Monthly Archives: June 2011
Today’s innovation is not only about speed, it’s also about simplicity and combining the whole in elegant realization in the right timing. Continue reading
WC Fields was always an exceptionally gifted performer. But some of his most unforgettable performances took place off-camera. Like most actors in the start of their career, Fields found himself a little short of cash. A problem? Not for him. The non-traditional Mr. Fields simply created a “Blue Ocean” job for himself in Atlantic City, one summer, as a professional drowner. Here’s how it worked: Several times a day, Fields would swim out to sea, pretend to be drowning, and then be “rescued” by one of his accomplices, the lifeguard. Invariably, a large crowd would gather on the beach as the no longer struggling actor was “resuscitated.” Once it was clear that this poor fellow was going to live, the suddenly relieved crowd would turn to Field’s third accomplice, the hot dog vendor, (who just happened to be standing nearby) and treat themselves to an “I’m-so-glad-he’s-alive” snack. At the end … Continue reading
Leonard Stern, the inventor of the “World’s Greatest Word Game” Mad Libs, passed away today at the age of 88. In his honor, I’ve created an “Better Brainstorming” Mad Lib. Mad Libs – as a creativity tool – always provided immediate benefits of being creative and imaginative. I loved that about Mad Libs. The more creative you were with your words, the better the pay-off with the final story. Download Download this Brainstorming Mad Lib and play at the office! [PDF, 228kb] Background Mad Libs was a fun part of growing up. It was a treat mom would buy to help pass time while we were taking family road trip vacations. To think up the silliest (and most gross) nouns, verbs, and adjectives would always create explosions of laughter. A recent New York Times story reports how Stern, a writer for TV comedy shows in the 50s came up with … Continue reading
Having been able to participate on this Panel for the AAAS Forum on Science and Technology Policy, I can attest to the relevance and timely value of the strategies offered by both Rob Atkinson and Richard Bendis – building a National Innovation Strategy and leveraging a cluster strategy across the nation. These are necessary baselines should America even want to remain on the global innovation playing field. Leadership in the Knowledge Economy, however, will require even more… Simply stated, we have reached the law of diminishing returns on competitive strategy. There is a new game in town – the art of ‘collaborative advantage’. Some nations and regions are already learning how to harness this kind of positioning in the new networked interdependent world. China enjoys over a decade of experience with their Knowledge Innovation Program (KIP) – a cornerstone of their economic strategy. India – via its Confederation of Indian … Continue reading
Chances are when you’re wandering around your local store doing your weekly grocery shop there are brands you gravitate to. Without a second thought your trolley fills with brands that have a familiar spot in your cupboards at home. And you feel happy about that – happier than if you’d actually bought the exact same products under a different label, because these are the brands that mean something more to you. They fire positive emotions that inspire loyalty. Some may even be Lovemarks. BBC food journalist Alex Riley recently dug deep into the emotional connection we have with our favorite food brands (check out Alex’s blog). With a simple experiment he confirmed what we’ve known for some time – if you love the brand, the product actually tastes better. Effectively, your mind has seasoned it with love. He then sought the help of Professor Gemma Calvert of Neurosense – a … Continue reading
Besides Steve Jobs’ well-publicized announcement of Apple’s new cloud and music storage service on Monday’s opening day of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple also announced that their new operating system, Mac OS X 10.7 Lion would be priced for download at $29. What’s interesting about this is that is represents an almost 80% price cut from their previous OS version (Cheetah – priced at $129). The obvious question to ask is why has Apple chosen to price what Steve Jobs called “the world’s most advanced operating system” at such a discount to previous versions? Even if you factor in that this $29 price is for the downloaded version only (distribution and packaging costs eliminated), it’s still a bit of a head-scratcher for me. Some have speculated that this represents a continuing strategy where Apple is focusing more and more on selling hardware and as a result, willing to under-price their … Continue reading
