Category design
Notes and perspectives from the Value Proposition Studio.
Notes from the studio.
01 / Category design
Category design · Oct 8, 2026
GoPro built the action camera, then watched its crown become a standard
GoPro created and named a category, held about 75% of it, and fell to about 6% in three years. A Category King case on why the throne comes without tenure.
Read articleCategory design · Aug 28, 2026
Technogym sold a word before it sold a machine
In the early 1990s a fitness equipment maker from Cesena put "The Wellness Company" on its logo and spent thirty years making the word true. A case on category design, and on what happens when your category's name becomes everyone's vocabulary.
Channels · Aug 17, 2026
The Michelin Guide: a tyre company that gave people a reason to drive
In 1900 André and Édouard Michelin handed out a free guide for motorists. A case on building the channel that creates demand for your product, and the credibility that channel needs to survive.
Category design · Jul 28, 2026
Swatch in 1983: the cheap plastic watch that changed what Swiss meant
In March 1983, with the Swiss watch industry shrinking under cheap quartz competition, a plastic watch with 51 parts went on sale in Zurich. A brand history on category design, and on proof built into the way a product is made.
GoPro built the action camera, then watched its crown become a standard
GoPro created and named a category, held about 75% of it, and fell to about 6% in three years. A Category King case on why the throne comes without tenure.
Category design · Autopsy · In the news
Read articleTechnogym sold a word before it sold a machine
In the early 1990s a fitness equipment maker from Cesena put "The Wellness Company" on its logo and spent thirty years making the word true. A case on category design, and on what happens when your category's name becomes everyone's vocabulary.
Category design · Positioning · Brand history
Read articleThe Michelin Guide: a tyre company that gave people a reason to drive
In 1900 André and Édouard Michelin handed out a free guide for motorists. A case on building the channel that creates demand for your product, and the credibility that channel needs to survive.
Channels · Category design · Brand history
Read articleSwatch in 1983: the cheap plastic watch that changed what Swiss meant
In March 1983, with the Swiss watch industry shrinking under cheap quartz competition, a plastic watch with 51 parts went on sale in Zurich. A brand history on category design, and on proof built into the way a product is made.
Category design · Premise, promise, proof · Brand history
Read articleA Diamond Is Forever: De Beers designed a category, and lab-grown stones are testing it
In 1947 four words tied the diamond to the engagement ring. Seventy years later a machine can grow the same stone. A case on category design and on a value that depends on a story.
Category design · Pricing and scarcity · Brand history
Read articleOn Running: a shoe that wears its proof, and a champion who paid to join
A Swiss start-up entered a running market led by giants, put its technology on the outside of the sole and took Roger Federer as a shareholder. A case on visible proof and the weight of an investor's money.
Category design · Premise, promise, proof · Brand history
Read articleAperol Spritz: Campari sold a time of day, and the bottle came with it
Aperol was a regional bitter from Padua until Campari bought it in 2003 and put all its weight behind one drink. A case on designing a category around a ritual, and on owning a recipe you cannot patent.
Category design · Channels · Brand history
Read articleMagnum: the stick ice cream that changed who it was for
In 1989 Unilever put a thick Belgian chocolate shell on an ice cream on a stick and sold it to adults. A case on perceived benefits, willingness to pay and the category that followed.
Pricing and scarcity · Category design · Brand history
Read articleQuibi raised 1.75 billion dollars for a moment that disappeared at launch
Quibi launched in April 2020 with premium shows cut into episodes under ten minutes, built for phones on the move, and shut down six months later. A case on a premise that rested on a context, and a new format the market had no way to learn.
Adoption · Category design · Autopsy · Brand history
Read articleTwitter became X, and the verb went out with the bird
In July 2023 Twitter replaced its bird with an X and renamed tweets as posts. A case on the brand assets a rebrand can throw away, and on what a name carries that a logo does not.
