The founder of Geek Squad once described advertising as a “tax for unremarkable products”. No one wants to launch unremarkable products, so why do the vast majority of new products fall into this camp?
We’ve all come across idea killers, those behaviors and attitudes that sand the edges of ideas as they are brought to life. Idea killers operate like the pins in a voodoo doll. Each jab makes the idea a little weaker.
I’m inspired by organizations that bring ideas to life without those cuts and compromises. In the spirit of voodoo, I visited a remarkable business in Portland last month called Voodoo Doughnut. Everything they sell is remarkable in the truest sense. Their namesake doughnut is a chocolate covered voodoo doll that you jab with a pretzel stake to squirt out raspberry jam. They have doughnuts topped with Captain Crunch and Fruit Loops and even bacon.
None of these ideas would pass a focus group. All would be deemed too polarizing and too risky. Yet, Voodoo Doughnut has a perpetual line out the door. They don’t need to pay the advertising tax.
Is your path to innovation filled more with curses or blessings?
Keith says
January 23, 2011 at 7:09 pmI LOVE Voodoo donuts. The funny thing is I heard a story when I was there that they used to sell donuts with certain OTC hangover cures that were pink on them, and then had issues with the DEA for selling drugs without the relevant permits, etc.
I always think that if you are not getting sued you are probably not trying hard enough. To bad corporate lawyers don’t see if that way…
Carl G says
January 24, 2011 at 6:46 amthis is SO true,
It brings me back to your cartoon about that guy asking a focus group what they need so that they can create “disruptive innivation”. Don’t ask what people want, they just don’t know. Don’t ask them what they need, the fact is that they don’t realy need anything. Peoples don’t buy voodoo doghnuts because the “needed” it for so many years. They wait in line it is a COOL idea, that led to a COOL product. Maybe todays large corporations don’t give enough importance to the COOL factor or to intuition… Maybe, it is too risky… If we were given the chance to “follow our intuitions”, if we were giving ourselves the chance to follow our own perspective on what is COOL, could everyone be Steve Jobs???
Eric Henao says
January 24, 2011 at 7:21 amAgreed. I will say, i was there in portland and went to voodoo. It was 2:30am, raining, and the line was out the door. Great stuff.
Carol L. Weinfeld says
January 24, 2011 at 12:17 pmThis example underscores the importance of innovation in today’s crowded marketplace of products. It must also be innovation that resonates with consumers in order to succeed. That requires much trial and error.
@clweinfeld
Anne says
January 24, 2011 at 10:42 pmFrom my point of view of 2 years entrepreneur after 15 years corporate life there is a factor playing within corporations as a selection bias towards conservatism. If you accept to work in a corporation being smart young and dynamic, it is probably because you are risk adverse (considering that with such a profile you could build your own company). I had to reach forty to realise this. And keeping this in mind explains all what happens in corporations when killing ideas.
Cheers
Anne
denise lee yohn says
January 29, 2011 at 3:24 pmlove the cartoon (and love voodoo donuts too)!