Nanda Home: Preparing for Life after Clocky

Elie  Ofek; Jill  Avery

Case | HBS Case Collection | May 2011 (Revised March 2012)

Nanda Home: Preparing for Life after Clocky

Abstract

Gauri Nanda, the inventor of Clocky, the alarm clock that rolls off the bed stand and forces its owner to find it, has to make critical decisions regarding the future of her nascent company. As sales of Clocky show signs of declining, she must decide whether to continue her focus on the alarm clock category or to branch out into new categories. If the former, the question is which segments to pursue and what features to develop, and, if the latter, the question is whether the concept of "humanizing technology" is something consumers would value in other domains. In addition, Nanda must decide how to continue marketing Clocky and its successors, given the potential for cannibalization. Clocky's success was largely attributable to the media's intense interest and coverage, and it is not clear such attention would carry over to other new product endeavors. Students are presented with a number of new product concepts and the findings from both qualitative and quantitative market research. This allows for a rich discussion of how managers can think creatively about consumer experiences to inform their innovation strategies.

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Management; Electronics Industry;

Format: Print

24 pages

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Citation:

Ofek, Elie, and Jill Avery. "Nanda Home: Preparing for Life after Clocky." Harvard Business School Case 511-134, May 2011. (Revised March 2012.)

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Nanda Home: Preparing for Life after Clocky

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