Do great ideas sell themselves?

Author Dave Siegel  will speak  about the innovation myth "Great Ideas Sell Themselves," at the upcoming PDMA/AMA conference on innovation in Cincinnati on Nov. 17th.  His book, Innovation Myths and Mythstakes, is a bestseller for PMP.

Dave says. "One of the biggest reasons behind great ideas ultimately failing to achieve success lies in communication.  All too often, what could be a great idea is misunderstood within the company itself.   Too often great ideas never hit the marketplace because a key member of the decision team never truly understood how it benefited them.  CFO's want profits, CEO's want growth and ROI and company fit. Sales teams need to know how the idea fits with the rest of the line they sell, etc. etc. etc.  The innovator?  Well he just has the "idea!"

"Then, there is the huge challenge of communicating the idea to the consumer.  Oftentimes the idea is researched with full blown, well-stated, highly illustrated concept statements.  Yet, when it is time to actually introduce the idea to the marketplace, the only communication consumers  see is a small burst on a package or a 2 inch internet banner ad or at best, a 15-second commercial.  It's a shame, all that work by R&D, Marketing, Sales and Research and then the consumer gets a tiny message and goes 'Huh?'"

You can learn much more about myths included in Dave's book by clicking here.

Is Twining's Making a Mythstake to change Earl Grey?

Consumers of Twining's Earl Grey tea are up in arms because the company has added more citrus flavor to the tea. A company spokesperson said the company would not respond to consumer calls to return to the old flavor because it had done market research and the tea had to "evolve."

Innovation Myths and Mythstakes (Mistakes) by Tom Coffey, Dave Siegel, and Mark Smith includes 7 myths, several of which deal with following consumer research, no matter what. In Myth # 12, "There's No Such Thing As A Bad Idea," the authors caution against using such research to change a product without asking some vital questions such as:
Does the consumer intend to buy your new item?
What is the most compelling reason consumers give for their interest?
Is there reason besides "needing to evolve" (such a steep decline in sales) to think that innovation is needed?

We have to wait and see whether Twinings is about to have a "Classic Coke" moment as many "tweeters" are predicting and be forced to back down from the new recipe. But before  you decide you need to innovate, just to say you are doing so, step back and consider the 27 myths.