MMP over MVP — one letter makes a difference

Minimal … Product — what is it really?

With innovative brands and traditional companies embracing more of the best practices of the startup/disruptor world — agile, funnels, customer journey, networks, and now “product to market” approaches, it’s important terms are understood — MVP often used much abused …

Thanks to a great image on MVP and listening to what users/clients want, from @MargaretMolloy :

I have been hammering my own teams (execs, direct reports and etc …), agencies and developers, and companies I advise, lately on the idea of MMP (minimum marketable product) over MVP. Yeah it’s just a “letter” but it sets expectations on one hand that are never met by the builders when MVP is used. If the MMP does not fulfil a market need, that is of enough critical mass to get customers to buy, love, come back and use etc … it’s not of much value to the business and long term growth, test market scenarios aside. ‘Build and they will come’ is just a nice line in a great movie.

MMP please or at least use the image above when explaining MVP!!!

Thanks Margaret, you always provide clarity and simplicity where confusion can rein.

UPDATE Nov 14th.

So I am very interested to see a real-time test of MVP vs MMP and it’s called Ello (the somewhat hyped anti-FB social network — that’s me being cheeky — don’t take offense). I am in the second wave of users, my good pal Ritesh beat me into first wave on this one, anyway the intitial feedback from the early adopters (influencers) is a real mix bag. I put this down to hype being ahead of an MMP and it caturing Ello at MVP, whether that was by design (no pun) or not, for funding or other reasons. The bottom line is will the second wave stay on Ello (the dreaded DAU/MAU usage metric) and will they bring back some of the first wave who have been silent (no strong data here — just my quick look at their last posts and content in some of those posts from the usual suspects in my network) and will Ello move to next phase of growth via the network effect — plenty to chew over the next few months.

Interested in your thoughts on Ello as an MVP or an MMP?