Tradionally, the first firm to commercialize a new technology has benefited from the unique opportunity to shape product definitions, forcing followers to adapt to a standard or invest in an unproven alternative. Today, however, the largest payoffs may go to companies that lead in developing integrated approaches for successful mass production and distribution.
Producers of the Beta format for videocassette recorders(VCRs),for example, were first to develop the VCR commercially in 1975, but producers of the rival VHS (Video Home System) format proved to be more successful at forming strategic alliances with other producers were reluctant to form such alliances and eventually lost ground to VHS in the competition for the global VCR market.
Despite Beta’s substantial technological head start and the fact that VHS was neither technically better nor cheaper than Beta, developers of VHS quickly turned a slight early lead in sales into a dominant position. Strategic alignments with producers of prerecorded tapes reinforced the VHS format further expanded VHS’s share of the market. By the end of the 1980s, beta was no longer in production.
按照惯例，第一个把新技术商业化的公司会从中获益，因为只有这一公司有机会给新产品下定义。这将迫使其仿效者适应这一规范产品或投资另一种未经检验的替代品。但是今天，只有那些以批量生产经销为目的，领先发展综合方法的公司才可能获得最大的收益。
例如，1975年，Bata录影带的生产商首次将他们的产品商业化，结果获得更大成功的却是其对手VHS录影带的生产商，因为他们与其他生产商和经销商建立战略性联盟来生产和销售他们的产品。然而，Bata录影带生产商为了继续独霸录影带的销售，对这种联盟的建立犹豫不决，最终在全球录影带市场的竞争下失去了一席之地。
Bata以价值巨大的技术占领先机，VHS在技术上不比Bata强，在价格上也不便宜，然而 VHS很快在重要领域的销售上略有领先。与磁带生产商的战略性联盟加强了VHS的优势。消费者认为VHS格式的磁带更容易买到，这也使得VHS获得了更大的市场份额。到80年代末，Bata已经停产了。
