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We’ve all sat through meetings where nothing gets done.\u00a0 For one reason or another, your team is tasked to come up with innovative new brand programs, but one idea after another is shot down.\u00a0<\/p>\nWe’ve all sat through meetings where nothing gets done.\u00a0 For one reason or another, your team is tasked to come up with innovative new brand programs, but one idea after another is shot down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Take a look at the 11 phrases that destroy brand innovation below, then ask yourself if you or someone on your team is guilty of saying one (or more) of them.\u00a0 If so, it’s time to adjust your thinking cap with an eye toward innovation and away from negativity.<\/p>\n
1. We tried that already.<\/strong><\/p>\n This is a big idea killer.\u00a0 It’s natural over the lifespan of a business that ideas will resurface.\u00a0 Just because an idea didn’t work in the past, doesn’t mean it can’t be retooled and be a big success in the future.\u00a0 Consider Apple which was failing in the 1990s only to revive its brand and product line to become a market share threat to Microsoft.\u00a0 What if Steve Jobs followed the, “we tried that already,” line of thinking?\u00a0 Would the new Macbook,\u00a0iPhone or iPod be available today?<\/p>\n 2. The executive team (or sales team, finance team, customer service team, etc.) won’t support that.<\/strong><\/p>\n Want to make a bet?\u00a0 Every idea has a chance if it’s put together well and presented well.\u00a0 If you can prove it has a chance to work, then go for it.<\/p>\n 3. The technology team can’t build or support that.<\/strong><\/p>\n The technology team might not want<\/em> to support something new, but that doesn’t mean they can’t<\/em> support it.\u00a0 If you can get executive buy-in, then tech buy-in is right around the corner.<\/p>\n 4. We can’t afford that.<\/strong><\/p>\n A compelling enough argument to the executive team to support a new idea might just get you some more money for your budget.\u00a0 Otherwise, you might be able to realign your existing budget to make room for a new project.\u00a0 Don’t say you can’t afford it until you take the time to analyze the numbers and know whether that’s true or not.<\/p>\n 5. No one wants that.<\/strong><\/p>\n How do you know no one wants it?\u00a0 Don’t assume consumers don’t want something until you ask them and let them try it first.\u00a0 Take some time to research the market, but don’t let that research become an obstacle (see #10 below).<\/p>\n 6. No one else is doing that.<\/strong><\/p>\n When I hear, “no one else is doing that,” I think “opportunity!”\u00a0 I don’t care if no one else is doing it or not.\u00a0 Is there a place for the new idea on the market?\u00a0 If so, go for it.\u00a0 What would have happened to Bill Gates if he said, “no one else is doing that,” when he envisioned everyone having a computer on their desks and in their homes all those years ago?<\/p>\n 7. The competition already does that.<\/strong><\/p>\n Can we do it better?\u00a0 Can we offer something more or a bit different that will make our version of the same thing the competition is doing more appealing to consumers?\u00a0 Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face, as the saying goes.\u00a0 Just because someone else is doing it, doesn’t mean there isn’t room for you to jump on the bandwagon and get a bit of that action!<\/p>\n 8. We’re not ready for that.<\/strong><\/p>\n Says who?\u00a0 An easy way to kill a business is to sit idly by while everyone else moves forward.\u00a0 Be ready for anything and you’ll succeed.<\/p>\n 9. The numbers show it won’t work.<\/strong><\/p>\n Recalculate.\u00a0 I need more than a few simple numbers to convince me.\u00a0 Prove to me it won’t work.\u00a0 If that’s the case, how can we make it work?\u00a0 Don’t give up after one round of number crunching.<\/p>\n 10. Let’s research it.<\/strong><\/p>\n In other words, “let’s pretend we’re going to research it, but nothing will ever get done, and the idea will never come to fruition.”\u00a0 While research is an important part of any new initiative, don’t let it slow you down or stop you unless the results of the research warrant a retooling or abandonment of an idea.<\/p>\n 11. Who’s going to take the blame if it doesn’t work?<\/strong><\/p>\n Sadly, this is what everyone in that meeting room thinks about as soon as a new idea hits the table.\u00a0 If it doesn’t work, someone is going to end up getting blamed for it.\u00a0 Because of that, most people fall to a strategy of inaction in order to fly under the radar, and many great ideas fall to the wayside.\u00a0 It’s imperative that the executive team fosters a spirit of innovation and an environment of learning rather than blame.\u00a0 How realistic is that?\u00a0 Probably not that realistic, but it’s nice to dream.<\/p>\n What phrase do you hear all the time that kills brand innovation faster than you can blink?\u00a0 Leave\u00a0a comment and share!<\/p>\n Image: <\/em>Flickr<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We’ve all sat through meetings where nothing gets done.\u00a0 For one reason or another, your team is tasked to come up with innovative new brand programs, but one idea after another is shot down.\u00a0 Take a look at the 11 phrases that destroy brand innovation below, then ask yourself if you or someone on your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2719,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[95,10,2],"tags":[988,100,110,946,139],"class_list":{"0":"post-2715","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brand","8":"category-ideas-and-trends","9":"category-resources","10":"tag-brand-innovation","11":"tag-brand-strategy","12":"tag-corporate-branding","13":"tag-marketing-budget","14":"tag-marketing-strategy","15":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\n