First Mover Advantage and Branding: Apple versus Blackberry

Problem Statement / Purpose of the Case
The problem highlighted in the case exemplifies the demerits of solely depending on a single strategy, like First Mover Advantage (FMA), and not evaluating the status of the firm on a regular basis. The purpose of the case is to showcase the significance of building brand equity, which can even overtake the benefits of FMA, for a firm to succeed in the long run.
Key Issues of the Case
Intense competition, the importance of achieving sustainable competitive advantage, strategies employed to do so, the ease of replication, the need for strong branding, sustainability of FMA, and techniques to sustain FMA are the key issues discussed here.
SWOT Analysis

Problem / Success Factors
The main problems mentioned in the case are – (i) Transient Nature of FMA: Even if a brand attains first mover advantage, other brands may soon tap into the same market and strive for market share. So sustainability of the advantage is a big challenge for the brands. The brand managers’ task is a never-ending one since today’s brand may become tomorrow’s product and vice versa. (ii) Fig 1.1: The Product Life Cycle of a Technology –Based Product
Expected versus Augmented Products: Though a brand can set benchmark in the industry by augmenting the product, soon as all other brands offer the same products, the product becomes an ‘expected one’. Now some other firm may set the new industry standards by augmenting the product further. (iii) Limited Product Life Cycle: The nature of the industry itself is such that constant innovation is required. Fig 1.1 demonstrates the PLC of technology-based products.
The success factors of the case are – (i) First Mover Advantage: By identifying the latent need and offering a product that fulfills the need adequately, brands can get