David Armano Is My Hero
Author’s note: I’m a friend and fan of David Armano. He is also a graduate of my agency, Digitas.
I love the Dell speaker’s definition of Innovation: Escaping Corporate Terminal Velocity, or the fastest speed at which the corporation can move.
I love that someone from P&G (which lives in the world of CPG or Consumer Packaged Goods) is talking about the need to innovate beyond the physical product. For so many CPG companies, the vision starts and ends at the product level (rather than the process level or at the media level or at the infrastructure level). More companies need to understand that consumer relationships with brands are not about products at all. They are about the surround, the emotional connection, the excitement, the new, the news. The product is merely the vehicle.
Manish Mehta of Dell says that Michael Dell is less concerned with the ROI of emerging media and more concerned with learning. Yes, yes, yes, and yes. We’re living in an inflection point. Learning – through small scale tests and experimentation – is a part of the process. Jump in, get dirty and learn. It’s the only way to understand the real potential of the platforms in front of us.
Stan Joosten says successful innovation is proving or disproving a hypothesis. Keep the size of the experiment small so that you have the freedom to explore it. (Again, yes, yes, yes, and yes!)
P.S. David, nice job moderating!