Innovation Defined

Innovation is not just about having new ideas, it is also (mostly) about stop having old ideas.

If Money Didn't Matter (and it doesn't)

Don't Covet Your Brand

If you think your brand is more important than your consumers then good luck to you - you'll need it. Too many marketers have a "brand-obsession" - often at the expense of their most important asset, their customers. It's a good practice to repeat the mantra that the brand is "your promise to your customer." The key words here of course are "promise" and "customer." Yes, you are selling an experience - but that experience must be based on a promise, a consistent promise that you can deliver upon, time and again. In our business, we all talk about the same two brands - Apple and Nike. Look at Nike's advertising, they never talk about the product attributes. They made a decision to separate their commodity product by elevating the brand to be about beliefs, not products. They talk about what they believe in, not what they sell. Apple does the same. They believe in "thinking different." If you too believe in thinking different then Apple wants you as a customer. If you do not, they are fine if you buy someone else's product. The bottom line is that we talk about these brands so much because they put into practice what they believe - and consumers have responded in droves. However, an obsession with your "brand" can cause companies to take their eye off the real prize - the customer. More on that later.

Impossible Dreams

The impossible is what we want. We long for it like a highway desires an automobile accident to break the monotony of speed. Of course nothing is that simple. - Richard Brautigan (June 1963)

The Old Guys Knew Best

"A company in which anyone is afraid to speak up, to differ, to be daring and original, is closing the coffin door on itself." - Leo Burnett

Make It Count