Innovation88

88

INNOVATION

Advertising agency joke.

How many creatives does it take to change a lightbulb? Does it have to be a lightbulb? Jim Stengel, left Procter & Gamble after working as their Global Marketing Offi cer, to set up his own consultancy. In his new book, he writes that it’s people and innovation that are the two most important elements of successful brands.

Innovation, from the Latin for doing new stuff, means constantly thinking of bringing in new ways to do better, never deciding that what you’ve got is good enough, so you can sit back relax and watch it sell. Someone more innovative will overtake you. Fortunately innovation is part of human nature.

The idea Steve Zades runs an organisation called the Odyssey Network. As you can probably guess from the name, he takes people on voyages of discovery, although his aren’t as dangerous as the original (and you don’t have to kill anyone when you get home).

He organises journeys for business executives and creative teams to different countries, to experience cultural and commercial innovations outside their own industries.

He also creates innovation events, bringing creative minds from around the world to the same place to share ideas. Steve believes in

a new ROI, return on innovation, and that it’s a brand’s innovation strategy that will keep it going and growing.

In practice • Give 20% of your resources to innovation. That’s one day of the working week for everyone. • New ideas have got to come from somewhere, and it’s not usually from sitting at your desk looking at Google. Get yourself and your people out and about. • Ideas can come from watching contemporary dance, walking the dog or learning Japanese. If you restrict yourself to your own industry, it puts boundaries on your innovation. Take time for new experiences, and you’ll fi nd ideas you never knew you were looking for.