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 28, 2026

What is a product?

Products

Product lifecycle

Product lifecycle

Product lifecycle

Product lifecycle

Lifecycle management

iPhone 18

iPhone

iPhone sales

iPhone Models

Model	Implied Positioning	Price
iPhone Duo	Largest iPhone display; foldable	1,999+
iPhone 18 Pro	Ultimate performance and battery life	$1,199+
iPhone Air	Thinnest ever, Pro power inside	$1,099
iPhone 17	Even more delightful, even more durable	899
iPhone 17e	Amazing performance, durable design	$699
iPhone 16	Just the way you want it	$799

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