This is by far my most fanciful idea blogged about yet! No marketing here (which is interesting - as most of my blogs have been marketing related despite the fact that I’m a scientist and have no marketing background what-so-ever).

If you’re like me, you’ve often asked yourself after saying or doing something, “What if I had said/done X instead of Y?” Well, WHAT IF you could at least get a response (either before or after) based on probabilities and characteristics of the person or entity you said(say)/did(do) X to?

The idea is that there’s a website/service that collects information either via a personality test or likes/dislikes and a test that posits a situation and gathers the responses. In this way, a database of likely responses based on personality could be built up. Then, you as a subscriber to the service could query, either before or after, WHAT IF, I had done/do this, what will the person/entity say? How cool would that be? No more wondering, hmm should I ask this girl to a movie or a walk in the park (maybe very useful for the socially-challenged).

A spin-off of this could be related to one of the ideas that’s always floating around out there in the ether. Easy ways to connect with/meet new people at social hangouts. You have your mobile device with your music, websites, facebook profile etc. on it and see someone you want to go talk to. Both devices being equiped with WiFi or Bluetooth, instead of going up to the person cold with no idea what they like and having to ask yourself WHAT IF? afterwards, you could find out from their mobile device what bands/books/movies they like and have an immediate ice breaker.

No Comments | Generation-Y wants, Gen-Y ideas, Open Innovation, New Concepts & Ideas | Email Article | Share on Facebook | del.icio.us | digg this

As the world and the internet fill up with so many companies offering the same product or service at comparable levels, one has to ask one’s self: ‘How am I ever going to be able to make an impact selling X to Y?’

One of the answers to this question is fashioning your company or service to appeal to a niche market. As consumers become more savvy about the product they buy and the corporation that sells it, having a reputation your potential consumer respects becomes incredibly important. And, with the internet and the multiple ways companies have to collect info on consumers, they can begin to target the customers who fall into their niche.

Take me for example, not only do I like to buy techno-gadgets and hip clothing, I’m also a active union member and have strong feelings on free trade agreements. A company that could offer me what I’m looking for while promoting their commitment to fair labor practices would, in my book, get at least a 10 to 15% advantage when comparing prices.

Effectively identifying the niche your company can appeal to, and then effectively communicating that information to the consumer, could prove to be an area of great growth and innovation in the years to come.

(This is where everyone else would post a cool link to a news story or point you to a website, but I don’t have that, just the random thoughts I get when I’ve got time to sit down at a computer).

1 Comment | Managing Ideas, Gen-Y ideas, Marketing to college students, Open Innovation, Corporate Innovation | Email Article | Share on Facebook | del.icio.us | digg this

I am not sure why there is not something more on a local level that better connects businesses with college students with specific attention paid to the interests of the college student. I am envisioning a web-service that allows local business people to post specials by the hour according to the student preference. For example, if a local bar was barely receiving any business on a particular night they could post on the website that they were having a three-hour special of all you could drink beer for $X. This would allow for the bar to better control their flow of customers in a bar while giving the students an excellent value and option for the night.

Another use for this application would be to better control inventory in a store or restaurant. If I am the owner of a clothing store and I just got in the new shipment of clothes and had a bunch of leftovers, I could post on the website that I had these available sizes and it would get posted on the website.

For the actual model of the website, think a combination of http://jellyfish.com and http://digg.com. Jellyfish.com is a website which has a selling feature where an item has to go and the price gets lowered by the minute until the item is sold out. The website could have the option for such an auction of an item, but it would be on more of a local scale and might require the user to actually go to the store in their local area. It would relate to Digg.com by allowing user input to say whether this was a good deal or not, bad deals would get ‘buried’ and would not be shown to other users (which would address the issues of just using the website as an advertisement) while good deals would get pulled to the top for the user.

