Evaluating a color-coded brake fluid indicator system for consumer vehicles

Car Brake Case Study

Hello. Imagine case: You work a car brake company. You invention customers launched. The product brake light indicator shows strength brake. Red strong, yellow medium, blue low brake. Please following: -Evaluation: Evaluate concepts-based consumer reactions, firm characteristics market opportunities, select winning concept

Car brake company case study

Cars are growing increasingly 'smart.' Some industry-watchers even believe that the cars commonly driven in the future may even 'park themselves.' It is true that "Honda is developing a self-parking car, the idea being that you'd show up at the store (or airport?), pull up in front of the entrance, get out, and your car would park itself. When you're done with your shopping…your car would find its way back to you" (Aamoth 2013). Regardless of the viability of this particular idea, there is greater interest in cars that take the stress out of driving and assume many of the traditional functions once relegated to the driver. While part of this may be due to the status symbol of having a 'smart car,' many of the new types of sensors and information-giving devices for consumers can be potentially life-saving. Self-parking cars may seem like something from the Jetsons but consumer demand for improved value and control has resulted in such innovations as cars that 'beep' when they become too close to an object. Cruise control enables drivers to keep at a steady pace on the highway, reducing the temptation to speed and waste gas.

As valuable as all of these innovations may be, there are still many aspects of modern driving that frustrate consumers, one of which are the 'lights' which go on in a car to indicate that something is wrong. Lights such as the check engine light, check oil, check brakes light, and even the check battery light are frustrating because they reveal little about what is really wrong with the car. The computer technology within modern vehicles has taken away a critical component of 'control' that many still seek over their driving experience, even while car-buyers still want the latest and most innovative designs. Even something very simple as brake fluid is a mystery to consumers -- until something goes wrong. Car drivers are forced into a bind -- either they constantly bring their car in for service to determine what is going on under the hood or they must wait until something goes 'really wrong' and their car is towed into the mechanic's shop.

Information is power and thus the proposed innovation is designed to give consumers more control and individual autonomy over their driving experiences. These new 'check brake' lights, instead of merely going off when there was an issue, would signal blue for very low brake fluid, yellow for medium, and a constant red indicating fluids were at an optimal level. This would prevent the problem of the car signaling a problem only when there was immediate danger. It would encourage people to get their brakes checked early on rather than later. It would also take away some of the mystery of a light suddenly flashing when something was wrong, leaving the driver uncertain of the degree to which he or she was in immediate danger. The common wonder: "should I pull over to the side of the road or merely wait to take the car to the shop on Monday" would be swiftly answered with this empowering innovation.

Launch

Launching the feature would require a build-up in the automotive press, to excite interest in the product amongst car consumers who wished to be 'early adapters' in terms of purchasing new technology. "Early adopters are typically described as curious, adventurous consumers who buy first, talk fast and spread the word to others about the pros and/or cons of what they have purchased" (Gerard 2013). Securing these early adapters is a critical part of generating interest in the product which will then diffuse to a larger segment of the car-buying population.

Ideally, once early adapters decide to purchase a product, then later-adapters will 'copy' and model their behavior, much as smartphones were initially snapped up by early adapters but then gradually became a ubiquitous part of the communications landscape. "Following them is the early majority (34%), consumers who make their moves through the market more carefully, but tend to adopt a new product more quickly than most. At the hump of the bell curve is the late majority (34%), consumers who adopt a new product only after the majority has weighed in on its value" (Gerard 2013). As with any product, the goal is to secure the early adapters and to make their buying patterns conform over time to later adapters.

Even before someone makes a purchase of a vehicle, there is a substantial period of 'courtship' or period of generating excitement about the new device. Periodicals such as Consumers Reports can generate interest in this new brake feature if journalists about the substantial value this new safety device gives to consumers. Media attention is a valuable component of a product launch because third-party coverage has a greater appearance of objectivity and greater weight of apparent veracity given that self-interested persons are not reporting on the issue.

After generating media attention, selected vehicles would be showcased with the brakes, like part of 'luxury' vehicles specifically targeted to the early-adapter consumer base. The brakes would specifically be included in cars likely to be desired by the core demographics as promotions. At first, consumers might be offered free or at a deep discount so that early adapters would be able to try them and spread their usefulness by 'word of mouth' through the general population. Advertising in magazines, on television programs, and via the Internet likely to be read by a more educated and affluent demographic would also be essential.

As well as the innate attraction of having the latest technological 'bells and whistles,' the ability to have a better idea of the state of one's brakes before their failed completely would put the minds of many consumers at rest and might be a way to ensure that even some more reluctant later-adopters had interest in purchasing cars with this features. Over time, the hope would be that cars with this feature would gradually become 'standard issue' in terms of their attractiveness, much like air bags were once relatively novel but today are accepted as necessary components of cars.

Because this is a safety device, having celebrity spokespersons endorse the innovation would be extremely helpful. A celebrity spokesperson could give this feature credibility -- ideally, someone with a 'family friendly' image and a trusted reputation amongst consumers could further bolster the product's acceptance. It would not necessarily have to be a celebrity with 'sex appeal' or even a connection to cars or the racing world -- merely a face that people recognized and trusted. The celebrity spokesperson is literally the 'face' of the product and trust and reliability must be the cornerstones of the acceptance of this item.

Likely success of the product

A recent survey of what new features consumers desire in a new automobile indicated that their highest priority was safety features that put the driver in control (in sharp contrast to Honda's self-parking car). "The survey also found that drivers are squeamish about giving control of their vehicles to a computer. Most prefer the blind-spot detection system to provide a noise warning, a steering-wheel vibration, or some other alert system, to let the driver take the necessary evasive action," versus the car having the power to exercise control over their driving and 'making' them avoid other vehicles or obstacles (Adams 2008).

The proposed innovation would similarly empower consumers, giving them the ability to know when their brakes may be problematic. It is informative yet not so obtrusive such as a brake warning with sound indicator that it might annoy the consumer or dissuade him or her from installing it. For example, research indicates that regarding "lane-departure warning technology. It might be fine to electronically alert drivers that they've drifted into another lane, but drivers prefer to return to the proper lane themselves. Anything that's intrusive or takes away from the driver's experience is something that consumers are going to be nervous about" and this new feature actually gives consumers more, rather than less control (Adams 2008). Rather than solely being alerted to a problem with their brakes with a light, they have a clear indication that the fluid is the problem, how serious a problem it is, and the necessity of checking it within a specific interval. For drivers with little knowledge about cars who might be frustrated about having to take a car to a mechanic every time even the smallest problem manifests itself, this can come as a welcome relief.

The survey also indicated that consumers are primarily interested in safety features which protect them, rather than protect other drivers or pedestrians: "Pedestrian-sensing ranked near the bottom" of the list while improved lights and airbags ranked near the top (Adams 2008). The greater knowledge conveyed about brake light features would be consistent with this idea of empowering the consumer to take care of his or her own safety. Because it facilitates both ease and safety, consumers are likely to embrace this new product.