Innovation: Can we all do it?

I've blogged before about the difference between problem solving and creativity here and here. These two concepts are different but very much intertwined. Essentially, problem solving is a reaction to something external whereas creativity is a response to something from within. What that something is, however, is extremely hard to identify and I challenge anybody to identify what it is without raising a stink.

This leads to the question: Are some cultures more creative than others? Do some cultures feel more compelled to make the world a better place? Or are we all supposed to just extract as much out of the world as we can for ourselves? Personally, I believe that we all have the potential to be creative, but much of our upbringing, the culture in which we are immersed, our history, our physical environment . . . and other external factors have a bigger influence on our ability to do so than many people will admit.

Whatever. Innovation doesn't much require a few smart people at the top or the careful nurturing of "gifted" children (what a sham that is!). I've said it before, but the true measure of a nation's innovativeness needs to take into account those people at the bottom of the pyramid.

Magic Making

This is a fantastic lesson for anybody working in marketing. There are so many themes here. Enjoy!



.

Taiwanese brands: AG Neovo

I had totally forgotten about this Taiwan-based brand, AG Neovo. This brand has actually been around for a long time (at least eight years), although it seemed to disappear off the radar for a few years. Why, I don't know. It seems to be making a reappearance, though.


I always thought that AG Neovo was a pretty good name choice. It connotes strength and confidence, don't you think? The AG element melded with the Neo element sends off a nice mix of past and future. Of course, the AG points to Germany, which is respected for its engineering prowess. And that abstract shape could be interpreted as a shield, suggesting that the brand has a heritage. Nice one! Does anybody know anything about this brand?

P.S. I just read in Obsessive Branding Disorder that in the former Soviet Union there were no brands -- at least in the form we have them today. It was essentially a brandless society. So what happened in this type of business environment? People learned that certain factories -- identifiable by a code on the product -- were better, or worse, than others at producing certain goods. Imageless commodities were pulled out and given one by the market -- they were branded. You can just imagine the dialogue:

A: This is a prime factory 03Z pork sausage my friend. I bought it especially for this occasion.
B: Gee, I can so not wait. Please pass the mustard.

[Note: I don't actually know if sausage was eaten with mustard in those days. It was a toss-up between mustard and mayonnaise.]

[Note: You can see a video from the author of Obsessive Branding Disorder, Lucas Conley, HERE].

Innovation and its antecedents

I'm a big believer that certain countries are adept at particular things and weak at others. You cannot be an excellent sumo wrestler and ballet dancer at the same time. It is this simple fact -- and the trading derived from it -- that drives global business. It's a win-win situation. Or to be more topical, a lose-lose situation. Sure, India, Brazil, India and China (the BRICS) are developing fast in certain areas, but do they have the essential elements in place to produce the next Mick Jagger? What importance is placed on the art's contribution to innovation in these countries? When assessing a nation's innovativeness, this metric needs to be considered. Another important metric is the nation's ability to accept and assimilate new migrants. Japan is now suffering economically from its desire to be "Japanese" in its post-war development. By contrast, the Roman empire got this one right.

Nationalism in combination with a rapidly aging and shrinking population are lethal to economies. Schumpeter was right when he argued that the dangers to capitalism stemmed not from its weaknesses but its strengths. The "rationalization of life" and the childless nations that this produces are the lethal by-product of capitalism's successes.

Back to music. The singer below, Aruna, sings her vocal line from an electronic track produced by The Thrillseekers (compare the two versions). This is a great example of how innovation occurs at the intersection. Analogue and digital. Robots and angels.



[Link] There is an interesting series on music and technology on the YWNC radio station. Issues include IP ownership, distribution, sampling etc. Good stuff!