Clocky: The Runaway Alarm Clock

Stephen Power
12252506
MSc Marketing Full-Time

Dr. Andrew Keating

Consumer Marketing
MKT40680

Background
In the autumn of 2004, an MIT Graduate Student named Gauri Nanda came up with an idea for an innovative alarm clock as part of an electronics project. Less than one year on, she was appearing on Good Morning America and the Today Show showcasing her innovation, which she had named Clocky. The factor that set Clocky apart from your everyday alarm clock was that, in addition to making a traditional alarm sound in the morning, it would roll itself off your nightstand and move around your bedroom at random. This would give the heaviest of sleeper cause to get out of bed, find Clocky and turn it off. However, Clocky was, according to Nanda, at least a year away from mass production when he (Clocky is masculine) was garnering all the media attention. This media attention coupled with the stage of development of Clocky has posed Nanda with a number of dilemma’s and challenges. This piece will provide solutions for Nanda’s challenges.

Introduction
In this piece, you will see each challenge facing Nanda broken up and dealt with on an individual basis. Firstly, Nanda faces a difficult dilemma in deciding what company should manufacture the product. This decision requires a balancing act between risk and cost. The second challenge facing Nanda is distribution and partnerships. What company should Nanda partner with to sell the product and how will this decision, in turn, affect the public’s perception of Clocky? Another tough dilemma facing Nanda is how and where to place the product in people’s minds. Picking a particular target market to aim for can prove to be detrimental for a product. On the contrary, it can also ensure the product has a long and successful life span, if chosen correctly. Finally, this piece will try