Are you a ‘me too’ as well?

Nokia has released it’s ‘answer’ to the iPhone I read today. Blackberry already released theirs. They look like an iPhone, they act like an iPhone with it’s touch screen capabilities, they’re also priced like an iPhone. But they’re not an iPhone. So why would I not just buy an iPhone?

Nokia cemented their place in the cellphone market with their range of easy to use phones. Blackberry cornered the market in portable communications, particularly email, with their QWERY ‘keyboards’. Sure iPhone has come come along and created a new wave of phone devices, but both Nokia and Blackberry do have a few choices, and I believe they made the wrong one. These are:

1. Stay the way they are (ie bury their heads in the sand)
2. Follow the leader (ie the ‘me too’ approach)
3. Innovate (know what their brand stands for and be the first to do the next thing)

Unfortunately, both companies are going down the second path, that of ‘me too’. I’m sure it’s not a good thing to not be keeping up with the play,  but would it not be better instead to be the leader in your speciality?

Palm were known for their touch screen interface for many years, but now are bullied out of the market because they fail to innovate, and grow their product. In fact iPhone has pretty much taken over where their brand sits in the minds of the consumers.

What if Blackberry spent their development money doing what they do, but new and better? I see people directly comparing the Blackberry with the iPhone weighing up the distinct differences and benefits between them both. Now that Blackberry has their version of an iPhone, instead of making them a more viable option, they’re handing the sales to iPhone – see my opening comment.

Apple have done just that – all the sexyness, style, ease of use core values typical of Apple – no wonder the iPhone is so uniquely Apple. I wonder what delightful innovation both Blackberry and Nokia could conjur up if they focussed on their core values and uniqueness, instead of focussing on what the market is doing now.…

Now look at your own business, are you so focussed on what your competiton is doing that you’ve forgotten what makes you ‘You’ in the first place? I imagine it’s more than just the widget that you produce.