| Strategic Inflection Points are subtle changes in the | | | | 8. Cabbage Patch Kid - 1983 |
| environment. If one is notable to monitor or identify | | | | 9. Baby Born - 1991 |
| New Emerging Technology or Shifts in Consumer | | | | 10. Barbie "Happy Holidays" - 1990s |
| Behavior, one may find its products and services | | | | We grow up with Toys and Models, Strategic |
| becoming redundant and obsolete in the market | | | | Inflection Points here were: |
| place. | | | | Strategic Inflection Points - Toys & Models |
| Strategic Inflection Points - Fountain Pens | | | | 1. Magic Lantern - 1900 |
| By 1900, the main principles for a successful fountain | | | | 2. Noah's Ark - 1900 |
| pen had been established: | | | | 3. Clockwork ship - 1904 |
| 1. A reservoir for ink. | | | | 4. Steiff teddy bear - 1905 |
| 2. A filling system. | | | | 5. Meccano - 1910 |
| 3. A method of supplying ink to the nib. | | | | 6. Hornby train set - 1920s |
| Finding the most successful challenge, with 3 | | | | 7. Dinky cars - 1930s |
| American companies - Parker, Waterman and | | | | 8. Scalextric - 1950s |
| Sheaffer - dominating the market. The design of the | | | | 9. Robby the Robot - 1956 |
| fountain pen has not relied solely on the demands of | | | | 10. Lego - 1958 |
| engineering, for aesthetics have also played an | | | | 11. Star Trek - 1977 |
| important role. The look of a fountain pen, its size, | | | | 12. Transformer robot - 1980s |
| weight, color, and the materials used in its | | | | 13. Thunderbirds - 1992 |
| construction all contribute to its success. | | | | 14. Playmobil 1 2 3 - 1990s |
| Despite the ascendancy of the cartridge pen and ball | | | | 15. Power Rangers - 1994 |
| point pen and gel pen, the nostalgic tastes of a | | | | 16. Tamagotchi - 1996 |
| fountain pen ensure the desirability of the fountain | | | | 17. Teletubbies - 1997 |
| pen both as collectible item and functional tool. | | | | 18. South Park - 1997 |
| 1. Waterman Eye-dropper - 1903 | | | | Guitars, the good old fashioned Acoustic faced |
| 2. Parker Lucky Curve - 1916-23 | | | | Strategic Inflection Points due to New Emerging |
| 3. Conklin Crescent Filler - 1923 | | | | Technology: |
| 4. Parker Pearly Vacumatic - 1935 | | | | Strategic Inflection Points - Guitars |
| 5. Parker 51 - 1948 | | | | 1. Gibson Style O - 1908 |
| 6. Parker 61 - 1956 | | | | 2. National Style O - 1926 |
| 7. Sheaffer Pen for Men - 1960 | | | | 3. Rickenbacker Electro Spanish - 1932 |
| 8. Montblanc 149 Masterpiece - 1970 | | | | 4. Gibson Les Paul Gold Top - 1952 |
| 9. Parker 180 - 1980 | | | | 5. Fender Stratocaster - 1954 |
| 10. Parker Duofold [1929] - 1994 | | | | 6. Gibson Double - 12 - Late 1950s |
| Let us now look at Strategic Inflection Points of the | | | | 7. Stienberger Bass - 1982 |
| Jukeboxes: | | | | 8. Ibanez - 1990 |
| Strategic Inflection Points - Jukeboxes | | | | Wristwatches, so common, faced the following |
| Coin-in-the-slot music machines were already well | | | | Strategic Inflection Points: |
| established by the time the golden age of the | | | | Strategic Inflection Points - Wristwatches |
| jukebox dawned in the 1940s. While the designers of | | | | 1. Oris Big Crown - 1910s |
| this era such as Paul Fuller, are particularly revered, | | | | 2. Waltham - 1920 |
| design aficionados are beginning to play closer | | | | 3. Cocktail watch - 1930 |
| attention to the two decades that followed. | | | | 4. Bulova Accutron - 1960 |
| The machines of the rock 'n' roll era - with which the | | | | 5. Oyster Perpetual - 1965 |
| jukebox has become synonymous - scream teenage | | | | 6. Speedmaster - 1969 |
| rebellion with their blatant use of flashy automobile | | | | 7. Lasser digital - 1970s |
| looks. The bold, bright colors of these classics are | | | | 8. Gold watch - 1970s |
| probably the first thing to cross most peoples minds | | | | 9. Casio digital - 1990s |
| on hearing the word "jukebox". | | | | 10. Seiko Kinetic - 1990s |
| 1. Polyp hon - 1900 | | | | 11. Omega Seamaster - 1995 |
| 2. Wurlitzer 1100 - 1948 | | | | The Automobile Industry faced the following |
| 3. Wurlitzer 1800 - 1955 | | | | Strategic Inflection Points in Cars: |
| 4. Se burg KD200 - 1957 | | | | Strategic Inflection Points - Cars |
| 5. Rock-Ola Tempo 1475 - 1959 | | | | Few things map the development of design better |
| 6. Rock-Ola Reg is 1495 - 1961 | | | | than a car. |
| 7. Ami Continental 2 - 1961 | | | | 1. De Dion - Bouton Model Q - 1903 |
| 8. NSM Nostalgia Gold - 1995 | | | | 2. Model T Ford - 1908 |
