Palm’s Reality Distortion Field
Peter Rojas' thoughtful 2,800-word post over at Engadget reminded me of my experiences marketing Palm products locally. I did more of the legwork, free of the responsibilities of formulating the marketing initiatives.
It didn't matter too much anyway, because Palm is very conservative about its identity and marketing strategy, as any big brand should be. Executives from Singapore would come up the overall strategy, leaving only the specifics to my team. The Palm brand represents many years of consistent promotional vision and spending. It would be a waste of money if the company diverted from its bylines so easily.
Yet this rigidness also means that Palm's trapped in a sort of reality distortion field. Where Treos feature the best user experience, and need little change. Where Treos feature the best ergonomics, and need little change. Where Treos represent a good corporate tool, and need little change.
Get the picture? The Palm Treo 600 (which came out four years ago) was such a success that it seems the company isn't willing to leave it behind and look for something new. Sure, an easy-to-use interface, still the best thumboard, and integration is always a winning formula. But an easy way to get left behind by competitors is to continue following an old version of this recipe, while others have constantly improved on it.
More than a year ago, on the second post of this very blog, I wrote about how Palm should follow the adage "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." I was wrong. That's the kind of thinking that keeps Palm's upper management in the dark about the realities of the smartphone and PDA market today.
