Blue mountain cards survives
View PDF | Print View
by: al.sones
Total views: 207
Word Count: 457
Have you heard of Blue Mountain Cards? It all started back when ecards became big in the 1990s. Im not sure exactly how they built a business model on the idea of giving away a free ecard, but they did. What you must remember is that advertising revenue models were seen as very acceptable back then. This is a difference with todays focus on real revenue. However, with web 2.0, you could argue that its started all over again.
Ecards are a difficult business space for me to understand. This is the space that is eating the lunch from the old paper greeting card space thats been around forever and a day. In some ways its a normal case study of technology advancement over a paper based product. But you should look deeper. An ecard is not the same thing as a paper card. You buy a paper card at a store and physically write on it. Electronic cards are bought online and never touch paper. In this way, its a real product transition. So we are actually seeing technology change the wants and desires of the buyer here. This is not unique, just look at tvs, video games or any other electronic based market.
So what exactly did blue mountain cards do that was so special? Im not entirely sure, but I think that Blue Mountain Cards had a serious lead going into the game. They planned well.. It seems like the executives at Blue Mountain Cards new they were onto something big, but that it wouldnt last. So Blue Mountain Cards management decided to sell the company while everything was still red-hot. An amazingly well-timed move. Looking back, there are many things I wish I had done differently.
How is that in 2008 Blue Mountain Cards is still a going concern? You could argue that the management team at Blue Mountain Cards were the luckiest people on earth to have gotten such a valuation at such a time when that was seen as appropriate. I often wonder if management teams like that are really lucky or create luck due to their experience. The greeting card business is huge. Regardless of their underlying financials, this business made a name for itself in a multi billion dollar business space. I am betting that this is why they are still around today. Its a textbook case of building a brand in a new market. The part this is far from any text book case study is how they exited at the height of the crazy valuations. We should all be so lucky in our careers.
Related Links Greeting cards 123 -
About the Author
Learn the real scoop on greeting card sites, try www.SendPaperCards.com.
Rating: Not yet rated