Rebrand · Category design · In the news
Read articleNintendo Wii: the console that counted the people who did not play
In 2006 Nintendo launched a console with less power than its rivals, at half the price of the PlayStation 3, and sold more than 100 million. A case on a premise written for non-customers, and on how hard it is to keep them.
Positioning · Category design · Brand history
Read articleDubai chocolate: a category born on TikTok, and who gets to own it
A small Dubai chocolatier made a pistachio and kataifi bar, the internet named it after a city, and within a year the big chocolate makers were selling their own. A case on who owns a category born on social media, and scarcity as the product.
Category design · Pricing and scarcity · In the news
Read articleRed Bull: a Thai tonic, a new category, and the stories that sell the can
Red Bull brought a Thai energy tonic to Austria in 1987, built the energy drink category in the West and then began producing the stories that sell it. A case on category design and channels.
Category design · Channels · Brand history
Read articleOatly: a carton that argued with the dairy aisle, and a café that proved it
From 2012 Oatly rewrote itself as a voice against dairy, entered the US through coffee shops and went public in 2021, then struggled to turn the category it opened into profit. A case on category design and channels.
Category design · Channels · Positioning · Brand history
Read articleNespresso: the same capsule failed in offices and won at home
Nestlé launched Nespresso in 1986 and struggled for years, until the business stopped selling an office machine and started building a category: espresso at home, sold through a club and later through boutiques. A case on category design and the moat after the patents.
Category design · Channels · Moat · Brand history
Read articleDollar Shave Club changed how razors are sold, and the category followed
A 2012 video, a monthly subscription and a one-dollar price took on Gillette's hold on the razor market. Unilever bought the company in 2016 and sold a majority stake in 2023. A case on a channel and a price that became the category's premise.
Channels · Pricing and scarcity · Category design · Brand history
Read articleBlackBerry owned the keyboard, then the phone stopped needing one
BlackBerry led the early smartphone market with a physical keyboard and secure email for companies. After the iPhone the premise of the category changed, and the strengths that had built the lead stopped counting.
Category design · Adoption · Autopsy · Brand history
Read articleNokia sold four in ten of the world's phones and still lost the smartphone
At the end of 2007 Nokia estimated it held 40% of the global handset market. Six years later it sold its phone business to Microsoft. A case on how the strengths that protect a leader can hold it in place.
Category design · Moat · Autopsy · Brand history
Read articleApple Vision Pro: a flawless product nobody had a reason to use
The Vision Pro had the best designer, the strongest brand and excellent execution. The MOA Model explains why the market still did not come.
Adoption · Category design · In the news
Read article- 01GoPro built the action camera, then watched its crown become a standardCategory design
- 02Technogym sold a word before it sold a machineCategory design
- 03The Michelin Guide: a tyre company that gave people a reason to driveChannels
- 04Swatch in 1983: the cheap plastic watch that changed what Swiss meantCategory design
- 05A Diamond Is Forever: De Beers designed a category, and lab-grown stones are testing itCategory design
- 06On Running: a shoe that wears its proof, and a champion who paid to joinCategory design
- 07Aperol Spritz: Campari sold a time of day, and the bottle came with itCategory design
- 08Magnum: the stick ice cream that changed who it was forPricing and scarcity
- 09Quibi raised 1.75 billion dollars for a moment that disappeared at launchAdoption
- 10Twitter became X, and the verb went out with the birdRebrand
- 11Nintendo Wii: the console that counted the people who did not playPositioning
- 12Dubai chocolate: a category born on TikTok, and who gets to own itCategory design
- 13Red Bull: a Thai tonic, a new category, and the stories that sell the canCategory design
- 14Oatly: a carton that argued with the dairy aisle, and a café that proved itCategory design
- 15Nespresso: the same capsule failed in offices and won at homeCategory design
- 16Dollar Shave Club changed how razors are sold, and the category followedChannels
- 17BlackBerry owned the keyboard, then the phone stopped needing oneCategory design
- 18Nokia sold four in ten of the world's phones and still lost the smartphoneCategory design
- 19Apple Vision Pro: a flawless product nobody had a reason to useAdoption