Hoverboarding Out of the
Introductory Stage?
Introducing a product to the market can be
a daunting task for marketing managers.
PLC of Hoverboards
Hoverboards used differentiation
Hoverboards were created because
Segways failed due to price and
inconvenience. Hoverboards are both low
cost and a convenient alternative with the
same core functionality.
With prices ranging from $250 to $2,000, the
hoverboard is targeting college aged
students who are on a budget, but want a
cool new way to travel around campus.
Introduction Phase
Celebrities have been seen using them. They just became
mainstream after a first holiday season. Hoverboards would be
categorized in the introduction stage of the PLC.
Introductory Phase





Sales grow slowly
Profits are very low
Demand has to be created through promotion
Future is highly uncertain
First mover advantage may be overstated?
High Learner Product
A significant customer education is required for the product to exit
the introduction stage. The hoverboard will most likely endure a
long stay in this stage as consumers learn how hoverboards work,
ways they can be used, and what the potential benefits are.
Growth Stage
Once these goals are made, the product
will most likely enter the growth stage
which is when sales begin to soar and
competition enters.
Growth Stage = Differentiation
Growth strategies include new features and releasing
updated versions. There is relatively little competition in
the hoverboard market, so it will be very interesting to
see how different competitors seek to differentiate
themselves in the growth stage.
Maturity Stage
In the maturity stage, total industry sales slow down and the weaker
competitors begin to leave the market.
The maturity stage and is typically defined by larger companies fighting
to hold their market share by:
 improving their products
 building their brand
 adjusting the marketing mix to maximize profits
Decline Stage
In the decline stage sales drop drastically and the product
becomes much less profitable or unprofitable.
This stage leads the companies to either use deletion or
harvesting as a way to remain profitable.
Deletion
DELETION is removing the product from the company's
product line.
If a more advanced form of transportation leads to
hoverboards becoming insignificant, the companies
could respond to this by not longer producing and
marketing hoverboards.
Harvesting
HARVESTING which is when a company keeps producing the
product, but reduces its marketing expenses.
Evaluate and Recommend
Now that we have reviewed the traditional product life cycle
pattern we can evaluate the effects of current events on the
marketing mix for hoverboards and make recommendations?
Team Task
1.
2.
3.
4.
Read: Hoverboards keep exploding, so what happens now?
Research the brief history and marketing mix for hoverboards
Research the current events surrounding hoverboards
Recommend changes to the marketing mix with rationale
Timeline




Monday, February 22 PowerPoint
Tuesday, February 23 Work period
Wednesday, February 24 Presentation (5 minutes)
Thursday, February 25 Complete presentations