Clocky

Executive Summary The last encounter most people have before going to sleep is with their alarm clock. The first encounter most people have the instant they wake up is with their alarm clock. Yet there have been no major innovations in the alarm clock industry since the 1950s (Ofek & Sherman, 2007). The dependence of humans on their alarm clock, the drive for a creative innovation, and the technical skills provided at MIT were all contributors to the invention of Clocky by 27-year old Gauri Nanda. Clocky is an alarm clock that jumps off the desk and starts rolling on the floor beeping, hence forcing the owner to get out of bed to turn it off. Nanda was blitzed by the media even before the product hit the markets. By generating merely a prototype and posting a couple pictures on the web, Nanda seemed to have solved the problem many people have getting out of bed early in the morning. However, considering her low budget and resources, lack of experience, and the seemingly high demand in the market place, producing Clocky and marketing the product was tricky. Since the product needed at least another year to be fully developed, Nanda faced a challenge whether or not to keep up the hype or let it die out. She also faced multiple challenges concerning what portion of the population to target, and what type of market to make Clocky accessible to.

Case Analysis

Nanda’s business model for Clocky faces multiple weaknesses and inherent challenges that pose a threat to the success of the product. Considering the financial and time constraints she is already under, prioritizing her threats could play a key role in delivering the product to the market with appropriate timing. First, Nanda needs to address the timeframe for her launch of Clocky in order to ensure that her product is readily available to the public during holiday season. In exhibit 8 of the case (Ofek & Sherman, 2007), studies show that Clocky would be a booming gift item; therefore Nanda would need to

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