Problem Solving: A Strong Business Strategy
A CASE STUDY
To build a successful business and have a strong market position, a company needs to identify a problem and create a solution.
That’s the core of a human-centric business and how you generate a strong marketing campaign: provide value to your audience through solving their specific problem(s).
A strong business strategy naturally builds a strong marketing strategy. The two are closely intertwined.
Last night, my friend was excitedly showing me his new laptop by Framework. He was gushing about how this brand is revolutionizing laptop design by creating a luxury-style laptop that is completely repairable. I am not a techie, but my friend is, and he has ranted about the right-to-repair movement for as long as I’ve known him.
Identifying the problem:
If you’re not familiar, the right-to-repair movement is multi-faceted. The core concept is that electronics should be repairable and that you shouldn’t have to go back to the brand that sold you the electronics (like your laptop) and pay them for repairs.
As a creative, I’ve always had MacBooks, and it was frustrating to have the battery or another singular aspect of the computer die, meaning I needed to buy a whole new $2,000 laptop.
I don’t have the technical know-how to repair a laptop independently. Still, it would be cool to be able to take it to a third-party repair shop and only pay for a new battery and the labor of repair, which would be SIGNIFICANTLY more affordable than buying an entirely new laptop.
Not to mention, maintaining the same laptop body and only replacing distinct parts would mean that less waste would end up in our landfills.
Worldwide, we currently generate 40 million TONS of electronic waste per year. That is essentially the same as throwing 800 laptops into the ocean every second. Electronic waste also accounts for 70% of global toxic waste. (source)
Providing a solution:
Framework saw a problem within a market sector and recognized that people were tired of being trapped in the ecosystems of current laptop providers.
The main issues:
- Costly and frequent replacements
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Inability to easily repair or replace laptop parts
- Too much electronic waste is damaging the environment
They’ve provided a solution by creating a laptop that addresses the main concerns coming out of the right-to-repair movement:
✔ The body is sturdy, both looks & feels luxurious
✔ Every part of the Framework laptop is repairable or replaceable.
✔ They make it easy to do so, with QR codes on every internal part linking to tutorials and instructions on their website.✔ The price point is reasonable.
✔ They ship in entirely recyclable materials, and they’ve promised to make every future upgrade option fit into the original body frame.
Framework is still in the start-up phase, having recently received round C funding, but they’re receiving rave reviews, and the tech community is wildly excited by their product and solutions.
Their innovative problem-solving has them on a trajectory to massive success.
There are many other variables involved in whether or not a company thrives. However, the fact that Framework clearly identified…
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A problem
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A market sector with the willingness to pay for a solution
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And an innovative response to the problem
…is a very positive indicator of their future success.
What problem does your brand solve? If you're struggling to identify it, schedule a consulting call.
Together, we'll identify the best way to position your offerings.
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