Generally speaking the least effective attack is a full-frontal assault. Whether the attack is a massive price discount or simply calling your competitor an idiot, there are almost always better, more nuanced ways to engage and dislodge a competitor. Don’t get me wrong, there are times when it’s necessary to punch a competitor in the nose… but not very often. We recently commented on Jonathan Tang’s full frontal assault on Salesforce.com. We questioned his judgment and it appears rightfully so, as he just handed the keys of his business over to Greg Gianforte of RightNow.
SanDisk now steps up and decides to take on Apple and it’s IPod franchise with this totally in your face effort. Any attack, whether direct or indirect must be thought out three moves… your opening move, your competitor’s response, and your counter. While SanDisk’s effort is cute I have to wonder what the strategic calculus is driving the campaign… assuming there is any. Will SanDisk succeed? Can’t tell unless you know what the next moves are… if any.
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