Managing Principal Brad White is serving as a Conference Chair for the 2011 PDMA Annual Product Innovation Management Conference <http://conference.pdma.org/> . This year’s conference is being held in Phoenix, AZ from October 29-November 2. Clients and friends of (r)evolution can use the registration code “CM11GC” for a 20% discount to the registration fee. We hope to see you in Phoenix.
By Danny Chapman
Netflix announced Monday that it will be splitting its operations into two distinct companies. Netflix will focus on streaming content, and Qwikster will focus solely on DVD delivery. While many, including Wall Street, appeared to react negatively to this decision, CEO Reed Hastings defended his decision by explaining Netflix’s attempt to stay ahead of the market.
While it is important to move quickly to establish yourself as an industry leader, it’s crucial not to leave customers behind. With Netflix’s most recent move however, they may have done just that. Some key implications around the split mean that customers will now have to pay two different bills, all movie reviews are going to be divided, and access to movies will be limited. While I’m all for advancing your company to progress, I’m not for losing crucial review data, making billing more complicated, and forcing customers to pick sides of your company. In my opinion, it’s like turning your customers into children of a divorce.
Obviously, it’s much easier to critique a company from the outside so I will remain open-minded about Netflix’s most recent decision. As a customer of over 8 years, however, I will say that I’m left feeling disappointed and wondering “who’s house will I be staying at this weekend?”
Source: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9PRN20O0.htm
