Also-Ran

One of the hardest communications tasks is to support a product that didn’t make it the first time in the marketplace — for example, this one. Once considered the salvation of Barnes & Noble, the company is now spinning off Nook into its own business and letting fate take its course.  Chances are Nook won’t be around in a few years as other reading devices and tablets outstrip it in functionality and market power.  Imagine yourself as the PR manager for Nook.  What do you do?  What do you say?  The usual technology publicity is not going to be sufficient to gain awareness and buzz needed to ignite sales.  Given the dire circumstances, there is freedom of action.  One has a license to try anything without much hope that it will work, but if it should, it could prove the salvation of the product and the company.  The PR practitioner and marketer who take on an assignment like this are motivated by lost causes and a chance to hit a home run in the bottom of the ninth with two out.  Just keeping the product alive will be success and gaining market share would be stunning.