Devonfield

Technology

We are now at a precipice of a technological tipping point, undermining or revolutionizing online and brick-and-mortar businesses, depending on the right strategic approach. Technology can be a powerful vehicle in delivering information and marketing ideas. Devonfield acknowledges the relevance of technological advancements, but we also understand that these innovations are nothing more than a medium to distribute content. While devices and software will continually change, the importance in creating excellent content and powerful storytelling will not. Whether it is a film, book, product or initiative, a well-crafted message is what counts. Creativity and storytelling is at our foundation, which is why we primarily focus on these two areas. Whether it is an eBook, a digital film or virtual reality, we never lose sight of quality.

 

Nevertheless, we support and collaborative with many innovators and tech-savvy pioneers to stay current with trends and monitor breakthroughs. As strategist, we research and forecast where society is headed and how technology will play a role. We invest in research and support innovative companies that align with our values. Devonfield also collaborates with many corporations in Silicon Valley, a region born through the merging of a skilled STEM research base (housed in local universities), abundant venture capital, and Stanford University’s influential leadership.

 

Now home to many of the world's largest high-tech corporations, Silicon Valley is the headquarters of Fortune 1000 companies and thousands of startups. The Valley accounts for one-third of the United States’ venture capital investment and has become a “startup ecosystem for high-tech innovation” and scientific development. Recently, the region employees almost a quarter of a million information technology workers and has a business ethos that supports ideas, innovation, and entrepreneurship. That is what makes it unique and brings people together from all over the world.

 

When Devonfield launches a product, we take into consideration all factors: timing, demographics, trends and technology. We understand that for any successful campaign, whether a film, book or educational initiative, it takes strategy, positioning, momentum and the right medium, often in the form of retailers, partnerships, online networks and current innovations. Positioning is crucial: finding the right target market (early adaptors). From here, Devonfield can move a grassroots project into a national campaign then transition it globally. Writer Geoffrey Moore refers to this process as crossing the chasm, when a company must first focus on a single market (a beachhead), win domination over that market and use it as a springboard into additional markets.

 

Attributing this strategy to tactics used during the WWII D-Day landings, this model is as applicable today as ever. However, before a beachhead can be established, it is imperative to understand each category of adopters and their buying motivations: Innovators (2.5%), Early Adopters (13.5%), Early Majority (34%), Late Majority (34%) and Laggards (16%). The best way to cross the chasm is to identify a single beachhead in a mainstream market segment and accelerate the formation of the whole product. This represents a product amplified by everything a customer needs while offering a compelling reason to buy: the minimum set of products and services necessary to guarantee the target customer, capturing Early Adopters, then the Early Majority. Although each niche is like a foreign market, a company could break into these markets by understanding what makes them work, fixing problems early on and finally boosting sales.

 

“I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction.”
- Albert Einstein