Innovation is something that is as close to life as our own thoughts, perceptions and feelings. Consider a situation where you have achieved a certain position in your life, and you are quite happy with yourself. Now, you might get laid back and feel yourself as the king of the world. But eventually, people will begin to forget you and your achievements, because another person has achieved something bigger or has something better to present to people. Thus, you end up becoming a blemishing Ben, and this could have been prevented, had you not relaxed and instead acted on the next level, i.e. Continuous Innovation. When we speak of innovation, we all talk of gadgets and hi tech devices around us. There is more to it. (Click here to read Innovation Dharma Part 1)
One of my personal innovators in the food industry in India has been PepsiCo India. This division of PepsiCo has been a firm believer of thinking out of the box, and constantly offering something new to India’s taste loving palettes. There was a time when the likes of Uncle Chips ruled the snack market in our country. Then came 1999, and PepsiCo came up with something, which was never seen or tasted before – Kurkure. There was a major innovation, in terms of the taste, shape as well as the way it was distributed. This tangy, spicy, tedha medha snack went on to become a rage with the country, and became our favorite tea time snack.
Another pioneer innovator in food business has been the promoter of a Good Food, Good Life- Nestle. It has taken innovation to another level, and done what Apple has done in the gadget segment- innovated on a rampage. Its most useful and popular innovation has been our very favorite Maggi, which still continues to keep other noodle brands like Sun feast’s Yippie, Nissin’s Top Ramen, and Horlick’s Foodles on their toes, by coming out with new, experimental flavors every time. Its innovation has been product based as well as promotion based. Maggi has created a vast consumer base thanks to its imaginative promotional activities, which involved common man’s participation, rather than the run of the mill celebrity endorsements. Being innovative requires you to think out of the box and be weird if required. The ideas you express may seem ridiculous or even outrageous on first instance, but have a firm belief in your idea as a parent would have in its child. Who knows you might even find some inspiration for your idea; after all, fortune favors the brave. One aspect that holds people back from being innovative is they don’t want to get out of their comfort zone. They believe innovation is reserved for the outrageous people, not for the elite. I personally feel that most people have the potential to be innovative. They may not have experienced this before or been willing to see it and play with it, and be happy with the current state of affairs.
Therefore, you can be innovative if you choose to be so, it isn’t any rocket science. The first step is often to give yourself permission to let your guards down and be innovative. Enjoy this freedom and allow yourself time for this innovation to surface, starting from idea generation to product design. Apart from self-belief in your innovative powers, a strong compelling vision for your business allows innovations to come to life. It’s an out of the box, unrealistic, inspiring, idealistic and possibly outrageous statement for your business. A passionate businessman romances his vision, and innovation is one of the keys to this romance. In the continuing part I will highlight the Importance of Romancing in being a Successful Innovator, where you will be required to bring life to Brands in concern and see them fructify with nonchalance in times to auguring times.
