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The launch of Hey was a masterclass about how to create the right hype around a product that nobody cares or needs. They are genius selling themselves. But that

The launch of Hey was a masterclass about how to create the right hype around a product that nobody cares or needs. They are genius selling themselves. But that’s not enough because they aren’t able to find a product that people want in large amounts.

long11l 5y ago
Maybe I've been watching too much scam fighting on YouTube ala coffeezilla and a few other people. But the term "masterclass" alone on a product is a huge red flag immediately to me. Does anyone sell a product as a masterclass that is legitimate?
- logronoide 5y ago
  Not sure if I understand you correctly, but yes I think that the marketing campaign should never ever eclipse the product in itself. That’s how I felt when they launched it. From a product marketer point of view it was great. But from the product manager perspective I felt disappointed.
- coldtea 5y ago
  They don't sell anything as "masterclass" nor is the term used anywhere regarding their product. They sell an email service. What the parent meant was that the launch of their service was a "masterclass in marketing" -- ie. they promoted it very well.
coldtea 5y ago
>But that’s not enough because they aren’t able to find a product that people want in large amounts. Well, they built Basecamp and a few other products, which kept them going for close to 20 years with tons of paying customers (and even some Bezos investment), so there's that. Not to mention creating RoR...
- logronoide 5y ago
  I have explained my “boutique” point of view in a different answer. Hey should be the product to leave the “boutique” tag and it is not working.
  - coldtea 5y ago
    Why would they need to leave the "boutique" tag? Their whole philosophy is that you don't need to scale or sell out for VC money, and everything they did (and didn't do), is consistent with that. Hey is just another service, like Basecamp, for those that want to pay for it, to sustain a profitable business. Not some Gmail-level wanabee. I also happen to agree with that philosophy, considering eyeballs/VC/exit-oriented companies that aim for world domination poison and detrimental to consumers, to society, and to software. I'd also like to note that what you call "boutique" is what, for the most part of capitalism, and even in IT up to the late 90s, we used to call a regular business. Suddenly running a business with 10M-100M of revenue and a hefty profit is somehow an insult, and it's "boutique" or "lifestyle"...
    - logronoide 5y ago
      > Why would they need to leave the "boutique" tag? I don’t know why. But the purpose of the marketing campaign of Hey sent that message. I’m a big fan of non VC backed or boutique like companies (I have built and sold some of them), and it’s dangerous to send the wrong message to the market. I think that is what happened with Hey.
      - coldtea 5y ago
        >I don’t know why. But the purpose of the marketing campaign of Hey sent that message. Did it tho? I'm not so sure. It's a marketing campaign, they're supposed to hype a product. But if they were really going for this, it wouldn't just be pushed to their regular customers and nerd public. They'd get big VC money involved, make it free, push it much harder with ads everywhere, etc.
manigandham 5y ago
A major reason for the hype is because the company is known for making “a product that people want in large amounts.”
agd 5y ago
> But that’s not enough because they aren’t able to find a product that people want in large amounts. They’re a very successful and profitable company for 20 years. How is that ‘not enough’?
- logronoide 5y ago
  They are a “boutique” kind-of company. A boutique should excel in niche products (and they did until Hey). Hey was announced as a product to disrupt email and fix the email management problem. That’s not a niche product but a general purpose solution. What they announced (and they did it GREAT) did not match with the product features IMHO.

long11l 5y ago

Maybe I've been watching too much scam fighting on YouTube ala coffeezilla and a few other people. But the term "masterclass" alone on a product is a huge red flag immediately to me. Does anyone sell a product as a masterclass that is legitimate?

logronoide 5y ago
Not sure if I understand you correctly, but yes I think that the marketing campaign should never ever eclipse the product in itself. That’s how I felt when they launched it. From a product marketer point of view it was great. But from the product manager perspective I felt disappointed.
coldtea 5y ago
They don't sell anything as "masterclass" nor is the term used anywhere regarding their product. They sell an email service. What the parent meant was that the launch of their service was a "masterclass in marketing" -- ie. they promoted it very well.

coldtea 5y ago

>But that’s not enough because they aren’t able to find a product that people want in large amounts. Well, they built Basecamp and a few other products, which kept them going for close to 20 years with tons of paying customers (and even some Bezos investment), so there's that. Not to mention creating RoR...

logronoide 5y ago
I have explained my “boutique” point of view in a different answer. Hey should be the product to leave the “boutique” tag and it is not working.
- coldtea 5y ago
  Why would they need to leave the "boutique" tag? Their whole philosophy is that you don't need to scale or sell out for VC money, and everything they did (and didn't do), is consistent with that. Hey is just another service, like Basecamp, for those that want to pay for it, to sustain a profitable business. Not some Gmail-level wanabee. I also happen to agree with that philosophy, considering eyeballs/VC/exit-oriented companies that aim for world domination poison and detrimental to consumers, to society, and to software. I'd also like to note that what you call "boutique" is what, for the most part of capitalism, and even in IT up to the late 90s, we used to call a regular business. Suddenly running a business with 10M-100M of revenue and a hefty profit is somehow an insult, and it's "boutique" or "lifestyle"...
  - logronoide 5y ago
    > Why would they need to leave the "boutique" tag? I don’t know why. But the purpose of the marketing campaign of Hey sent that message. I’m a big fan of non VC backed or boutique like companies (I have built and sold some of them), and it’s dangerous to send the wrong message to the market. I think that is what happened with Hey.
    - coldtea 5y ago
      >I don’t know why. But the purpose of the marketing campaign of Hey sent that message. Did it tho? I'm not so sure. It's a marketing campaign, they're supposed to hype a product. But if they were really going for this, it wouldn't just be pushed to their regular customers and nerd public. They'd get big VC money involved, make it free, push it much harder with ads everywhere, etc.

manigandham 5y ago

A major reason for the hype is because the company is known for making “a product that people want in large amounts.”

agd 5y ago

> But that’s not enough because they aren’t able to find a product that people want in large amounts. They’re a very successful and profitable company for 20 years. How is that ‘not enough’?

logronoide 5y ago
They are a “boutique” kind-of company. A boutique should excel in niche products (and they did until Hey). Hey was announced as a product to disrupt email and fix the email management problem. That’s not a niche product but a general purpose solution. What they announced (and they did it GREAT) did not match with the product features IMHO.