The Problem with Innovation

Posted by Aideen McGrath on March 05, 2010 in Innovation, Strategic thinking with 0 Comments

Very few innovations are the result of a happy accident. There might be the odd ‘eureka’ moment at the annual ‘away day’ with the whole company or a moment of unfettered genius surfaced through ‘crowd sourcing’ with your loyal Twitter followers, but by and large innovation doesn’t usually come about that way.

From a brand marketing perspective, innovation is really about "doing something new". It's that simple. The best brand innovations tap into a pocket of timely opportunity, sensing emerging consumer trends that their brand could have a play in. Take Apple iPhone - a glorious, shining example of brand innovation that revolutionised the world of mobile.

What Apple did was very smart, but super simple. They looked at their existing portfolio of products (iPod), cross-referenced with their strengths as a company (smart designers that make gorgeous products, world-class software engineers), looked to emerging trends in society (rise of the use of internet on mobile phones + Nokia's domination of that market) and hey presto, you've got the iPhone. Sprinkle the product innovation with some marketing innovation (no leaks of product spec or pictures thank you, invite key blogger and top-tier journalists to Apple conference where they can play with the product and spend time among Apple evangelists - all rosy and not a dry press release in sight).

But most companies aren't Apple. Apple is in effect Steve Jobs, the ultimate decision maker so the company is nimble and can make decisive action pretty quickly. The reality is that many companies tie themselves up in knots about innovation. They procrastinate, they deliberate on several hundred opportunities, they run feasibility checks on all of them, they cost it out exponentially, they procrastinate some more...and then they find that it's too difficult or too costly to make their innovative ideas a reality. The opportunity - however slim - is lost.

It's the 'what if...' problem, or so says author Scott Anthony who sat down with a massive global giant recently to review new business growth ideas. After 15 minutes, the group surfaced 'an abundance' of problems that brought the bright beginnings of opportunity to a shuddering end. Shame that.

Anthony suggests that we replace never-ending analysis and feasibility checks with early action. "Figure out the quickest, cheapest way to do something market-facing to start the iterative process that so frequently typifies innovation. Be prepared to make quick decisions, but have the driver of the decision be in-market data, not conceptual analysis. In other words, go small and learn."

I agree. These days companies don't have the time to waste over-analysing - the market moves too quickly, the consumer won't wait for you to play catch up. At H+A we recently launched INNOVATE, a bespoke creativity and strategy workshop for clients that gives them the headroom and access to a panel of experts that will help them think in new ways, offer them fresh direction, confirm what they're doing right, explore opportunities for doing something new.

Albert Einstein once said, "To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science."

If I dare to build on Einstein's thinking, I think innovation boils down to latent curiosity. Brands must remain vibrant and curious about what makes their brand unique, what makes it stand out, what makes it famous in the eyes of the customer, what makes them want to keep coming back for more and tell their friends about it?

If you want to get ahead leave 'status quo' to long haired rockers and scratch the very words from the dictionary. Instead, don't be afraid to play with fantasy, embrace your child-like spirit, be CURIOUS - that's the gateway to breaking out of the 'tried, the tested, the familiar' and embracing fresh ideas and innovation. Not necessarily change for change's sake, but change for the better.

Books I like, blogs I rate on this subject:

H+A's INNOVATE Centre, obviously...(shameless plug I know but it is our site...)
Eating the Big Fish, by Adam Morgan - a brand romp of a read with loads of examples of how the small guys grow to challenge the big guys
The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell - how the little things can make a big difference
Six Thinking Hats, by Edward de Bono - helps to unfreeze brain freeze and refreshing a tired perspective
PSFK - cool site and blog that features cool hunters du jour and bright new ideas

Aideen McGrath 's work with some of the biggest names in Web 2.0 (eBay, MySpace, Expedia) has fuelled her passion for social media. She gets her kicks from running high-energy, wacky brainstorm sessions and landing a ‘eureka’ creative that delivers.
Find out more at Aideen McGrath's Profile. Don't forget to subscribe if you'd like to hear more!

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