| Motorcycles had various Strategic Inflection Points | | | | 3. Rolls Royce 40/50 - 1907 |
| because of New Emerging Technology: | | | | 4. Citroen Traction Avant - 1934 |
| Strategic Inflection Points - Motorcycles | | | | 5. Auburn 851 Speedster - 1935 |
| Designers continue to exploit the latest materials and | | | | 6. Volkswagen Beetle - 1939 |
| technology to enhance performance and provide a | | | | 7. Citroen 2CV - 1948 |
| safe ride. | | | | 8. Bentley R-type Continental - 1952 |
| 1. Werner - 1901 | | | | 9. Mercedes - Benz 300SL - 1954 |
| 2. Excelsior 20R - 1912 | | | | 10. Fiat 500 - 1957 |
| 3. BMW R32 - 1923 | | | | 11. Buick Roadmaster - 1957 |
| 4. Megola Racing Model - 1923 | | | | 12. Cadillac Eldorado Convertible - 1959 |
| 5. Harley - Davidson Knucklehead 61EL - 1936 | | | | 13. Chevrolet Impala - 1960 |
| 6. Triumph Speed Twin - 1939 | | | | 14. Citroen DS - 1960 |
| 7. Indian Chief - 1947 | | | | 15. E-Type Jaguar - 1961 |
| 8. Vincent Black Shadow Series C - 1949 | | | | 16. Volvo P1 800 - 1961 |
| 9. Honda 50 Super Cub - 1958 | | | | 17. Porche 911 - 1963 |
| 10. Honda CB750 - 1969 | | | | 18. Ford Mustang - 1964 |
| 11. Harley - Davidson Evolution FLTC Tour Glide | | | | 19. Pontiac GTO - 1964 |
| Classic - 1989 | | | | 20. Ferrari Dino 246GT - 1969 |
| 12. Kawasaki ZZ-R1100 - 1990 | | | | 21. Mazda RX7 - 1978 |
| 13. Husqvarna TC610 - 1992 | | | | 22. Volkswagen Golf GTi - 1976 |
| Remember the good old fashioned Vinyl Disc which is | | | | 23. Audi Quattro Sport - 1983 |
| now being threatened by Digital Technology: | | | | 24. Renault Espace - 1984 |
| Strategic Inflection Points - Music Systems | | | | 25. Ford Ka - 1999 |
| Today, the digital technology threatens the vinyl disc | | | | The Perfume Industry faced the following Strategic |
| with obsolescence. | | | | Inflection Points. Certain perfumes have lasted over 8 |
| 1. Graphophone - 1900 | | | | decades and are as fresh as ever. Credit goes to |
| 2. Pathe gramophone - 1908 | | | | New Emerging Technology. |
| 3. Selecta portable - 1920s | | | | STRATEGIC INFLECTION POINTS - PERFUME |
| 4. Bermuda Dansette - 1950s | | | | 1. L'heure bleue - 1912 |
| 5. Braun Phonosuper SK55 - 1956 | | | | Blend of roses, irises, vanilla and musk. |
| 6. Beogram 4000 - 1972 | | | | Positioned as Romantic perfume. |
| 7. Philips compact disc player - 1983 | | | | The Baccarat glass bottle reflects this romanticism. |
| 8. Denon Stacking System D-90 - 1995 | | | | Art Nouveau swirls at the shoulders of the bottle and |
| 9. Beosound 9000 - 1999 | | | | delicately drawn label, the design suggests sensuality. |
| Toothbrushes, so common, yet face Strategic | | | | 2. Chanel No 5 - 1921 |
| Inflection Points due to shift in Consumer patterns: | | | | Remains the essence of Simplicity. |
| Strategic Inflection Points - Toothbrushes | | | | It is square, with a plain wedge stopper and a minimal |
| 1. Early Toothbrushes - 1900s | | | | white label. |
| Bone Handle + Natural bristles | | | | 9 stages involved in sealing the fragrance in the |
| 2. Plastic toothbrushes - 1930s-40s | | | | bottle, including the placement of the wax-drawn CC |
| 3. Radius - 1984 | | | | at the neck. |
| 4. Modern toothbrushes - 1980s-90s | | | | 3. Zenobia - 1924 |
| Designers now compete over the details: | | | | The design of this bottle is resonant of nostalgia for |
| A. Most eye-catching colors | | | | the 19th century. |
| B. Most comfortable grip | | | | Every element is intended to suggest a sweet, |
| C. The optimum angle and reach | | | | natural, floral fragrance, from a rather syrupy name, |
| D. The best bristle combination | | | | Sweet Pea Blossom, to the combination of pastel |
| 5. Fluocaril - 1989 | | | | colors used on the label and the pink bow tied around |
| 6. Electric toothbrush - 1990 | | | | the neck of the bottle. |
| Dolls, a girl child's best friend had the following | | | | 4. Jabat - 1939 |
| Strategic Inflection Points: | | | | The stopper is finished in the shape of a knotted |
| Strategic Inflection Points - Dolls | | | | bow and the base of the bottle resembles the skirts |
| 1. Schilling doll - 1900 | | | | of a petticoat fanned out across the floor. |
| 2. Kewpie - 1913 | | | | 5. Jean Paul Gaultier - 1993 |
| 3. My Dream Baby - mid 1920s | | | | The perfume is molded in the shape of a woman's |
| 4. Tyrolean dolls - early 1950s | | | | torso, pinched and pushed into shape by a corset. |
| 5. Barbie - 1959 | | | | 6. DNA - 1993 |
| 6. Barbie "Airline Stewardess" - 1963 | | | | The bottle is shaped like the double helix form of |
| 7. Action Man - 1964 | | | | DNA. |