3.4 Product launch and evaluation

"Effective product launch is a key driver of top performance, and launch is often the single costliest step in new product development. Despite its importance, costs and risks, product launch has been relatively under-researched in the product literature" (Di Benedetto, 1999). How true this is. Much of the research has emphasised the 'fuzzy' front-end activities and there is little on the critical back-end activities; in fact many PD Process models show seven or nine steps but only one for product launch!

There are three important parts of the launch - strategy, activities and demand outcomes (Guiltinan, 1999). The demand outcomes sought from the launch of the new product set the basis for strategy and the activities, and of course in the actual launch the strategy and the activities determine the sales outcome! This interrelationship between strategy, activities and demand outcomes is the major basis for planning the launch. The other important factor to consider is the evaluation and control of the launch; no matter how extensive the predictions for a launch, the unexpected always happens and there is a need for an evaluation and control plan.