Brief Summary In the late 1990s, web portal Excite had the chance to acquire Google’s search technology for under $1 million. Excite’s executives, however, worried that Google’s superior search would cause users to leave the Excite site faster, hurting ad revenues. Believing the new search wasn’t significantly better than their own, Excite walked away from the deal. In hindsight, this decision, essentially passing on Google, is often cited as one of the worst business mistakes in tech history. Google went on to become a trillion-dollar giant, while Excite faded into obscurity. Company Involved Excite was once a leading internet search

Brief Summary Clayton Christensen and his team helped a fast-food chain discover that morning commuters were “hiring” milkshakes to make their boring drives more engaging and stave off hunger, while afternoon customers wanted something different. By reshaping the product based on those distinct “jobs,” the brand significantly grew sales and set a new standard for product positioning. Company Involved McDonald’s Marketing Topic Public Reaction or Consequences Customers noticed a more satisfying morning shake, but what made waves was the shift in corporate thinking: moving from demographic-based design to a deep focus on customers’ real-life contexts. Why It Matters Today Recognizing