Optical Distortion Inc. – Questions for Discussion

1. What characteristics of the ODI contact lens are likely to make it appealing or unappealing to different types of chicken farmers? [If desired, this question can be rephrased to include a specific reference to literature on diffusion of innovations.]

Appealing:
Like many other fowl, the chickens are social birds and their society has a definite social structure. They establish a hierarchical social organization, though fighting and pecking after the birds reach sexual maturity. The comb on the head of chicken is a means of preserving the peck order, and a submissive bird raising its head too high would be pecked by one or more its superiors until its head was lowered. The more productive strains tend to be more cannibalistic, even sometimes had to put a sack over the extremely productive one. In order to reduce chicken mortality due to cannibalism , the chicken farmers use debeaking, which doesn’t interfere with the formation of the peck order but reduces the efficiency of beak as a weapon. The debeaking process make the chicken subject considerate trauma resulting in a temporary weight loss and the retardation of egg production for at least a week. The debeaked chicken would enter a permanent regression or own its deadly weapon again if the beak is cut too short or too long.

Compare to debeaking operation, ODI contact lens which would cause cataract to poultry is the product to actually confront the cause of chicken cannibalization rather than just minimize its effects. And the red color environment caused by lenses affects the chicken’s ability to act out its aggressions. The installation of lens doesn't result trauma to the chicken as debeaking does, and it could install the lenses in about 225 chickens per hour without noticeable weight loss nor reduction in egg production. The lenses also help the chicken farmer save the investment on the feed cost due to the beak.

2. In what geographic areas should ODI focus its efforts?

3. On what market segments (in addition to geographic) should ODI focus its effor?

4. What pricing policy should ODI adopt?

5. What level of marketing efforts should ODI be considering? In particular, what information, incentives, and technical assistance will be required to induce (a) trial and (b) repurchase?

6. What's a realistic goal for ODI by 1978?