Assignment:
Case: GoPro Your Next Big Wave or Snowboard Run
A little over a decade ago, Nicholas Woodman, an avid $500 million. GoPro recently exceeded Sony in video cam- surfer and adventure sports lover, strapped a camera onto corder sales and claims a 21 percent market share in the his wrist with some rubber bands and Velcro so that he video camcorder s nationwide. The company's phe- could show his friends actual surfing footage. Today, his nomenal growth has attracted investors, including Foxconn, company, Woodman Labs, based in San Mateo, California a Chinese electronics manufacturer and maker of Apple's makes the GoPro camera, which can be attached to a car iPhones, and GoPro recently went public. rooftop, bike helmet and handlebars, surfboards, and snow- Before GoPro, only professional photographers could boards. Woodman refers to his GoPro camera, which sells capture pictures and videos. But GoPro's small size and for $200 and up, as a "life" camera durability, not to mention its high-quality footage, allows After two failed start-ups and the experience of losing anyone to capture an activity easily. other people's money, he decided to bootstrap his com any. With $30,000 Surfers, skaters, skydivers, and adventure seekers his parents, he in savings, and a $235,000 loan from are not the only ones with an attachment to Woodman's effort involved started Woodman Labs. His earliest sales gadget. GoPro products are used in a wide range of shows along peddling the small camera at surf and trade settings. Film industry veterans and Hollywood directors a following the California coast. Eventually, he developed keep GoPros on set. The military uses GoPro in its training Woodman in a small niche of sports enthusiasts. Soon exercises. Even professional athletes like snowboarder and REI, was noticed by the likes of buyers at Best Buy Shaun White, who once taped cameras to his hands to film who were well aware of his his runs, use Woodman's GoPro camera Since the camera initially arrived on the thrill seeking moments that would be scene, sales have doubled annually, with sales in excess of difficult to recreate
Questions:
1. If you were in Woodman's shoes, what creative ways could you think of to promote and gain traction for your new gadget?
2. Discuss your thoughts on Google Glass and the wearable computer that can record everything. What are the pros and cons of this type of recording ability? What would be additional uses for the GoPro camera?