What's the difference between creating a category for just a specific product/service vs. for the entire company? (Micro vs Macro category creation)

I'm intrigued why 'creating a category' is the focus to the question. The market (users, competitors, analysts) will assign your products to a category based on the use cases and outcomes you deliver - It is very challenging for a business to decide it's in a new category and to bring that into reality. I remember the launch of Adobe Experience Platform (AEP) - Adobe wanted to create a new category, and there was certainly support from the AR community, however initial users and competitors firm ...Read More

I created the Zero Copy data sharing category — not theoretically, but literally: named it, built the analyst strategy, drove the Gartner evaluation process, and landed a Magic Quadrant leadership position for a category that didn't exist before we framed it. Here's what I learned about what makes a real category vs. a feature: A real category exists when the buyer's problem doesn't have a name yet. When customers are describing a pain using workarounds and analogies — "we have to move data befo ...Read More

I don’t see a difference actually, at least for technology companies. At the end of the day, customers don’t want your product, they want outcomes that your product (and company) help them derive.Few examples:• Uber/Lyft sell the ability to get from point A to point B without a car. The app is just a vehicle (pun intended).• AirBnB sells the ability to belong / feel at home anywhere in the world.• Etc.Start by deeply understanding your persona and work backwards from there. Understand the jobs t ...Read More

I don't think there's a significant difference. Ultimately, creating a category is about: Identifying a customer problem Reframing the way they think about it Presenting them with a fundamentally different and more compelling way of solving that problem. The fundamental goals are the same, regardless of the level at which the work is done. That said, I do think it can look different depending on where a company is in their evolution. For example: Phase 1: Initially, a company may start its categ ...Read More

A micro category is relevant for specific product/service as it provides a niche use case that the offering supports.  A macro category for a company is the high-level category that aligns with customer needs and expectations in the industry. Both micro and macro categories co-exist and it’s crucial to help teams understand the dimensions needed for both categories. Macro category can have breadth while a micro category needs more depth.  Eg: If the macro category is Integration Platform as a Se ...Read More