Re:Startup Tips From the Father of Gmail and FriendFeed
by teej on Tuesday February 24, 2009 @08:38PM
(#493913)
> And the don't need virality if your product is good bit really hasn't been proven out.
Great point. He really skipped over Gmail's marketing strategy, which wasn't just being good. Gmail didn't get a lot of attention soley because of something as abstract as "it was good". Gmail combined artificial scarcity (invite only) and an outlandish offering (1 GB space) to spark demand. That is the core of the hype machine that drove the word of mouth. Being good was only a multiplier on that, not the base.
Great point. He really skipped over Gmail's marketing strategy, which wasn't just being good. Gmail didn't get a lot of attention soley because of something as abstract as "it was good". Gmail combined artificial scarcity (invite only) and an outlandish offering (1 GB space) to spark demand. That is the core of the hype machine that drove the word of mouth. Being good was only a multiplier on that, not the base.