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INNOBLOG

the insider's guide to innovation

Thursday, June 26th, 2008

Chevy Volt: Jobs-to-be-Done in Action

Renee Hopkins Callahan

The GM Volt blog posted an interview yesterday with Chevrolet brand manager Ed Peper in which he discussed work Innosight is doing with GM for the Volt launch. When asked, Do you have a plan on how to educate the public to understand the car since its so unique in order to make it more readily salable? he answered:

"We're actually doing a lot of work right now to understand in general who the consumer is for this product. We're working with a group that’s based out of Harvard and there a company called Innosight. What their working with us on is developing a jobs-based positioning for Volt. Which means what are the jobs that Volt really needs to handle for the consumers that buy them. On an emotional level, on a social level, on a functional level, what are the jobs that this vehicle must perform and must do well. Were in the process right now. We’ve done a couple of focus groups. We have a lot of data that you and others have provided us. And its going to help us from a marketing standpoint, what things should we talk about, what things shouldn’t we talk about. And how to we best present the category buster. How do we present this in such a way that consumers who are interested will know this is the first of its kind and this will be the best of its kind and it will be the only one of its kind when it hits the market place in 2010."


Discussion

From: Brendan Dunphy
Posted: Thursday, June 26th, 2008 - 11:02 am EDT

I'm sorry but think I a missing the point here - where is the innovation? That we ask what the customer want AFTER we have the product? And via Focus Groups 5are we still in the 80’s…)? And we will use this information only for marketing purposes? This says a lot about why GM is where it is and why it will continue to decline unless it changes the way it goes about its business and innovation – I hope you trying to persuade them of this!


From: Brendan Dunphy
Posted: Thursday, June 26th, 2008 - 11:02 am EDT

I'm sorry but think I a missing the point here - where is the innovation? That we ask what the customer want AFTER we have the product? And via Focus Groups 5are we still in the 80’s…)? And we will use this information only for marketing purposes? This says a lot about why GM is where it is and why it will continue to decline unless it changes the way it goes about its business and innovation – I hope you trying to persuade them of this!



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