched the marginal benefit and that the natural obsolescence of the razor and blades business model had been overengineered and overhyped.
In short, the consuming public began to realize that — at least when it comes to shaving — maybe less really is more.
But there is no incentive for the largest shaving businesses to change the tune of their marketing message only to have it nearly cannibalize their existing revenue in a major way ($0.10 double edge safety razor blades vs. $4.00 cartridge blades would be a death sentence). Fortunately — thanks to the internet’s information accessibility — the world is flatter than it has ever been. The problem is widespread education in the art of wet shaving without billion dollar ad budgets.
See sharpologist.com/2018/09/world…
#shaving #wetshaving #traditionashaving
from Beiträge von Danie van der Merwe https://ift.tt/2HCMGip
via IFTTT
Once the original patents on the safety razor expired in 1921, Big Razor had no choice but to attempt to erect new fortifications against other potential market entrants. Additional patents ensued, each adding a new twist and additional technology on top of the original razor and blade design. With each added feature, the cost to the consumer escalated.
Additional engineering included greater marketing dollars and increased brand awareness. Branding and marketing created demand and a dominance in both distribution and therefore market share. In fact, the brand alone has been estimated to be worth some 25% or more of the total value of the business. With each iteration, Big Razor added additional features, patenting them all the while. Multiple blades went from one to five. Heating elements, vibrators and lubrication strips were included, all with the aim toward shave improvement.
But somewhere things went too far. Somewhere the public realized they were sold a bill of goods. It’s not that the shave was bad, it’s simply that the marginal cost no longer matched the marginal benefit and that the natural obsolescence of the razor and blades business model had been overengineered and overhyped.
In short, the consuming public began to realize that — at least when it comes to shaving — maybe less really is more.
But there is no incentive for the largest shaving businesses to change the tune of their marketing message only to have it nearly cannibalize their existing revenue in a major way ($0.10 double edge safety razor blades vs. $4.00 cartridge blades would be a death sentence). Fortunately — thanks to the internet’s information accessibility — the world is flatter than it has ever been. The problem is widespread education in the art of wet shaving without billion dollar ad budgets.
See sharpologist.com/2018/09/world…
#shaving #wetshaving #traditionashaving
from Beiträge von Danie van der Merwe https://ift.tt/2HCMGip
via IFTTT
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