ADDING SOUND TO MOVIES WOULD BE LIKE PUTTING LIPSTICK ON THE VENUS DE MILO.” – Mary Pickford
BUSINESS ERRORS
We all have heard that about some famous errors in business, like Thomas Watson’s who at the time was the chairman of IBM prognose that there was only a market for five computers worldwide.
I THINK THERE IS A WORLD MARKET FOR MAYBE FIVE COMPUTERS. – Thomas Watson
PIONEERS
What does IBM have in common with Mary Pickford? Mary was an actress of the very first Hollywood generation who achieved fame and stardom with her pioneering techniques acting in front of a camera and her bold moves in filmmaking.
IBM was a pioneer in the IT industry, they were inventive and courageous. However, even if you are a pioneer, you also are influenced by the world around you.
While Mary mastered the art of expressing herself just by gestures and facial expression, she could not imagine that sound would improve movies in any way. I don’t know about you, but I depend on the sound, which is maybe just because it is today’s standard.
The same goes for Mr Watson. In 1952, when he made that assumption, IBM had a legion of data typists to do the boring routines. Moreover, a computer was not a personal computer as we know it today, but a highly complex, space-using monster that could only be operated by experts. From this point of view, the world didn’t need millions of computers.
But just like IBM went into the personal computer business, Mary adapted to the talkies and her success continued. She even won and Academy award in 1929.
THE CHALLENGE OF INNOVATION
It is very difficult to think the things we know from our daily life in a different way.
Even if you do, it is even more difficult to make your solution plausible to stakeholders; to investors to begin with. Marketing an item for which there is no category requires an enormous effort in terms of finance, creativity, and persistence.
Innovation requires embracing the possibility of challenging the status quo, breaking through barriers, and persevering in the face of resistance, ultimately paving the way for new possibilities and reshaping the future.
This does not mean that there is no space for «ordinary businesses;». But your message, you mission and your brand values have to be clear and you have to fill them with life.
You need a brand, not just a business.
