How Technology Makes Strange Bedfellows
How Technology Makes Strange Bedfellows
Partnerships between longtime rivals and seemingly incompatible industries often lean on tech to create mutually beneficial business solutions.
IBM and Twitter
This partnership makes sense because: Twitter needs high-performance analytics to showcase the impact on business value of its service. IBM is world-class at analytics, integrating complex systems and leveraging robust data set.
How the IBM/Twitter Venture Works
This partnership makes sense because: IBM helps Twitter turn tweets into business insights. Twitter gains credibility and companies tap it to help guide product development and plan manufacturing schedules.
How the IBM/Twitter Partnership Helps IBM
IBM provides a new set of tools, solutions and cloud-based data and analysis services that mine Twitter. IBM gains new channels into enterprises.
Apple and Microsoft
This partnership makes sense because: Apple wants to expand into the enterprise market. Microsoft wants to expand its mobile reach; Apple’s iOS mobile reach is seven times Microsoft’s.
How the Apple/Microsoft Partnership Helps Both
Microsoft helps Apple improve product performance on its platform. Apple reaches a bigger population of loyal MS Office users. Microsoft extends reach to Apple mobile users. Apple licenses its “look-and-feel” patents to Microsoft. Apple makes money through licensing and Microsoft gets help with mobile development.
Yahoo and Google
This partnership makes sense because: Yahoo needs to recapture market share and grow its sites. Google needs to protect its market position against increasing threats from Bing and other competitors.
How the Yahoo/Google Partnership Benefits Both
A non-exclusive advertising agreement gives Yahoo use of Google’s search and contextual advertising technology. That improves Yahoo’s search functionality for a better customer experience. It improves Yahoo’s ad sales proposition. Yahoo can offer contextually targeted ads on its Web properties and publisher partner sites. Google expands reach of its ads.
Tesla and Airbnb
This partnership works because: Tesla wants to alleviate customer anxiety about traveling long distances for charging stations. Tesla is aggressively building out its destination charging program. Airbnb becomes relevant to new, higher-end customer market via the Tesla luxury brand
How Tesla/Airbnb Helps Both
By bringing charging stations to select Airbnb homes worldwide, Tesla drivers will have more options for charging their cars. Airbnb promotes new features and incentives to its service offering. Tesla covers the cost of the charger, but not the installation. Low opportunity cost for Airbnb providers.
