ABSTRACT
Twenty years ago two inventors set out to improve upon one of the most ubiquitous of all inventions “the wheel.” Franco Sbarro and Dominique Mottas separately patented two new designs that eliminated the central hub. The appearance of the hubless (or centerless) wheel is striking and with the development of prototype cars, motorcycles, and bikes, developers were excited about the prospects for their really new products (RNPs). In fact, the website for the Osmos orbital wheel touts such positive keys to success as: “level of innovativeness, use improvement, market stability, broad target market, and competitive prices and quality” such that “the success of the product will be guaranteed.” Of course, these products have yet to make a dent in the approximate 4 million wheels that are produced daily around the world, highlighting the challenges that even something as straightforward as “reinventing the wheel” does not guarantee success in the marketplace. In fact, we would like to assert that, with respect to RNPs, the decisions managers face about marketing strategies play an important role in the success (or failure) of an RNP.
