From Experience: Avoiding Marketing's Best‐Of‐The‐Best Specification Trap
Milton D. Rosenau · Journal of Product Innovation Management · 1992
Too often companies fall into a trap when developing a list of performance specifications for a new product. Milton Rosenau calls this the best‐of‐the‐best specification trap. The problem arises whenever a company bases a specification on the combination of the best single features observed in available competitive products. When this happens, the new product's design is driven by competition and is not derived from a unique market insight. This may not provide the basis for a sustainable advantage. Sometimes, rumors of competitive improvements may even lead to sudden changes in the specification, creating delays in the development process. A far better goal is to develop a specification that responds to an unrecognized and unfilled user need, one that adds high value to users. His points are illustrated with several examples.