Products

Overview

Understanding the critical role of offerings to the customer relationship.

Presented by:
Larry Vincent,
Professor of the Practice of Marketing

Presented to:
GSBA 509
September 29, 2026

What is a product?

Products

Product lifecycle

Product lifecycle

Product lifecycle

Product lifecycle

Lifecycle management

iPhone 17 Pro

iPhone

iPhone sales

iPhone Models

Model	Implied Positioning	Price
iPhone 17 Pro	Ultimate performance and battery life	$1,099+
iPhone Air	Thinnest ever, Pro power inside	$999
iPhone 17	Even more delightful, even more durable	$799
iPhone 16	Amazing performance, durable design	$699
iPhone 16e	Everything you love, including price	$599

Product-market strategy

What is the difference between a product and a service?

Services

Services

Apple services

Service-Profit Chain

Source: The Service Profit Chain (Heskett, Sasser & Schlesinger, 1997)

NPS

The power of CLV

Exponential effects

Source: The Service Profit Chain (Heskett, Sasser & Schlesinger, 1997)

Service elements

Source: The Customer Service Solution (Dasu & Chase, 2013)

Virtuous cycle