On the back of my business card is a quotation from Nick Nagraponte. It goes like this, “Incrementalisation is the enemy of innovation”. It’s the cause of much conversation and not because people think it’s a conventional piece of wisdom but more because they want to know what ‘incrementalisation’ means. I placed it on the card because in terms of marketing it is an issue close to my heart.
Explore our historical blog articles for nuggets of wisdom (and random musings) from our crew.
New technology has always been a birth place for the marketing industry and the iPhone has been no different.
Having been exposed to the ‘behind the scenes’ side of advertising for years and having studied the persuasive techniques marketing companies use, I guess I am a little more cautious when it comes to advertising than most people. I analyse advertising and try to decipher what the advertiser was trying to achieve and what techniques they have used to do this, rather than just absorb it passively. To a degree I assumed this is what most people must do but after a discussion with some friends the other day I was proven very wrong.
I was delighted to be involved in a community tree planting event held over the weekend; a sentiment I’m sure was shared by my fellow volunteers. It was part of an event which Jack in the box, in partnership with GeoCatch, had been planning for months, and involved the sourcing and coordination of seven local sponsors to fund the supply of the trees and site preparation. I was actively involved in the planning and promotion of the event, and was so pleased to see it come together without a hitch.
One of the many things I learnt from my Dad was to look after your things so they last, and fix small problems before they become big expensive headaches. The same goes for brands, look after them right through from a cultural level to public relations, and of course the visual communication.
Countless times I have seen otherwise great business people who have taken it upon themselves to create their own design and advertising work. No doubt after years of being in business they have spent a fair amount of time working with marketing and design agencies and probably have a general understanding of what they need for their design. They probably have their own computer and some skills in a desktop publishing program too, so they think why not give it a go? Unfortunately what they fail to remember is their knowledge is only generalised and as a result their design looks that way too. Like most professionals, designers know the intricacies of their craft and have the experience and expertise, not to mention the correct tools to do their job in a professional manner.
Let’s face it…some ideas work well in isolation but has your concept got any more legs than that? Not every business can but if it is, then you’ll want to make sure you do it right from the very start.