It’s day 2 at MWC and yet it feels like Throwback World Congress. You’ve heard about the Nokia launch — but did you see the latest blackberry and Kodak phones? Or Caterpillar phones? Yea — that’s right — Kodak and CAT both launched phones to the market. Or Ubuntu, the Linux OS, running on Freephones and an IoT platform?
One trend we are seeing a lot of at MWC is established, older brands reimagining their purpose with the help of platforms — we call it hourglass brands.
These older companies have been ’squeezed’ into the middle and for years had limited success reestablishing a connection with their consumers. The platform companies, like google or ubuntu, are providing an opportunity for these nostalgic brands to reemerge in the market. The Nokia 3310, featuring THE SNAKE GAME!, and its other new phone launches all run on Android.
CAT vs Kodak vs Apple — whaaaat is going on here???
It’s a fascinating to see Kodak suddenly compete with Apple — 2 iconic American companies evolve to a place where they are in competition. Who would have though that the company (Caterpillar) that builds massive dirt movers would compete with blackberry? Brand permission is extending farther than I had ever really imagined, opening up totally new markets for established brands and companies.
So, stay tuned. Let’s see what happens next.
PS I also find it interesting to see Ubuntu with an IoT platform — I’d guess that’s a space to watch (perhaps they become the Android equivalent of an OS for IoT?).