This service does not need to be limited to college students, but I know that as a member of Gen Y that the idea would be well perceived over the internet or a desktop widget because of the massive amount of hours that we spend connected to the internet. These are just some thoughts on a service that could be used to better connect students with businesses. Most of these thoughts are rough, but the underlying concept of having a service that better connects businesses to college students by advertising to their direct interests is something that could be very successful while benefiting the customer and businesses.

No Comments | Generation-Y wants, Marketing to college students, Marketing to young women, Open Innovation, New Concepts & Ideas, Managing Generation Y | Email Article | Share on Facebook | del.icio.us | digg this

I recently ran into http://skydeckcartoons.com and noticed there were masses of hilarious cartoons that deal with marketing and innovation. There are a lot of really clever cartoons on this site, but this one rung home particularly well. There are so many companies that are just trying to copy each other when introducing new products or marketing campaigns, they really are playing follow the leader. Where has the creative process gone? The great example of this can be seen in the American auto industry, which is so busy trying to play catch up with Toyota, that they fail to think for themselves and really see the next big trend within their industry. The importance of their innovation process is described in detail in the book “The Toyota Way” by Jeffrey Liker.

What I also fail to understand is why people are still trying to play follow the leader with the way they manage their innovation process? Why does it seem that in so many companies innovation is still happening around the 40 hour work week? Wouldn’t it be possible to run the innovation process the same way in which Americans run the manufacturing process, having at least two different shifts dedicated to innovation process as well as a weekend team? Maybe there are a few companies that are already doing this that I am unaware of. I know that there would be a lot of pride that would have to be swallowed for intellectual individuals to be working the second or third shift in their jobs. But for all of the evidence out there that shows the importance of innovation you think a system like this must be at least considered.

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The digital age is upon us. It is not just an age in which digital formats for entertainment have multiplied and presented themselves to the consumer with the promise of better image resolution, or a smaller & more convenient digital package, it is an age that is rapidly approaching the point of offering access to media, no matter where you are, via wireless data transfers.

Unfortunately, many of us are still tied to discovering new music, movies, art via conventional analog means. Success of different types of media are still defined by box office receipts, number of spins on a radio station, or CD sales when very few members of Generation Y consume media in these forms. As the access to the internet and broadband WiFi continues to expand, I envision a new path for marketing and access to popular art.

Take, for instance, your MP3 player. It will not be too long, before all Mp3 players are sold with a wireless card (at least that is my hope, and if companies aren’t already thinking about this, they should be). Our DVD players and entertainment systems are also approaching genuine synthesis with the internet. Given this, what I would like to see is a new way to discover and listen to/watch music and movies.

Imagine the device: your MP3 player with a wireless card, connected to some service like iTunes. Your device reports back and tracks the songs that you listen to and rate. Then, as your music profile is developed, you begin to have the option to stream music for free that is similar to the music you’ve been listening to (Pandora does this exceptionally well on your computer). The first stream is free, then, if you like it, with a click of a button on your player, you can purchase the song, or album and have it downloaded to your MP3 player for immediate consumption.

We have also seen the first simultaneous theater and DVD release of movies. Again, think of how wonderful it would be to be able to download a new release to your computer or entertainment system to watch the day it comes out. And for that service to again make recommendations based on your viewings and ratings.

This would mean unparalleled access to media for the consumer, and this access would be direct to the consumer. Instead of listening to radio stations to discover new music or going to the movie theater, suggestions based on what you already like are delivered directly to you! No need to worry about the ridiculous marketing campaigns surrounding the latest releases.

To sum it up (granted with some definite “big brother is watching you” concerns): We know what you like! And we can give it to you.

1 Comment | Generation-Y wants, Gen-Y ideas, Marketing to college students, Open Innovation, Voice of the customer, New Concepts & Ideas | Email Article | Share on Facebook | del.icio.us | digg this

I am currently reading through the new book “Made to Stick” by Chip and Dan Heath and ran across this awesome example of an ad that goes along with the chapter of Unexpected. This is a brialliant advertising scheme! It has had 70,000 views on YouTube. Even more so, you know that the people that won cars or talked to Tiger that day will go out and tell all of their friends about their unexpected experience. This is a story which will definitely stick as will the name behind the vehicle.

