Brand Relevance: Making Competitors Irrelevant - always yours

124 BRAND RELEVANCE
Key Takeaways
• An unmet need is sometimes hidden and sometimes very
visible. An insight about unmet needs stimulated the concept
ideas at Zipcar, Enterprise, and Chrysler. For the other
fi rms, such as Prius and Nano, however, the need addressed
was visible to all; the problem was creating and delivering
an offering that is responsive.
• Timing with respect to the market, a fi rm, and a technology
can play a key role. Chrysler had the front - wheel - drive
K - car platform needed for the minivans already developed.
The battery technology and regenerative braking system
were in place for Toyota ’ s Prius and not for forerunners. The
Internet and card technology were available for Zipcar.
• It is possible to have a dream of a concept that seems infeasible
and see it happen. Tata ’ s Nano, Zipcar, and Toyota ’ s
Prius all experienced innovation that made the impossible
possible.
• Government regulations played a central role in the hybrid
story and an indirect role in the Saturn and minivan stories
in that all were motivated by the need to provide better
gas mileage that was encouraged by government regulations.
Subsidies, such as those offered by local governments
to infl uence factory location decisions, helped enable the
Saturn and Nano.
• Decisive and forceful leadership by a CEO was the driver in
each of these cases. Some had a forceful product champion
for sure, but the CEO ’ s support was still essential.
• All the winners except Saturn were committed to their
insights and strategies. The Toyota CEOs created organizational
challenges that resulted in the Lexus and then the
Prius. Enterprise began and continues with some unshakeable
tenets around service. The Saturn case shows that the
commitment needs to be enduring.