"The World Has Changed" says Motorola

The New Your Times carries a story “Hoping to Make Phone Buyers Flip” which leads on the hyper competitive cell phone handset market, the quickening pace of innovation and the capricious nature of the market.

At stake are millions of dollars in profits and the fortunes of entire companies. Like fashion or entertainment, the cellphone industry is increasingly hit-driven, and new models that do not fly off the shelves within weeks of their debut are considered duds. The most gadget-conscious shoppers buy new phones every nine months, twice as fast as they did a few years ago. And teenagers, one of the fastest-growing markets, are especially quick to dump a brand if it loses popular appeal.

In it are some note-worthy quotes about how handset manufacturers are also changing in the their attitude to the marketing process.

The world has changed,” said Jeremy Dale, who is in charge of marketing for mobile devices at Motorola, where fortunes tumbled with the decline of its once popular Razr. “There is more relevance in what other consumers say than what the company is saying.”

“The strongest marketing tool is the first 20,000 people who buy the device,” Mr. Dale of Motorola said. “If they like it, they will tell their friends.”

Yep Dale .. could not agree more!