The Galaxy Note 7 has been recalled - again. I feel like this sentence permeates nearly every journalism piece I’ve read on the Web about the matter. And yet, it’s a fact. The event itself is tragic, for innocent victims of exploding Note 7s as well as Samsung, the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer who, prior to the recalls, was deemed by even its critics to have had nothing short of a winner-take-all year. Now, with these two events, many are still celebrating the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge but claim that Samsung’s fumble leaves the door open for other Android OEMs to “take the crown.”
In the midst of what is sure to have some think twice about picking up another “Galaxy,” it is said that the Note 7 recall has dealt a “deadly blow to the Galaxy Note brand,” that Samsung cannot recover from this, and that its best strategy is to scrap the cherished brand and rename the Note something else. The reason behind this claim is simple: rename the brand, and in some sense, erase the tragedy. Marketing is everything, and with a new brand that lacks scandal, consumers will give it a chance and trust it.
The Galaxy Note 7 was a smartphone that had all the confidence one could place in high-end productivity phablets. It was the pinnacle of the mobile experience, the device that combines unique functionality with eye-catching design – the phone that few have striven to emulate; those that do find it difficult, if not downright impossible, to match. And now, with the second recall, many see what was once the shining star of the Android smartphone world now in infamy. A rebranding could help this phone start over, retaining the functionality that made it unique while giving a new name that may produce a better long-term reputation.
Being in a product business where you’re the manufacturer involves mass-producing products. The goal is to have worldwide acclaim, which means producing devices, in this case, smartphones, for the world market. In mass production, there are a few “lemons” that don’t come out the way they should. Manufacturers don’t intend to make faulty products, but there’s always a slight possibility that someone will end up getting that “lemon.”
Samsung finds itself in an even worse situation, however, because every Galaxy Note 7, from what can be surmised, is a “lemon” in this case. First, the batteries were defective, produced in-house by Samsung. And yes, for Samsung’s bad batteries, Samsung is responsible. When you’re in charge of a product, it is your responsibility to see to it that the product is at its best. The reason behind the second recall is, equally, Samsung’s fault, due to an irreparable design flaw. The blame lies at the feet of the same company that brands its name on its products.
It is a costly mistake, beyond financial, since individuals were injured and the Galaxy Note brand along with it. And I am deeply sorry for those individuals who were injured and are so traumatized that they’ll never buy another Samsung Galaxy smartphone. And while these victims have physical and mental scars that can’t be undone, rebranding the Galaxy Note series won’t heal those scars any more than rebranding a car series after a terrible automobile accident will heal the scars of accident victims.
The Galaxy Note 7 recall happened: Note 7 owners packing up their phones in boxes to return to carriers, victims of explosions and burns, and the loss of funds and jobs (because, in situations like this, jobs will be lost) are all tangible evidences of a real tragedy. But for all of these evidences, the loss of the Galaxy Note brand wouldn’t undo or diminish the damage because nothing that’s said or done will ever erase the event.
A rebranded Galaxy Note series will not take away the pain many Note users feel as they are being “forced” to turn over the only phone on the market that they want because “nothing else will do,” they’ve told me. And to go even further than this, Samsung would have to essentially rebrand the company name to something else because, every time someone sees “SAMSUNG” on a product, they’re going to say, “Remember the Note 7 recall” and still laugh, mourn, or be disgusted by it.
But, I think that there’s an even better solution than rebranding the Galaxy Note series and the company name. What is it? A good comeback. What Samsung is doing at this point is taking steps to restore consumer confidence and trust in the Galaxy brand as a whole by giving financial incentives/credits for those who choose to stay in the “Galaxy”. Samsung has also scrapped the Galaxy Note 7 as a product, pulling it from shelves and discontinuing production on what is a flawed product beyond repair. Everything from apology videos to public apologies on blog posts from the Korean giant (as well as assisting victims and their families) in these two recent recalls are all steps in the right direction for a company that truly cares about its customers and what matters to them.
But there’s another step that Samsung must take: it is the step of a good comeback with an even better product in 2017. With a better Galaxy Note 8, Samsung will rise from the ashes and show consumers that it deserves a second chance, that the Note 7 was a huge mistake from a company that has given its best efforts in product design in recent years, that the Note 7 wasn’t “typical Samsung.” There will be little vindication overnight, but the same company that made such a huge comeback with the Galaxy S6, S6 edge, S6 edge+, and Galaxy Note 5 after the “disappointing” Galaxy S5 can do it again in 2017.
Any company can make mistakes, but few companies take those mistakes, learn from them, and rise above them. Samsung has made its mistakes, but now it’s time for Samsung to learn from them — and it’s time for the consumer market to give Samsung a second chance because second chances can be transformational. Samsung can’t erase the Note 7 recall, but it can move forward and make a redemptive Galaxy Note 8. The world market always loves a good comeback.
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