What is a game changer?
Last night I received an unsolicited text message from Vodafone informing that Samsung had just released their Galaxy 4S. Vodafone cooed “it looks like a game changer”. Last week it was Dominos Pizza who insisted that new toppings (toppings others already had) and a square base (competitors already have those too) were ‘game changers’.
The noun Game Changer is being used a little too liberally at the moment, and lest it creep into our vernacular to such a degree that university students use it to describe skipping the train and catching the bus instead, I thought I’d attempt to use photographs to illustrate my understanding of game changers:-
First Digital Camera
Alessandro Volta’s Voltaic Pile – First wet cell battery – 1800
Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler’s first car
Orville Wright’s “epoch-making” invention
1892 – First Phone Call
Thomas Edison’s 1879 invention U.S. Patent 223,898 – The first commercially practical incandescent light
Johann Zahn’s first camera 1685
George Eastman’s flexible film roll in 1889 (the image is of his dry plate camera)
Lee De Forest’s vacuum tube (valve amplifier) 1910
Professor Leonard Kleinrock and the IMP (Interface message Processor – The Internet) 1969
We believe these are game changers and perhaps you can come up with a few more from your industry. In a world where the threat of deflation is ever present, it seems even the term ‘game changer’ is not immune. Its value is eroded by the threat of ubiquity. Our message to Samsung, Vodafone and Dominos is unchanged; putting camembert cheese on a pizza or making a phone bigger maketh you a game changer not.
Roger Montgomery is the Founder and Chairman of Montgomery Investment Management. Roger has over three decades of experience in funds management and related activities, including equities analysis, equity and derivatives strategy, trading and stockbroking. Prior to establishing Montgomery, Roger held positions at Ord Minnett Jardine Fleming, BT (Australia) Limited and Merrill Lynch.
This post was contributed by a representative of Montgomery Investment Management Pty Limited (AFSL No. 354564). The principal purpose of this post is to provide factual information and not provide financial product advice. Additionally, the information provided is not intended to provide any recommendation or opinion about any financial product. Any commentary and statements of opinion however may contain general advice only that is prepared without taking into account your personal objectives, financial circumstances or needs. Because of this, before acting on any of the information provided, you should always consider its appropriateness in light of your personal objectives, financial circumstances and needs and should consider seeking independent advice from a financial advisor if necessary before making any decisions. This post specifically excludes personal advice.
Andrew Legget
:
Doing things that your competitors have been doing for a while isn’t game changing it is catching up. One can’t help but wonder whether they have run out of ideas or no that they are late to the game so putting in a big effort in the hope no one will notice.
The pictures you have above are game changers, you could say Steve jobs and apple created some modern day game changers but until Samsung develop a way to communicate telepathically or dominoes develop a way to electronically download pizzas onto your plate or capsules tht turn into pizzas and sell at woollies I am yet to see anything game changing.
Ben Malone
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Its going viral!
There is a new “game-changer” here in the UK too… government support for home-buyers to stimulate demand (READ: debt). See: Budget 2013: Property market moves seen as ‘game-changer’ – http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3280aa70-914e-11e2-b839-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2O667Vozv
“Planned to start in January 2014, the chancellor said that government guarantees of £12bn should be sufficient to support £130bn of high loan-to-value mortgages over three years.
Second, a “Help to Buy” equity loan will be extended to all home buyers purchasing any new-build homes up to a value of £600,000, regardless of their personal incomes.”
I thought it was the game of high loan-to-value mortgages without regarding to borrower incomes that need changing, not the other way around?
Roger Montgomery
:
Indeed Ben!
Charlie Dalziell
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The Ipod and the Iphone were certainly game changers. Think music stores for the first and Eriksson for the second.
From and Australian perspective the Cochlear implant comes to mind. Others Aussie game changers include the refrigerator – 1856, the underwater torpedo – 1854, mechanical clippers – 1877, the electric drill – 1899, the notepad 1902, feature film 1906, the tank – 1912, the pacemaker – 1928, the ute – 1934, Hills hoist – 1945, Solar hot water – 1954, Black box flight recorder – 1958, Ultrasound – 1961, inflatable escape slide – 1965, Frozen embryo baby – 1984 and WiFi – 1992.
Roger Montgomery
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A terrific list! Thanks Charlie.
Nathan Manzi
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Hi Roger, Please don’t forget the reverse cycle air conditioner, adding productivity and increasing electricity bills the world over.
Jake Van Praag
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Thank you Roger, I was not the only one… Deleted the sms with the thoughts of ‘what a load of rubbish’.