Zipcar
Case Study Analysis: Zipcar 1 Main Players
Summary
Who: Zipcar
What: Will the rush of media exposure prove to be too much of a hindrance and have an effect on Guari Nanda’s options for positioning Clocky prior to being manufactured and introduced to market?
Where: Boston
When: 2000
Main Players
Robin Chase
Zipcar
Antje Danielson
Angel Investor
Members/Subscribers
Ford Motor Company
Volkswagen
Others
Glenn Urban
Competitors; Swiss Mobility CarSharing, Drive Stadtauto, CommunAuto, Car-Sharing Inc., Flexcar
Dan Holland-One Liberty Ventures
Paul Covell
2 Major Problems & Issues
While pursuing her masters at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.), Gauri Nanda designed and created an alarm clock (prototype) for people who had difficulty getting out bed in the morning. Unlike traditional alarm clocks, Clocky could jump off a nightstand and roll around the room, forcing owners to get out of bed to turn off the alarm, which would help the owner wake up. Clocky had a computer chip inside of it that causes it to go in different direction every morning to prevent the owner from becoming immune to pattern recognition.
Unfortunately, the designed generated so much media attention at a time that Nanda was not fully prepared for and was still about a year away from having the capacity to introduce Clocky as it should be on the open market. Potential consumers showed a very strong interest in the product, which was at least a year away for consumers to purchase. Consequently, this provided some challenges from sectors such as manufacturing, distribution, and intellectual property issues. Nanda would also have to decide how to best leverage the public relation gained from the media attention to market Clocky and whether to partner with a large retailer like Wal-Mart or Bet Buy. Nanda also had to consider co-branding opportunities with a product outfit, such as iRobot that could help with the distribution of the product, but that
Summary
Who: Zipcar
What: Will the rush of media exposure prove to be too much of a hindrance and have an effect on Guari Nanda’s options for positioning Clocky prior to being manufactured and introduced to market?
Where: Boston
When: 2000
Main Players
Robin Chase
Zipcar
Antje Danielson
Angel Investor
Members/Subscribers
Ford Motor Company
Volkswagen
Others
Glenn Urban
Competitors; Swiss Mobility CarSharing, Drive Stadtauto, CommunAuto, Car-Sharing Inc., Flexcar
Dan Holland-One Liberty Ventures
Paul Covell
2 Major Problems & Issues
While pursuing her masters at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.), Gauri Nanda designed and created an alarm clock (prototype) for people who had difficulty getting out bed in the morning. Unlike traditional alarm clocks, Clocky could jump off a nightstand and roll around the room, forcing owners to get out of bed to turn off the alarm, which would help the owner wake up. Clocky had a computer chip inside of it that causes it to go in different direction every morning to prevent the owner from becoming immune to pattern recognition.
Unfortunately, the designed generated so much media attention at a time that Nanda was not fully prepared for and was still about a year away from having the capacity to introduce Clocky as it should be on the open market. Potential consumers showed a very strong interest in the product, which was at least a year away for consumers to purchase. Consequently, this provided some challenges from sectors such as manufacturing, distribution, and intellectual property issues. Nanda would also have to decide how to best leverage the public relation gained from the media attention to market Clocky and whether to partner with a large retailer like Wal-Mart or Bet Buy. Nanda also had to consider co-branding opportunities with a product outfit, such as iRobot that could help with the distribution of the product, but that