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Rita McGrath

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December 21, 2010

When life hands you lemons…AOL Style

What can you say about a 25-year-old web portal that has lost its grip on the public imagination?  I refer of course to AOL, which for many of us was our first introduction to the joys of the Internet.  It's iconic "you've got mail" tag line even became a well known movie!

I still log on to my aol account every now and then, and had to smile, darkly, at one of their latest promotions.  They have "freed up" millions of usernames.  That is marketing speak for millions of people dropping their service.  The good news for you, oh prospective customer, is that the dream username you always wanted but that was taken by someone else may actually now be available! 

Oh well, I guess if you have reversals you might as well try to make the most of it. 

Filed Under: Business Strategy, Innovation Flops, News Archives

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Rita McGrath Group
P.O. Box 7286
Princeton, NJ 08543

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