​Dyson is a brand that has flourished thanks to the functional superiority of its products - an example of the 'product leadership’ strategy within the 'Value Disciplines’ framework. Much like Richard Branson (founder of Virgin), Dyson’s founder, James Dyson, decided to focus on categories in which existing products delivered an unsatisfactory experience. These included wheelbarrows (which were unstable), vacuum cleaners (poor suction), hairdryers (overheating) and hand-driers (too slow). Dyson sought to understand how things work and what stops them working as well as they could. For example, he took his Hoover apart to learn why it lost suction over time and this helped him imagine a better solution after seeing how sawdust was extracted from the air in a sawmill (using the centrifugal force created by a vortex).

Dyson’s products not only offer functional advantages, but also have a distinctive, futuristic aesthetic. According to Mr. Dyson, the visual appeal of his company’s products stems mainly from the elegance of the engineering itself (inspired by US architect, Buckminster Fuller. He does admit, however, that transparent plastic and bold colours are deliberately chosen to accentuate the intrinsic beauty of the designs.

What to learn more? Try asking Virtual Dan White.
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