Marketing Profs

As any marketing person knows, a product and/or service launch--hard or soft--must be a coordinated and diligent effort, never mind making sure that the offering is widely adopted as quickly as possible.

Time-to-market is not only important, but time to widespread adoption may be more critical for a quick Return on Investment (ROI) and a strong mindshare firewall. An age-old question is, Why do some people adopt certain ideas, products, services, etc. quicker than others?

Diffusion of Innovations

The "Diffusion of Innovations" theory has a set of robust principles that can shed light on the age-old question. In a nutshell, the theory's purpose is to provide individuals with a conceptual framework for understanding the process of diffusion and social change.

It aligns well with understanding how a product and/or service launch, among other innovations, can be tailored for the quickest diffusion possible across a market/segment.

It has become apparent in such areas as software, fiber optics, and data storage, among others, that ubiquitous user adoption or consumption is a prerequisite for a quick investment payback and a strong ROI. Getting employees, stakeholders, or consumers to quickly adopt an idea, strategy, product, or service is essential in realizing one's goals and objectives within a given time frame.

Diffusion research did not develop from a single discipline or a single event. The first discipline involved was anthropology. Among the other research areas that led to the expansion of the theory were: rural sociology, education, public health, communication, marketing and management, geography, general sociology, economics, and other traditions. The Theory Diffusion of Innovations is a theory that analyzes, as well as helps explain, the adaptation and adoption of a new innovation.

An innovation is defined as an idea, practice, or object (e.g., product and/or service) that is perceived as new by an individual or other user. It is the perceived novelty of the idea that determines someone's reaction to it.

The diffusion component is the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels (e.g., internet, email, face-to-face, etc.) over time among the members of a social system (e.g., company, business unit, market, segment).

The change agent or persons (e.g., marketing team) introducing the innovation in a system should consider the following aspects: (1) the characteristics of the target population, (2) the characteristics of the innovation or change itself, and (3) the stages of adoption. Each of these three categories should be analyzed and planned for when introducing an innovation or change.