Monthly Archives: November 2010
If even 1% of new ideas succeed, it can lead to a huge payoff. A steady stream of ideas is what fuels Innovation, so one of Robert’s Rules of Innovation imperatives is Ideation, or the idea management processes. Continue reading
“Authentic” is undoubtedly one of most echoed words in the Social World nowadays – applied especially liberally when explaining to companies the means by which they should be conveying themselves to the broader world in order to be heard. The term seems seldom explained more than that, and yet the implications are deep. It amuses me to no end that the word “authentic” has staged such an emergent come back into our vocabulary – not least of which when used to describe a media and communication form so recently embraced for its ability to allow people to engage in an almost schizophrenic array of multiple online personalities. Ironic then, that in the current online world that we’ve created, where it’s so easy to be anyone or anything you can imagine, it’s never been so important to simply be yourself. That in a world of Avatars, Second Lives, and Virtual Worlds … Continue reading
Any list of the biggest challenges humanity faces would place energy near the top. Meeting the challenge will require immense creativity, determination, and the help of some of the greatest minds in the world. In order to power the future, we’ll need to create cleaner, cheaper, more dependable sources of energy. For this reason, Saatchi & Saatchi Russia has been working with an inspirational cause called the Global Energy Prize. Introduced in 2002, the Global Energy Prize has been awarded to 22 scientists from countries around the globe. Aimed at spurring groundbreaking research in energy, they award three prizes each year (adding up to almost $1M) for breakthroughs, discoveries and the large-scale achievements in energy science. Candidates are nominated by the greatest thinkers in the field, including Nobel Laureates for physics and chemistry, past recipients of the Global Energy Prize, and winners of the Kyoto, Max Planck, and Wolf prizes. … Continue reading
I was talking with an entrepreneur recently and he told me a story about their early days. The sold a bunch of their products to one of the local department stores, and they thought this was the big opportunity that they needed. But none of their stuff sold, and they couldn’t figure out why. So they went to one of the stores to see for themselves what was going on. They couldn’t find their things anywhere. Finally, after going through the whole store, they found their things in a department that to them seemed completely wrong. Here’s what he said about that: “That’s when I realized that we couldn’t sell through other stores, because they’ll put you in whatever box they think is right. We learned you have to make your own box.” And that’s exactly what they’ve done – they’ve made their own box. They’ve taken a product that … Continue reading
How can you keep up to date with the latest trends and directions in your industry? There are so many sources of potential information that you can be overwhelmed. You should certainly watch, listen and learn from the following: 1. Your customers 2. Your frontline staff (sales, marketing and customer service in particular) 3. Your competitors 4. Your trade magazines, shows and websites 5. There are also some generic trend watching sites that are worth browsing. Check out the following and see which are most useful in your sector: Fuld – Business and Competitive Intelligence Outward Insights – Competitive Intelligence PSFK – Trends and creative ideas in popular, consumer and business culture Springwise – Entrepreneurial ideas from around the world Science of the Time – A network of futurists and trend watchers Trendhunter – Trends and cutting edge ideas Trendwatching – Scans the world for emerging consumer trends The future … Continue reading
Innovation-capable Cultures Demand Respiration by Drew Marshall “The essence of a creative culture is openness, curiosity, connecting, collaborating, and courage.” – A.G. Lafley When faced with the challenge of creating a vibrant, innovation-capable culture, many organizations focus their efforts almost entirely on the front end of innovation. Their focus implies that innovation begins and ends with ideation, and their efforts extend little beyond the generation of vast numbers of ideas. Recently, A.G. Lafley, the former CEO of Proctor and Gamble (P&G), spoke at length at the tenth World Business Forum in New York City, about what it took for innovation to be revitalized in the company during his tenure. While the fuzzy front end received attention, it was not the only area of focus. He noted that for innovation to be truly successful, it had to become something the organization lived and breathed. It was not only about the inspiration … Continue reading
