WHATS MORE IMPORTANT: INVENTION OR IMITATION?
If you are lucky enough to work in a creative business with smart people, you will probably note that innovation is highly praised. The biggest kudos generally go to people who come up with the breakthrough ideas — the revolutionary concepts or strategies that change the way things are done. That is certainly true of many of the businesses I work with. It’s especially true when it comes to marketing. The advertising campaigns most praised are innovative and daring — noticeably different from anything that had been done previously. Invention is a good and necessary part of business. But when I think about all that’s involved in the growth and profitability of the businesses I’ve known, it wouldn’t be at the top of the “what’s key to success” list. Most day-to-day progress comes from imitating previous success stories. Creative imitation, innovation’s ugly stepsister, is the most important factor in business success. That’s why I teach my proteges the art of creative emulation — knock
