The meaning of The Duck Song

A good example of the late adopter would be my discovery recently of "The Duck Song".

I say discovery on a purely personal basis, because currently 89 million people have seen it ahead of me on YouTube.

But what does it all mean??

My wife says it’s about the reluctance of children to try new foods.

I think it’s about the need for manufacturers and service providers to be responsive to changing market needs.

When I asked her, our ten year old daughter said “dunno… but it’s meant to be funny.”

Whatever it means, I believe it’s intriguing and has an innate poetry of considerable beauty.

Just in case you haven’t seen it, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtN1YnoL46Q

What does it mean for you?

“I’ve never tried it because I don’t like it”

A friend of mine was working on some new ads for Guinness when he heard a lady say this in a focus group. So he used it as a headline for a poster.

It seems to me to be the underlying attitude of the “late adopter” in so many fields. Reluctance to try something new because they don’t want to take a risk.

With new products, so much marketing effort appears to be expended on early adopters, who represent a much easier target - one that will get sales moving quickly and demonstrate to senior management that we have a success on our hands.

Yet by their nature, early adopters are fickle. They’ll pick up the next passing cab without a thought. Not the firmest of foundations.

The thing about the ones who never tried it because they don’t like it, is that, once tried and enjoyed, they will be tons more loyal.

So how to get them to take that step?