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Oops! The heavy hammer of the Law Of Unintended Consequences came down hard this week on 
Mindjet, makers of the phenomenal MindManager software. Seems their NDA for the upcoming release of MindManager 7 prevented beta testers from generating the critical viral buzz about the product.
Whew . . . talk about missteps, especially for the notoriously viral-driven tech industry.
Now, less than 30 days from launch . . . and well, have YOU heard of MindManager 7?
See, that’s the problem. Based on the evidence at hand, they’re going to peak after the launch — if then.
Here’s a snippet of Brett Bumeter’s excellent post, containing the bullet points of Mindjet’s unintended consequences
Silences product evangelists from discussing the product
Stops or hinders product buzz and word of mouth promotion
Prevents collaborative discussion of the beta such that users can share insights into the product providing Mindjet with a better understanding of the scope of an issue or opportunity
Creates an artificially created information void at the time the product is launched or announced by silencing beta users from sharing their experience (As an example consider how compelling some ‘behind the scenes’ features are for some movies, and how these are used to market a movie product and get people to buy or watch a movie.)
Source: Maven Mapper’s Information » Did MindManager Beta Testing NDA’s Unintentionally Silence Product Evangelists?
Even if you don’t know what mindmapping is and don’t care, you should read Bumeter’s post anyway. Because it is true for any product or service launch, or new version released.
So, what about you? Are you doing everything you can to generate buzz and keep everyone buzzing?
Do you have a new product or service coming out soon?
Is there a plan ON PAPER with milestones and deliverables to make the launch successful and does each of those have a DATE attached to it?
Or did you accidentally fall into the Mindjet trap by default? Like I always say, it’s better to learn from the mistakes of others and watch them from afar than it is to make them yourself. That’s expensive.
For the record, I’m a dedicated MindManager user and it forms one of the Core 4 applications I use to run my companies. I love the product, but man, that was not smart.
Hey Mindjet, love your product but you’ve gotta be smarter than this! <virtual smack upside the head> SNAP OUT OF IT!
See Mindjet’s too late, too little mention on their website.
And . . . oh yeah, “Paul is dead.” The bare feet prove it. <Sly grin and mention for those who remember.>
Like what you read? Then click here to buy me a coffee.
By Walter |
Topics: Marketing Mishaps, Pro Analysis |
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Comments
Mindjet, makers of the phenomenal MindManager software. Seems their NDA for the upcoming release of MindManager 7 prevented beta testers from generating the critical viral buzz about the product.
Hey Mindjet, love your product but you’ve gotta be smarter than this! <virtual smack upside the head> SNAP OUT OF IT!
May 8th, 2007 at 11:23 am
Great point about the Law of Unintended Consequences Walter!
I think one of the best tools for avoiding or at least mitigating Unintended Consequences is the use of Mindmapping and MindManager. It lets you take a look at the big picture of what is going on and can help people see the impact of their actions outside of their normal silos of responsibility.
I know that the Mindjet employees use MindManager religiously, however they still seem to have missed an obvious association here.
May 16th, 2007 at 10:47 am
Dead-on. I couldn’t be more excited about MindManager 7, but it seems like the buzz was much higher prior to the release of MindManager 6.