A post by SolarFred rang true with me.
To the Street, the solar uneducated, a solar panel remains a solar panel. The Street just wants to know how much it costs. It’s always the first question. There will increasingly be the pressure for installers to simply get these consumers that lowest price. The commoditization of solar [...]

This will complete my summary of how the market for solar energy can be strengthened through demand development.
The true source of module pricing pressure is project developers seeking the minimum price that can be paid to maximize internal rate of return. Forcing manufacturers to compete on price and performance will lead to wholesale margin compression, [...]

In part one, I suggested that the solar industry, with such vast upside, has a problem with demand.  There is not enough demand at today’s sustainable price points to consume the rapidly increasing supply.  Price subsidies will help, but to maximize profitable growth, more people need to understand and desire solar power.
The following is an [...]

Asking people to use a new OS is like asking them to change how their car works – steer with a joystick instead of a wheel, brake with the right pedal instead of the left.  Not welcome, or easy.  Here are three things you can do to increase probability of success of Chrome OS.

Use your [...]

I’ve been studying clean energy – and solar in particular.  Solar appeals to me for its technical elegance and ability to address a number of challenges we face.  The upside for the category is stunning:  today’s $5B solar sector accounts for only 0.15% of the world’s electrical generating capacity, while total consumption from all sources [...]

Imagine joining a group of new friends over dinner. Listen to understand. Say something genuine, beneficial, and compelling. Quit jabbering.

Mike Sievert posted on one of my favorite topics:  brand differentiation and corporate strategy.  I think Mike gives a good round-up of positioning alternatives.  An excerpt below, full text here.
I think of differentiation on four dimensions (see illustration).

To me, differentiation happens on the four dimensions of Product Offering, Customer Connection, Business Model, and Availability. The [...]

Here is the best banner ad I’ve seen in some time.

It ran at breakfast time on Engadget.  I’m thinking the ad network knows I’m male, and maybe even a Lenovo ThinkPad owner (the computer equivalent of bigger, better bacon).
The merits:  The category is clear (bacon).  The differentiating benefit is clear (bigger).  Potential objections are headed [...]

Kermit was prescient.

If you want to be a green brand, it’s hard.  The first brands to claim greenness were distinctive outliers.  But they didn’t have many customers with aligned motivations.  Years hence, we are rapidly drawing toward a point where being green is an ante, minimum table stakes.  Consumers are increasingly conscious of environmental responsibility, [...]

Having participated in the PC business as a manufacturer for 12 years, I’ve had a varying relationship with Microsoft.  The manufacturers chafe at their much lower value (profit) capture in the PC equation, but rely on Microsoft to catalyze demand, and do all other manner of enablement in a $250 billion market.  So, PC makers [...]