Question

If a new platform leverages the existing user base of an established social network to gain its first participants, which strategy is being executed?

Accepted Answer

The strategy being executed is a piggyback strategy. This approach involves a new platform integrating with an existing, larger network to acquire its initial users rather than sourcing them independently. By utilizing the infrastructure, social graph, or established user base of an incumbent, the new platform reduces the difficulty of the cold start problem, which is the challenge of gaining early traction for a product with no initial users. A classic example is PayPal leveraging eBay&#x27;s marketplace to attract buyers and sellers, or Instagram initially allowing users to share photos directly to their existing Facebook and Twitter feeds to gain visibility among established social circles.

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If a new platform leverages the existing user base of an established social network to gain its first participants, which strategy is being executed?

The strategy being executed is a piggyback strategy. This approach involves a new platform integrating with an existing, larger network to acquire its initial users rather than sourcing them independently. By ....