What Went Wrong...
Examining the missteps of various software products across industries reveals common pitfalls that can derail even the most promising innovations. From inadequate market research and poor user experience design to insufficient testing and failure to adapt to technological advancements, these challenges underscore the importance of thorough planning and execution. The following section outlines specific cases, offering insights into how these factors contributed to their downfall and the lessons that can be gleaned to inform future endeavors.
Available Lessons:
200
Oath Ad Platform
AdTech
Verizon Media
Combined Yahoo and AOL’s ad platforms but failed to integrate technologies effectively, leading to inefficiencies and low ROI for advertisers.
WHAT WENT WRONG
Poorly executed platform integration
Confusion over branding and value proposition
SIGNALS MISSED
Feedback from advertisers about platform inefficiencies
Declining ad spend compared to competitors
HOW COULD THEY HAVE AVOIDED THIS
Streamlining technology stacks before public rollout
Clear branding and value communication to advertisers
TEAMS INVOLVED
Product, Engineering, Sales, Marketing
Microsoft Advertising Analytics (2015 Version)
AdTech
Microsoft
Promised enhanced campaign analytics but failed due to outdated UI and limited actionable insights for advertisers.
WHAT WENT WRONG
Weak analytics tools compared to Google Ads
Poor user experience with data visualization
SIGNALS MISSED
Feedback highlighting lack of competitive features
Low retention rates among advertising clients
HOW COULD THEY HAVE AVOIDED THIS
Developing analytics tools with actionable insights
Improving the design and usability of reporting dashboards
TEAMS INVOLVED
Product, Design, Data, Engineering
Constant Contact Social Campaigns
MarTech, AdTech
Constant Contact
The feature for running social media campaigns failed to compete with tools like Buffer and Hootsuite due to limited functionality.
WHAT WENT WRONG
Weak scheduling and analytics capabilities
Lack of differentiation from competitors
SIGNALS MISSED
Low user engagement compared to competitors
Feedback highlighting missing features like advanced scheduling
HOW COULD THEY HAVE AVOIDED THIS
Conducting competitive analysis before launch
Adding unique features to stand out in the market
TEAMS INVOLVED
Product, Marketing, Design, Engineering
Sizmek Ad Management Platform
AdTech
Sizmek
Failed to compete with Google’s ad-serving platforms due to technical instability and insufficient innovation.
WHAT WENT WRONG
Platform suffered from reliability issues during high-volume campaigns
Poor feature differentiation from competitors
SIGNALS MISSED
Rising customer churn due to performance issues
Lack of meaningful new features for large clients
HOW COULD THEY HAVE AVOIDED THIS
Investing in backend scalability for high-volume campaigns
Differentiating with unique features like advanced targeting
TEAMS INVOLVED
Product, Engineering, QA, Marketing
Google AdSense for Mobile Apps
AdTech
Struggled to generate meaningful revenue for publishers due to low-quality ad placements and intrusive formats that frustrated users.
WHAT WENT WRONG
Poor alignment of ad placements with user experience in apps
Ineffective targeting algorithms for mobile ads
SIGNALS MISSED
Negative feedback from developers about low revenue
User complaints about intrusive ads decreasing app engagement
HOW COULD THEY HAVE AVOIDED THIS
Testing ad formats that balance revenue with user experience
Developing better targeting algorithms for mobile audiences
TEAMS INVOLVED
Product, Engineering, Sales, Customer Success
Drift Video (Early Versions)
MarTech, AdTech
Drift
Video marketing tool failed due to poor performance analytics and lack of integration with major CRM platforms.
WHAT WENT WRONG
Weak analytics for video engagement tracking
Poor integrations with existing MarTech stacks
SIGNALS MISSED
Customer complaints about lack of meaningful data insights
Low integration rates with popular CRMs
HOW COULD THEY HAVE AVOIDED THIS
Partnering with CRM platforms for seamless integration
Enhancing video analytics capabilities
TEAMS INVOLVED
Product, Engineering, Customer Success