John Winsor

Simple Insights

The best advertising is always based on the simplest of insights. CP+B's "Safe Happens" ads for Volkswagen is a great example. We've all been driving, in a conversation with a friend, when we almost get in a wreck. These ads make you feel the situation

Cadillac has been running an ad that evoked deep emotions for their DTS, lately. I've never perceived myself as a Cadillac customer but the new "Gentleman" ads remind me of my grandfather who not only was a real gentleman but loved his Cadillac. Maybe, as I grow older, being a gentleman has turned into something I aspire to be. Cadillac has tapped into this simple insight to produce a fantastic ad.

I Love Apple!

Last night my wireless network at home went down . Suspecting that my Apple Airport Express had died I hopped in the car and drove over to the new Apple store in Boulder. If you've been to an Apple store, you know how calming it is. It just gets you excited about being creative.

I was about ready to purchase a new Airport Express and replace a bluetooth mouse that was on the fritz when the person helping me suggested that we take my current products to the Genius Bar and make sure they weren't repairable.

Fifteen minutes later I walked out of the store with both the AE and the mouse repaired. Because of Apple's proactive customer service I saved $200 and built a stronger relationship with Apple.

Apple knows that after that experience I'll spend way more than $200 in the future! I guess you could call that RCS - Return on Customer Service.

The Power of Photography

Karl points to Nokia's very cool World 24h project. The project is displayed as a world map that goes and gets photo’s from flickr that have been taken with the Nokia Nseries phone and displays thumbnails of them using Geotags to map the time and place around the world.

The power of sharing is expanding geometrically.

Inspiration

I got a chance to hang out with Josh Spear and Todd Berger from Joy Engine today. To tap into what's happening at the crossroads of art and commerce you need to stay in touch with these guys.

The Tectonic Shifts Are Upon Us

In a thoughtful post, entitled Innovations for the Innovator, Grand McCracken debunks the blue ocean strategy paradigm and offers a different vision:

The corporation once had a "perfect world" scenario: create an extraordinary product in a blue ocean (i.e., new) category and defend a fountain of profit with good strategy and smart tactics. 

In the perfect world, change came in increments.  Some competitors would enter the category with some variation on the theme.  Others would look for "nook and cranny" weaknesses.  The corporation would secure it's position with incremental responses...and profit poured forth. 

The world changed.  Now, the corporation is subject to blind side hits. Now the problem is not incremental challenges, but fundamental shifts. For Time Warner, this was the rise of an advertising based revenue model.  For The Coca-Cola Company, it was the rise of the non-corbonated soft drink.  For Microsoft, it was the rise first of the internet and then server-based software.  For Detroit, it was Japan. (The irony: while American corporations are being encouraged to set out in search of "blue oceans," the real challenge are the great masses of water that come looking for them.)

The post and comments are certainly worth a read.

B&O Steals Some Thunder

 

If Apple had an iPod phone what would it look like?

That’s a question that has sent many a techie’s heart pounding with excitement. Well, Bang & Olufsen stole some of that thunder yesterday. B&O, along with Samsung, introduced the Serene yesterday.

This bold and expensive phone certainly shifts the design paradigm in many ways, a new radical shape, a redefining keyboard and the phone is used upside down, with the screen near your mouth.

And, cool has its price, $1275.

While the phone might not be a reasonable commercial success, it does stay in the brand aesthetic for B&O customers, people who respect the design of a product as much as its functionality.

That sounds like an Apple customer doesn’t it.

Capturing the Passion

As a climber and a surfer I've always noticed how surf films do a great job of capturing the passion and excitement of the sport. These films seem to connect with surfers and non-surfers, alike. All of us can relate not only to the vibe of surfing but also to the powerful feeling of being in water. Surf films are accessible.

On the other hand, climbing films have been so serious. They've either been about the life and death struggle to get to the top of a mountain or an esoteric art of holding onto a tiny handhold to scale some new piece of rock. Both experiences most people don't feel comfortable with our quite understand. Climbing films aren't accessible.

That's changed with Peter Mortimer's new film, First Ascent. Check out the movie trailer from YouTube.

Co-creation on Wikipedia

A few days ago Johnnie Moore noticed that Wikipedia didn't have a page for co-creation. Johnnie wrote me to say how ironic it was as wikipedia is one of the finest examples of co-creation. So, Johnnie invited James and I to exchange a few ideas with him and put together a very simple first draft. All of us look forward to your input to improve the definition.

Shifting the Conversation

I love my iPod Nano. When I travel the Nano transports me to a place where I can be mellow and let the stress of travel wash over me.

I've always been intrigued by the video capabilities of the bigger iPod but the size of the screen always seemed to stop me from making a purchase. Would I really watch a movie on an iPod?

After seeing the myvu personal media viewer, the context of watching a movie on an iPod suddenly changed for me. All of a sudden the iPod became a player instead of a viewer. The idea of myvu sure makes sense if, as their materials suggest, the glasses give you a movie theater experience.

Think about the markets in which your products exist. Are there opportunities to shift the conversation with a new product innovation?

P&G's Connect+Develop

Michael Perman, from Levi's, was kind enough to point me to P&G's Connect+Develop web site. The site and PDF do a very good job of communicating how P&G would like to co-create or collaborate with outsiders in an effort to satisfy customer's needs.

Here's what A.G. Lafley has to say in his introduction:

Connecting with the world's most inspired minds. Developing products that improve consumers' lives.

We've collaborated with outside partners for generations - but the importance of these alliances to P&G has never been greater.

Our vision is simple. We want P&G to be known as the company that collaborates - inside and out - better than any other company in the world.

I want us to be the absolute best at spotting, developing and leveraging relationships with best-in-class partners in every part of our business. In fact, I want P&G to be a magnet for the best-in-class. The company you most want to work with because you know a partnership with P&G will be more rewarding than any other option available to you.

Connect+Develop could be viewed as P&G's collaboration manifesto. One of the things that I really like about it is its holistic point of view. P&G invites everyone to be a part of their innovation conversation, from venture capitalists to retirees.

Are you ready to write your co-creative manifesto?