Mark Tilden used to build robots for NASA to trash on Mars, but after seven years of watching the results of his work meet violent ends forty-six thousand miles from home, he decided to specialize in robots for earthlings. He left the space world for the toy world and teamed up with Wow Wee Toys Ltd. to create “Robosapien,” an intelligent robot with an attitude.^[297] The fourteen-inch-tall robot, which is operated by remote control, has great moves: In addition to the required maneuvers (walking forward and backward and turning), he dances, raps, and gives karate chops. He can pick up (fairly small) stuff and even fling it across the room, and he does everything while grunting, belching, and emitting other bodily sounds.

Figure 9.1. 

Robosapien is a robot with attitude.

What does Robosapien have to do with marketing? The answer is fairly simple: Though Mark Tilden is an accomplished inventor who has created a clever product, Robosapien wouldn’t be going anywhere without the marketing expertise of Wow Wee (certainly not forward). In this chapter, we’ll look at the ways in which marketing converts product ideas like Robosapien into commercial successes.