No Comments | Marketing to college students, Marketing to young women | Email Article | Share on Facebook | del.icio.us | digg this

Many companies have the resources in place that could amass a large amount of creative power but they fail to identify this potential. More specifically, they fail to tap into the creative capabilities of all of their employees. Let me give you a few examples to illustrate this on different ends of the spectrum.

This past year I was fortunate enough to have an eight-month co-op at a great company: GE Consumer and Industrial. The co-op itself gives students a chance to contribute to the working world as well as to start building their resume. GE is able to use the tool to get work out of individuals at a cheaper rate, but more importantly, GE uses this process as an eight-month interview and screening tool. Through the co-op process, GE is exposed to three rotations of students every year. This is amazing considering that at the site I was at there were 110 co-op positions, giving them over 300 creative students coming through their doors a year at their C&I site alone. My questions to GE are, what are you doing to capture the creativity of these students — students who obviously know what a refrigerator, dishwasher, and washer are. These students contain creative capacity beyond anyone’s wildest dream; all they need to do is tap into it. Sit down for a brainstorming session, add a link online where the co-ops could go with their fresh and new ideas, use the energy that they bring to the table to energize the whole company into creating change.

This does not even need to be done with your co-ops, but creativity can come from ANYWHERE within your organization. And not surprisingly, creativity is contagious, it improves the working environment, it gives people more energy, it creates a sense of passion around the work environment. My best example I can give to show this comes from the President of Trek, who I was fortunate enough to hear speak at a conference. He created a box where workers could go and add their ideas of how they could improve the work environment. Furthermore, he backed it up with a substantial financial reward for the individual with the best idea. He said that his best ideas came from the line workers that have been working there for over 10 years, a place many would not look for creativity within the work place. When the line workers suggestions were taken into account, they felt a new sort of energy and contribution at the work place, feelings which go along with improved workforce output and efficiency. So look around your workplace and identify places you could seek innovation from, you may be surprised at the results.

No Comments | Generating Ideas & Ideation Techniques, Managing Ideas, Innovation Techniques, Corporate Innovation | Email Article | Share on Facebook | del.icio.us | digg this

I’m sure this isn’t a new idea, per se, but it is something that I think should be thrown out into the fray of ideas: a “bike” option to click on for Google Maps, Mapquest, or whichever online map service you prefer. I have my standard bike routes of varying mileage, but it’s a pain to plot them out on paper for several reasons, the most important of which being that you have no way of knowing which roads are narrow, busy, or gravel without having previously ridden on them.

The system I envision starts off just like Google Maps, except the user first inputs the desired mileage. The next step is to choose a starting point, and however many destinations he or she wants to go past. If the desired mileage is not adequate, the map will adjust the route to just barely allow all destinations, or the user can go back and edit the initial submission. The map itself will be operated/manipulated just like normal, but the roads will be colored differently for various surfaces, and marked for relative business (most of this data is available either officially by the county, or by passionate cyclists, and is generally accurate). I can also see a huge community aspect in this, too. Rides could be saved with a small description, and other users could rate and comment on these rides. Similarly, landmarks can be marked as being interesting. Cyclists share a similar sense of camaraderie in real life, so I have no reason to suspect it would change on the Internet. For the commuter, a different algorithm could be used (and constantly updated) to generate a timely route based on estimated departure time. This feature would probably have to be worked in.

There is a service that is along these lines called Gmaps Pedometer, where you can submit routes created; however, the program does not generate routes for you. At any rate, I think a tool like this would not only benefit cyclists such as myself, but it would promote alternative transportation (namely by bike) because it eliminates the hardest part: finding a good route.

