Tips from the Trenches: Trae Vasallo on Launching Well

Recently on my blog, I shared some of the details of my interview with Trae Vasallo, General Partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB).  As I mentioned, I wanted to get her perspective both on coaching women (and btw, the tips are applicable to men as well!) and launching great technology companies.

We talked for a while about the launch process and who’s doing it well.  Trae’s perspective is that good marketing is as is important as good product.  Yet we tend to dismiss it here in Silicon Valley.

Trae believes that a great product needs a great story to be successful (hear, hear!).  She used Nest, one of her portfolio companies, as an example.

Nest designs learning thermostats.  I know, I know … I can hear your eyes rolling.  But seriously … take a look at their site.  Like their product, it’s sleek, well-designed, sexy.  Anyone who can make a thermostat sexy is brilliant in my book!

The site is open, inviting, easy to read and easy to figure out.  Best of all, within a few moments, I WANT one.  And I mean WANT one.  It’s a thermostat for Pete’s sake.  But all of the sudden, I am lusting after a sleek little piece of hardware, lured in by the design, feeling good about saving money and the planet at the same time.  This is great marketing at its very finest.

Always interested in seeing great marketing examples – what’s yours?  Let us know of other great examples, like Nest, of well-told stories around a great product or service.