Topic 2: Marketing in the News

"Facebook Reportedly Wants to Steal The Home Speaker Show With A Device Of Its Own"

In the article I chose posted by AdAge, it talked about Facebook planning to sell a communication-focused tablet called Portal. Facebook is not retreating from competition by Google, Apple, and Amazon, so they plan to be ready by summer 2018 to start selling their device. Facebook's Portal would sell for $500, which is also more than twice the price of an Amazon Echo Show or LG's new Google Screen, and will be focusing on communication and video calls rather than being voice-assisted. Just recently, Facebook pulled back from the voice-assistant market by shutting down M, "its artificial intelligence-backed concierge service that was developed to compete with Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa." It is unclear whether or not their new product will include the Portal. Facebook, although, has made other consumer products such as Oculus Rift virtual reality gaming headgear, and their failed device of phones with electronic partners. In the end, it still remains to be uncertain whether or not Facebook can compete in this category of consumer goods with big rivals having head starts.

Facebook's value proposition of this idea definitely falls under the category of being unique, for they tried to bring a whole new light to technology and their potential competitors, while at the same time trying to please their consumers.

Bringing a new idea to an already existing product is risky. Thousands of new products are being made everyday, and there are high chances of all of them failing, but technology will continue to expand, and buyers will continue to pay for them. People want what is new and exciting, and that is what Facebook is considering bringing to the table. This is a hard scenario considering other existing products such as Google Home and Amazon's Alexa.

From reading this article, I learned that Facebook isn't just your ordinary social media site, but that they're also selling, and trying to sell products like their virtual reality game and the Portal. I learned that it is okay to take risks, and in fact it is encouraged. 

http://adage.com/article/digital/facebook-steal-home-speaker-show-screen-device/311897/