“We’ve created blogs on the website that are more immediate and slightly less polished. It’s a big departure for a company used to high-production value daily television and monthly magazines to publishing daily blogs and responding to blog posts.”
The site is “part of a larger brand experience vision, designed so people can live that complete Martha Stewart lifestyle,” says Mr Mueller. “Online consumers can create their own profile pages and attach personal notes. It gives them an element of personal expression.”
The next stage is setting up groups on the site, so consumers can add people to their network of friends that share their interests and knowledge. The idea is to form “bridges” with like minded others, and consumers can also refine their skills by seeing what others do.
When Mr Mueller was at Razorfish, a company that works with organisations to build websites and the digital marketing programs that drive traffic to them, he pioneered a 360 degree marketing approach. “360 degrees covers the full circle of consumer experience, reaching an audience at the right place, right time and with the right medium,” he says.
For example, “we crafted programs that didn’t exclusively follow the formula of 30 second spots on TV and print advertising. Instead we looked at small social media sites that facilitate discussion, and small events down the street instead of only going broad and traditional with print, TV. We were looking at the consumer touch points and finding ones that connect with the audience.”
But innovation is also about doing things differently. A couple of years ago Mr Mueller brought some acting instructors into the Razorfish boardroom to coach creative directors in creative expression so they could “tell the story” of a product to test if it was a good idea.
“This strikes a different chord than reading about it in a five page document. It was fascinating. Great ideas and not so great ideas crystallized much faster. It became clear when acting in the shoes of the consumer more than if the idea was on paper.”
Mr Mueller is an innovator because “I get bored with the status quo! Innovation excites me – the journey is energising and fun, and the result confirms the gut instinct was right. You live and die by what you make and create.”
He says innovation is also about making mistakes and learning from them. And with computers it’s “easier to turn a mistake into a win” because you can respond to customer feedback quickly and “see if we are striking a chord.”
Mr Mueller’s top tip for innovators is to unlearn what you’ve learnt before, so you are not repeating a formula. “Whatever your gospel was a year ago, forget it. Learn new things. Remain curious.”
published 12 December 2007
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