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“Is your startup idea taken?” and why we love X for Y startups

andrewchen.co

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Re: “Is your startup idea taken?” and why we love X for Y startups

#191

Post by RHSeeger »

tybit wrote: post #186
MuffinFlavored wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> How do they differentiate and sell you cars then? Branding, positioning, marketing. If I'm in the market for a BMW M3, it is because it is a stellar performance car. A Toyota Camry does not fill those roles.

> Sure, we can point at the extremes and find differences, but I am not talking about that, I am focusing on what the vast majority of consumers look for or need in a car.

You don't really need to look for extremes, though. Even jumping up one brand "level", you see differences in the "details". I (generally) won't buy anything below the Nissan/Toyota/Honda level, and usually the middle range car (eg. Nissan Maxima). At that level, you start to see all the little things that make driving a pleasure; lumbar support, heated steering wheel, etc. You tend not to get those details when you move one level down, and they can make a pretty big difference when it comes to enjoyment.

Re: “Is your startup idea taken?” and why we love X for Y startups

#192

Post by nostrademons »

zaphirplane wrote: post #184
paggle wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, Subway's biggest differentiator was and continues to be the low cost of building one, compared to a McDonalds. You can build out a Subway for $200,000 in some cases compared to $1-2 million for a McDonalds. That's why they're the most popular franchise restaurant.

That’s from the sellers point of view and doesn’t translate into consumer demand to keep the ventures profitable and have a competitive ROI. A 100 cheese and tomato sandwich shops are even cheaper and would probably go broke or a paper airplane franchise ...etc I suppose there is a relationship between profits and the establishment cost however customer demand is king

It could be related - a low franchise cost means a Subway on every corner (there're 3 within a 5 minute driving radius of my home), which increases the chain's brand recognition. Same strategy that Starbucks uses, opening a store on every corner, even to the point where they cannibalize each others' sales. Familiarity has an advertising benefit all on its own.

Re: “Is your startup idea taken?” and why we love X for Y startups

#193

Post by bartread »

robomartin wrote: post #56

Very often engineering types can only think of differentiation in technical terms. I think I can say that, in practice, at least in mature markets, differentiation is more about positioning and marketing rather than almost anything else. Easy examples: - Cars - Bottled water - Computer monitors The vast majority of automobiles produced today have reached a level of design and manufacturing maturity that makes them pr…

> Today you could pick any vehicle almost blindly and not make a purchasing mistake.

Wrong. Cost of ownership varies wildly across brands, and reliability is still not a given.

Beyond the purchase price, which often sucks people into making poor buying decisions, fuel economy, parts and servicing, complexity, durability, tax, and depreciation all make a huge difference to cost of ownership.

Finance deals are structured to make cars seem affordable, but that's only a part of the TCO.

If you're unwary, it's very easy to overstretch yourself and buy a car that ends up owning you (new or used).

Re: “Is your startup idea taken?” and why we love X for Y startups

#194

Post by PeterStuer »

robomartin wrote: post #56

Very often engineering types can only think of differentiation in technical terms. I think I can say that, in practice, at least in mature markets, differentiation is more about positioning and marketing rather than almost anything else. Easy examples: - Cars - Bottled water - Computer monitors The vast majority of automobiles produced today have reached a level of design and manufacturing maturity that makes them pr…

While there are few panel manufacturers for monitors/tv's, there are many technical differences between the panels and the software and calibration.

You'd have to be legally blind not to notice the quality difference between my 200$ Philips screen and my 500$ Dell screen.

Re: “Is your startup idea taken?” and why we love X for Y startups

#195

Post by PeterStuer »

beachy wrote: post #188
AceyMan wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> [...] because I know that bottled water is drawn from very different sources Errrm, except that's not the case whatsoever. Citation, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/pepsi-say-aquafina-tap-wat... /pedantry

> Errrm, except that's not the case whatsoever. It absolutely is often the case. You have cited one article about Pepsi's bottled water coming from a tap. That does not make it universally true at all. Bottle water around here is frequently drawn from springs, rivers etc. It is often the cause of bitter arguments about whether the companies are paying enough for it.

