Tips On Being An Innovative Brand
Being an innovative brand—easier said than done. But it can pay off big time!
Of course, one of the first companies that comes to mind regarding innovation and originality is Apple. But they’re certainly not the only innovative big brand. Google has revolutionized the Internet in more ways than one, and that’s not all they’ve been working on. Did you know they have a (not-so-secret) secret division called Google[x] that focuses on testing out farfetched ideas involving future technology? For example, check out Project Loon that aims to bring internet access to the entire world via gigantic balloons floating in the stratosphere. Very cool.
We can’t all be like Google. But the good news is that you don’t have to have an unlimited budget or worldwide staff to create something that will blow people away. Start small and steady today by creating products or marketing campaigns or customer service techniques that show off your ingenuity and innovation.
A few tips on being an innovative brand:
- Anticipate consumer needs. Innovative brands focus on improving consumers’ lives with new offerings (services/products/tools/etc.) options, not just making their existing offerings better. Or said another way, solving known problems or gaps in the market is great, but that’s simply keeping up with the Jones’. What needs do your consumers have? Even better—what needs do they have that they don’t even realize they need yet?
- Anticipate the future. Don’t just think about the future relating to your own industry or products and services. What global events, technology, or trends in other industries are going to impact your consumers? Will your innovation survive trendy “fads” 5 years from now? 10? 20?
- Don’t just innovate to innovate. To support your brand, innovation needs to be in alignment with your corporate purpose and values, and intended to positively impact individuals and a greater community in whole.
- Create a brand culture to support innovation. Does your company celebrate ideas from employees and others? Or allocate innovation only to a select few at the top? More importantly, do you have the infrastructure in place to execute on innovative ideas? And by all means, make sure you have a balance of idea monkeys as well as ring-leaders.
Who knows, maybe someday your brand will be the one launching enormous internet-carrying balloons into space!