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The innovation box is the simple concept behind any brainstorm. The innovation box is the realm in which people pull from their ideas - the larger the box, the greater number of new ideas or solutions one can come up with. Within a professional organization, one almost always comes up with new ideas and solves problems within their innovation box. The scary thought of all of this is the longer one operates within a specific industry or job the smaller their innovation box is going to become; they will no longer seek creative ideas but operate solely on past experience. It is at this time that creating new ideas or better yet creating change within an organization, something essential for any companies survival, becomes one of the most difficult things in the world to accomplish.

So what can an organization do to break down their current innovation box and build a bigger box in its place? The easiest thing a company can do is to seek the opinions of today’s youth and college students. These individuals do not have a tainted view on the world, we fully believe that anything is possible. We operate in a HUGE innovation box. This is BrainReactions, a collection of the most creative college students who operate with a healthy disregard for the impossible. In any given hour of a brainstorm we are going to come up with 200-300 ideas, of which a few may really stick with your company. But the real value of the process comes when the people at the company are listening to and reading the ideas and it gives them a bigger innovation box to work in. They begin to form connections within other areas of their company that they never thought to operate in, they find that one innovation to the product that will push it over the top; and best yet, listening to the new ideas pour in they have completely ripped down their innovation box and built a much bigger one which they will operate in for several months and years to come.

Another way to break down this innovation box is to find the most creative people within an organization and teach them the value of the brainstorm and coming up with ideas that are so far out of the box they are in an entirely different world. Let me give you an example to show you the value of operating in a huge innovation box and having individuals that can operate in this state of impossibility. Let’s say my organization is trying to come up with a solution to hang Christmas lights.
- I want a flying saucer to come in and whoosh by my house and all of a sudden all of the Christmas lights are up
- I want a football that I can throw and the lights would unravel automatically around my tree or on my house
- I want magnets attached to my house that connect with parts of the Christmas lights so I can throw the Christmas lights at my house to attach

Looking at this very crude brainstorm it is obvious that the first idea would never work, but it got the individuals in the brainstorming room thinking about ways Christmas lights could be thrown into the air and automatically attached. You can see a logical path of ideation from impossible to fairly good idea. If this were a real session I could only imagine that the people in charge of the Christmas lights would take this to an even more logical progression of not having the users throw the Christmas lights but have magnetic pieces that could be taped with the house and connect with their Christmas lights which one would have to stand on a ladder to apply. So as you can see, although the first idea would never work it created a huge innovation box for the brainstormers to operate in and eventually would lead to a very logical idea that the company could use.

1 Comment | Creativity & Brainstorming, Generating Ideas & Ideation Techniques, Innovation Techniques, Open Innovation, Voice of the customer, Innovation Training | Email Article | Share on Facebook | del.icio.us | digg this

Generation Y, thanks to the advent of the internet and high-speed telecommunications technology is the first generation that has the ability to lend their expertise to anyone in the world. Gen Y, I would also like to think, is very aware of the difficult situations faced by many people throughout the world, especially in developing countries. Many of us have unique and valuable skill sets that would be of use to people throughout the world, and for the first time, we have the ability to connect to those people without having to travel.

What I envision is a kind of virtual peace corps. Gen Y individuals volunteer their time to connect and lend their expertise to projects or people in developing worlds by either chatting, video conferencing, or sending documents over the internet with worthy projects in the developing world (or even here in America - New Orleans for example). I envision some charitable-minded companies taking the lead on this, Apple or Microsoft providing some of the resources, and an airline too. By logging a certain number of volunteer hours on a project, the volunteer is rewarded with airline miles to either take a trip to the project they’ve been helping out with (encouraged) or to a place of their choosing.

Something like this would really open up a world of opportunities to people who maybe don’t have the ability or the inclination to take part in something like the peace corps, but still allows them to help out. I think it would also greatly improve a sense of a world community to help break down the walls of nationalist thinking.

2 Comments | Innovation Techniques, Gen-Y ideas, New Concepts & Ideas, Managing Generation Y | Email Article | Share on Facebook | del.icio.us | digg this