Here is another data point for you about Coca Cola's water coming from municipal taps. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dasani

That does not mean it is 'bad' water. The point is that municipal tap water is perfectly fine to drink in most places.

All water, whether bottled or tap, comes from 'springs, rivers etc.', the 'etc' being pumped up ground water in most cases.

Re: “Is your startup idea taken?” and why we love X for Y startups

#196

Post by PeterStuer »

throwaway1777 wrote: post #179
MuffinFlavored wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> How do they differentiate and sell you cars then? Branding, positioning, marketing. If I'm in the market for a BMW M3, it is because it is a stellar performance car. A Toyota Camry does not fill those roles.

That’s positioning and marketing too since you don’t really need the performance. For 99% of the time you use the car they’re about the same. If only life were all twisties and race tracks, but in reality it’s mostly traffic jams.

But in commercials 'your' car is always the only one in the world. Whether they are driving mountain roads, seaside highways or city centers, you will never see even a single other car on the road. Talk about misleading advertising.

Re: “Is your startup idea taken?” and why we love X for Y startups

#197

Post by kkarakk »

amit_m wrote: post #189
throwaway1777 wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s positioning and marketing too since you don’t really need the performance. For 99% of the time you use the car they’re about the same. If only life were all twisties and race tracks, but in reality it’s mostly traffic jams.

I happen to own a Toyota Camry and a BMW 5 series (not M5 or any other specialty model). Even for day-to-day errands, the BMW is a pleasure to drive. There is a lot of feedback and sharp responses from the steering wheel and throttle. The Camry on the other hand is one of the least pleasing cars to drive. The suspension feels “floaty” and the steering wheel is completely dead. It also feels completely outdated and ch…

That's interesting, do you think you would buy a Camry that was as responsive as the BMW - if it were available- and replace your BMW with it?

I think most of car ownership is Signalling personally

Re: “Is your startup idea taken?” and why we love X for Y startups

#198

Post by kkarakk »

redkoala wrote: post #109
airstrike wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can't really play FPS or RTS on the cloud, though EDIT: I'll be damned, according to reddit you can even do CSGO on one of these beasts. I guess that solves what I'm buying myself for Christmas

I was on an early pilot for Google Stadia and could play Assasin’s Creed Oddyssey smoothly on a high speed internet connection.

Odyssey isn't even responsive on a local gaming pc, your character moves like it's behind 50ms of latency in any case

Re: “Is your startup idea taken?” and why we love X for Y startups

#199

Post by cpursley »

throwaway1777 wrote: post #179
MuffinFlavored wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> How do they differentiate and sell you cars then? Branding, positioning, marketing. If I'm in the market for a BMW M3, it is because it is a stellar performance car. A Toyota Camry does not fill those roles.

That’s positioning and marketing too since you don’t really need the performance. For 99% of the time you use the car they’re about the same. If only life were all twisties and race tracks, but in reality it’s mostly traffic jams.

> If only life were all twisties and race tracks, but in reality it’s mostly traffic jams.

Even if this is the case, you're better off with an econobox daily driver and a second specialy fitted track car with the correct safety equipment (5 point harness, Hans device, roll cage, fire suppression).

Source: I'm an amature race car driver. High performance cars for everyday public road driving is silly and wasteful (both financially and in terms of underutilizing the vehicle).

Re: “Is your startup idea taken?” and why we love X for Y startups

#200

Post by ijidak »

robomartin wrote: post #56

Very often engineering types can only think of differentiation in technical terms. I think I can say that, in practice, at least in mature markets, differentiation is more about positioning and marketing rather than almost anything else. Easy examples: - Cars - Bottled water - Computer monitors The vast majority of automobiles produced today have reached a level of design and manufacturing maturity that makes them pr…

> Bottle water is another case. I'll generalize and say that most bottled water is pretty much the same...

> Again, marketing. They are selling you an image.

A great example of this is Fiji water.

"Earth's finest water"

It plays on the allure that a product that comes from a "distant land" must be better than local water.

But few will ever ask for research to prove it's better.

I can't believe we are paying for water to be shipped thousands of miles, that likely has minimal benefit beyond what can be sourced locally.

But, that's the power of perception at work.

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