Owning Customer Relationship
Companies that win in the Internet era do so by owning the customer relationship, which gives them power over suppliers.
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Amazon Health doesn’t seem like much now, but there are hints it could be the ultimate application of Aggregation Theory.
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Disney’s rumored acquisition of 21st Century Fox is all about competing with Netflix; whether or not that is a good thing depends on your frame of reference.
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The Internet has removed scarcity, meaning business models based on controlling distribution are no longer viable. Instead, the key to success is controlling access to the best customers — and that means being the best.
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Wearable Follow-Up, Google’s Amazon Problem, Marriott and SPG Combine Loyalty Programs
A follow-up about wearables to remind folks that the smartphone still matters. Then, why mobile is a struggle for Google, illustrated by Amazon. Plus, Marriott and SPG are finally together, and it’s clear they (rightly) want to own the customer relationship
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Google, Uber, and the Evolution of Transportation-as-a-Service
The competition between Uber and Google has broken out into the open: who has the advantage in the evolution of transportation-as-a-service, and who will likely win?
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Dollar Shave Club and the Disruption of Everything
Dollar Shave Club is a textbook example of how the new Internet economy will destroy value in incumbent industries.
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Netflix Earnings, Netflix and the Aggregation Dream
Netflix’s earnings were disappointing for reasons characteristic to disappointing earnings for all service companies. For Netflix, though, the stakes are higher.
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Airbnb Raising Money, Airbnb and Hotels?, Airbnb Sues San Francisco
Airbnb is raising money, and if you view them as an OTA competitors, the valuation makes sense. Still, the company needs to address its externalities problem, and hotels could help.
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TV Advertising’s Surprising Strength — And Inevitable Fall
TV advertising is having a good week at the upfronts, and it may be more resilient than expected. That, though, means the crash will be even more abrupt.
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Microsoft and Apple Double Down
Both Microsoft and Apple made news yesterday, and while one was unexpected and the other predictable, both are effectively doubling down on their strategies. And both may not matter.
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Google’s Go-to-Market Gap
Google is unique in that their business was built on being the best. The company, though, benefited from the open web. That is not the case in mobile.
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Antitrust and Aggregation
The European Commission’s antitrust case against Google is likely to be the first of many against aggregators, because the end game of Aggregation Theory is monopoly.