Case studies of spectacular product failure

While contemplating ethical implications may prevent potential crises, examining instructive cases of failure equally provides sobering lessons. Even hugely resourced teams and well-known brands can completely misread user needs and market realities. By analyzing where other products went wrong, growth product managers gain wisdom into warning signs that may undermine their launches. Let’s explore illustrative examples of spectacular failure.

Quibi – misjudging the market

Just as ethical blind spots carry consequences, so does misunderstanding target users and their changing behaviors. The streaming service Quibi failed precisely due to this market misjudgment.

Quibi shows what happens when assumptions about user needs prove fatally flawed. Their core premise was that consumers craved premium short-form video content viewable in spare minutes. However, the realities of when and how people consume content did not fit...