Summary : Winfried Kaiser is the perfect example of a technical marketing master
Winfried Kaiser (2008) is the perfect example of a technical marketing master
- B-school marketing doesn’t work in hi-tech because you must integrate development with it
- A master understands how to take the technology and core strengths of his company and forge them into solutions for customers
- The master must be able to build a bridge between technology and core strengths of his company, as well as those of his customers
- Winfried’s defining moment came when chip makers were trying to push ahead to 248nm DUV tools
- He made a very gutsy call: ignore them and focus on an i-line solution
- It wasn’t really that gutsy, for Winfred knew that the technology and infrastructure for DUV was not going to come together on time--all he had to do was wait for the industry to step back to i-line
- He gained the upper hand for Zeiss and ASML because competitors were just listening to customers and doing what they were told
- The true grit and brilliance came from holding to what he knew and believed and ignoring the customer on things they were not qualified to talk about
- That’s an extremely thin tightrope to walk and he does it all the time, saving untold amounts in development costs
