The success of the Candy Crush Saga app business model can be attributed to the perfect combination of the identical components of fun and pain that fit in the short attention span of customers (Shanley). This bite-sized entertainment convinces users to pay for extra levels because of their psychological vulnerability that cannot withstand the “coercive monetization” in free-to-play games (Sapieha). When a player has difficulties with passing a certain level of the game, he or she is forced to pay money to pass it, which is a genius strategy.
Candy Crush players are different from those that play video games in that they usually play on their way to work; moreover, the number of women playing the game is larger than those with consoles (Misener). The four components of Candy Crush’s value proposition are offering free content, keeping it fresh, creating a need, and offering customers an incentive for social media sharing (Shanly).
Interactive Studio is an innovative idea that allowed for the collection of customer data and their shopping habits. The value proposition of the business is tremendously interesting: while customers acquire information about events, promotions, and new shops, businesses get data about what real customers usually buy (Feibel). Such a win-win model can be tremendously successful in the future, which can present a basis for a new business.
The Lean Startup business model is a unique strategy that offers companies a way to develop and manage a new business in a way that will deliver a desired product to the customers faster; furthermore, lean startups are more effective in engaging prospective customers into the process of product development. Lean startups are very different from traditional businesses in that they always evaluate the market before the business plans and put a tremendous focus on the resources available to them. To be more precise, business plans in lean startups usually start with studying the market to determine the potential to make a profit, while traditional business models start with a plan and then assess whether the proposed product could make a profit in given market conditions.
Steve Jobs’ speech “How to live before you die” given at Stanford University included some of the most inspiring messages an entrepreneur could learn. I liked the idea of “connecting the dots” concerning any aspect of one’s life. As mentioned by Jobs, one cannot be successful in connecting the dots by looking forward in the future; it is only possible to do that looking backward (“How to Live Before You Die”). Therefore, an entrepreneur should have an enormous level of trust in anything he or she desires to achieve, and it makes a tremendous difference.
The stories told by entrepreneurs such as Jobs always mention the belief in one’s powers and the trust that the new endeavor would succeed. As an entrepreneur, I would like to adopt a similar mindset and have some level of trust in my powers, even in cases when I fail. If one works hard and has a unique idea, the dots will connect in the end. Currently, so many people are afraid to proceed with an innovative idea and start up a new business because they lack trust in what they can do as entrepreneurs. While being afraid is a completely normal human emotion, I would like to be more open to new opportunities and believe that with extra effort comes success.
Works Cited
Feibel, Adam. “Digital Directory Startup Pointed in Right Direction.” Obj, 2016, Web.
“How to Live Before You Die.” TED, 2005, Web.
Misener, Jessica. “Candy Crush Exec Reveals the Game’s Biggest Secrets.” Buzzfeed, 2013, Web.
Sapieha, Chad. “Candy Crush Saga: Why You Play And Why You Pay.” Financialpost, 2013, Web.
Shanley, Mia. “How Candy Crush Makes So Much Money.” Business Insider, 2013, Web.
Shanly, Caitlin. “5 Inbound Marketing Practices You Can Learn from Candy Crush Saga.” Impactbnd, 2013, Web.