# 086: Marketing Fundamentals for Consumer Product Startups

- Show: [Product Startup](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup)
- Published: 2021-07-28
- Length: 51m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2021-07-28-086-marketing-fundamentals-for-consumer-product-startups
- Listen: https://productstartup.com/

## Summary

Michael Solomon, a marketing professor at St. Joseph's University and author of The New Chameleons, explains to host Kevin Mako that startups must start with strategy—identifying unmet needs—before applying the tactical 4Ps (Product, Place, Price, Promotion). Solomon argues that hardware companies should treat products as 'always in beta,' leveraging small initial runs to gather customer feedback and co-create value, rather than launching with feature creep. He emphasizes that pricing and distribution are strategic signals of quality, using DeWalt’s yellow branding and Bud Light’s market positioning as examples of successful category creation and perception management.

## Chapters

- [0:48](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2021-07-28-086-marketing-fundamentals-for-consumer-product-startups#t=48) Introduction: Michael Solomon and The New Chameleons
- [4:45](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2021-07-28-086-marketing-fundamentals-for-consumer-product-startups#t=285) Strategy vs. Tactics: Starting at the End
- [12:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2021-07-28-086-marketing-fundamentals-for-consumer-product-startups#t=751) The Deodorant Failure: Value vs. Novelty
- [18:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2021-07-28-086-marketing-fundamentals-for-consumer-product-startups#t=1124) Product in Beta: Co-creation and Feedback Loops
- [26:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2021-07-28-086-marketing-fundamentals-for-consumer-product-startups#t=1570) The 4Ps: Product, Place, Price, and Promotion
- [36:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2021-07-28-086-marketing-fundamentals-for-consumer-product-startups#t=2215) DeWalt, Bud Light, and Perceptual Mapping
- [43:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2021-07-28-086-marketing-fundamentals-for-consumer-product-startups#t=2626) The New Chameleons: Fragmented Identities and Hybrid Categories

## Topics

- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- St. Joseph's University (company)
- The New Chameleons (product)
- Black and Decker (company)
- Peter Drucker (other)
- DeWalt (company)
- Budweiser (company)
- Bud Light (product)
- Lego (company)
- Go fish (company)
- Chrysler (company)
- General Motors (company)
- Toyota (company)
- Lyft (company)
- Airbnb (company)
- Mary Kay (company)
- Amway (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Advice Line: What’s Your Value?](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-03-19-advice-line-whats-your-value) (How I Built This)
- [76: Tom’s Future Corner](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2022-01-12-76-toms-future-corner) (Thoroughly Considered)
- [Investor Spotlight: Hayden Williams, BrandProject](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-02-07-investor-spotlight-hayden-williams-brandproject) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [S2E07 A Coach for Entrepreneurs who Want to Launch Tangible Products to the Marketplace | Callye Keen](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2021-02-12-s2e07-a-coach-for-entrepreneurs-who-want-to-launch-tangible-products-to-the-mark) (Being an Engineer)
- [Hardware Entrepreneurs: 3 Critical Mistakes You Must Avoid](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2022-06-21-hardware-entrepreneurs-3-critical-mistakes-you-must-avoid) (Predictable Designs Podcast)

## Citing this page

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