FedEx is another great example of a discontinuous innovation. Before FedEx, you waited--and waited--for the mail to arrive. If it took five days for an important business document to arrive what could you do? It was simply "in the mail." FedEx completely changed this behavior. Magically (to the dismay of those of us who called in sick to catch up on much neglected closet organization), the report prepared in Houston on Tuesday night now arrives in Cincinnati on Wednesday morning. (The Internet, of course, has raised the ante yet another level.)
Creating a discontinuous innovation requires that you stop thinking about the current situation and the momentary day-to-day problems and dream about the ideal situation. Ted Turner, a famous discontinuous innovator, was called crazy when he floated the notion of a twenty-four-hour news channel that would have correspondents all over the world. How could that possibly be done? Who could build such a network from scratch? It would cost millions and take forever. Furthermore, no one wants to watch news twenty-four hours a day, and frankly, there isn't that much news around. Ted considered those issues mere technicalities, and stuck to his dream. He focused on the end point (not the roadblocks on the way) and guess what? CNN is arguably the reason why the newspaper industry is scrambling for its life.
If a marketing campaign is to have the impact that CNN and FedEx had on our culture, then you must have the courage to come up with a whole new approach for the problem at hand.
Take Procter & Gamble's successful new Swiffer mop. True, the technology is terrific: Swiffer products don't simply swish dirt around, they actually attract dirt, making their disposable pads a veritable magnet for filth. But the marketing folks needed a disruptive idea to convince shoppers to toss their trusty brooms en masse. At first glance, a new kind of broom hardly seems like a must-buy. It was in a few focus groups, says Robert McDonald, president of global fabric and home care, that P&G finally found what it was after: Whenever people started to talk about their new Swiffer, they actually smiled. This led to the illogical marketing campaign that cleaning can be fun. P&G worked carefully on the design, says McDonald, ensuring "that it was cute, attractive, and appealing."
From this early research, P&G knew that once a consumer had used a Swiffer, he or she would be hooked. So they swept the country with in-store demos and discount coupons--all based on the premise that "Swiffering" is a lot more fun to do than "cleaning." The marketing drive was hugely successful and now Swiffer products are responsible for $800 million in sales. With the Swiffer, P&G virtually invented a new category of products in the U.S.--called "Quick Clean"--and now, with their "Stop cleaning, start Swiffering," campaign, the concept has been expanded to wet mops and dusters.
A BIG BANG CAN’T BE IGNORED. Big Bang ideas are intense ideas. They are intentionally polarizing. You must have a point of view about them. They are the six-hundred-pound gorilla in the room. They must be dealt with. They force opinions. Yes, some folks think the AFLAC duck and his incessant quack is annoying. We are incredibly pleased about that. Yes, a few conservative organizations have criticized the sensual content of the Herbal Essences commercials. Our response? Bring it on.
If you have an idea that no one hates, everyone will forget it. Think about it. No one dislikes vanilla--but you can get that from anyone, anywhere. Talk to an ice cream connoisseur about his favorite flavor, however, and he might wax poetic about driving five miles out of his way to get a three-dollar cup of Ben & Jerry's Phish Food.
Big Bangs get noticed not just because they are unorthodox, however. They are also right for the moment. Timing is critical whenever you put a message, idea, service, or proposal out into the business marketplace. Howard Schultz, the chairman of Starbucks, knew that the time was ripe for putting a European-style café on every street corner. His great insight was to see that his product is not about coffee. It's about the experience. It's about having a gathering place. It's about small indulgences in a world that doesn't have time for big indulgences. It's about making a person feel rich because she can afford not only a $3.50 cup of coffee, but also the tip for the guy who doesn't clean up after her.
Here's another example of Big Bang timing. In 1968 Boeing lost a design competition for a large military jet contract. They decided not to waste all that work, tinkered with the design a bit, and turned it into a passenger plane. Most aviation experts at the time figured a big passenger jet was a waste of time: Everyone thought the supersonic age was around the corner, and that the Concorde would soon rule the skies, claims Clive Irving in Wide-Body: The Triumph of the 747. But Boeing bet on the fact that the masses were ready to fly immediately.
The 747 turned out to be the most successful aeronautical vehicle ever created. The world's first jumbo jet, the 747 revolutionized travel by enabling people to go long distances for a price they could afford. Its predecessor was the 707, Boeing's first passenger jet, which pioneered international jet travel, albeit at prices that were then beyond the means of many travelers. The 747 literally relegated the "jet set" to history. It's the reason any of us have ever had too many rum punches on a Caribbean beach.
A BIG BANG BECOMES AN ICON. There are a plethora of successful brands and products out there that are ubiquitously recognizable, and profitable to boot. But the ones that truly leapfrog their competitors have elevated themselves into an icon status. They have surpassed their pragmatic function and actually play a role in people's lives. These brands fulfill some human need or desire, which exponentially elevates their value in the marketplace.
When you drive a Lexus, for example, you're traveling in an excellently designed, well-appointed automobile. But get behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz, and you've already "arrived" before you've left the driveway. Owning a Mercedes is a symbol of one's financial success, one's elevated status in society, one's unqualified acceptance into the snootiest of country clubs. Buy your wife diamond earrings at Zales Jewelers for your twenty-fifth anniversary and she'll be tickled pink. But if you present those studs snugly ensconced in Tiffany's classic blue box instead, her eyes will sparkle with adoration, and you may never have to take the garbage out again. A Tiffany diamond is the symbol of one's eternal love, rivaled only by the passion its stock owners feel every time someone pays retail for its jewelry.
Easily one of the world's greatest icons today is Kodak, in large part because George Eastman had a pretty clear picture of how to make a Big Bang in the photography business. Although he never even completed high school, Eastman gave the world its first simple camera in 1888, registering it under the name Kodak. He devised the name himself, starting with the letter K because his mother's name was Kilbourn. He was an anagram fan, and, after trying out a number of letter combinations, he came up with Kodak. Combining this decisive-sounding word with yellow and red--considered one of the strongest and most vibrant color combinations--he instantly made the logo easy to recognize.
But it didn't take long for George Eastman to give his roll a much more profound role to play in our culture. His early camera was priced at $10, which was beyond the reach of ordinary folk. Then, in 1900, Kodak came out with the $1 Brownie, a cheap and simpler version of his original. Soon everyone in America was taking pictures. The Brownie was such a hit, in fact, that it provided Eastman with the opportunity to create the ultimate marketing Big Bang.
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