CMOs: Don't Neglect Innovation at the Expense of Your Bottom Line†

Former Best Buy, eBay CMO Linton Offers Brands 5 Tips to Help Change Consumer Behavior

Advertising Age, September 10, 2009 — Given that innovation is the only sustainable advantage these days, advertisers need to allocate at least 10% of their marketing budget to foster it, even in these economically challenged times, said former eBay and Best Buy CMO Mike Linton, who spoke to an audience at the Aberdeen Group's Chief Marketing Officer Summit here yesterday.

How to Cut Out Unnecessary Innovation

During a recession, companies must prioritize investments on new products and services. Here are a few how-to tips, including what to avoid

BusinessWeek, February 4, 2009 — When times get tough, one of the first things we do is think about what we can do without, like cutting latte consumption from five a week to two. Similarly, companies say no to some things to conserve resources and ensure remaining resources are focused on the right things.

Companies looking to shut down some innovation efforts have to evaluate their portfolio of what's in the process. Prudently pruning this portfolio will help to ensure that resources flow to the right ones. Here's a look at two typical approaches executives often take—and a third that might work better.

Offsetting the Risks of Innovation

Prophet, October 1, 2008 — Classic financial theory has it that all else being equal, the

greater the risk, the greater the return. And when it comes

to innovation, those businesses that are the most successful

embrace that notion.

Want New Products That Get Noticed? Change the Process†

Bad Call: Results From a New Survey Show Marketers Are Reluctant to Financially Invest in True Innovation

Advertising Age, October 1, 2007 — The media are always looking for new "darlings," and every now and then a sensational new product emerges, whipping them into a frenetic state. Swiffer, the iPod, TiVo, Crest Whitestrips, Red Bull — all are products that had the industry gushing about their features and benefits. Part of what drives these stories is the fact that there are so few wildly successful new products — especially in comparison with the number of products launched.

Managing Innovation†

How to get the most out of your company's big ideas

Wall Street Journal, September 24, 2007 — Managing innovation is one of the biggest challenges that companies face. They not only need to come up with new ideas, but they also need to foster a culture that encourages and rewards innovation. Otherwise, they risk being overtaken by their competitors.

At a recent panel discussion at the Tech Museum in San Jose, Scott Thurm, management-news editor for The Wall Street Journal, talked about managing innovation with four experienced managers at Silicon Valley technology companies: Marthin De Beer, senior vice president of the emerging-markets technology group at Cisco Systems Inc.; Judith L. Estrin, chief executive of Packet Design Inc., a network-technology company; Douglas Merrill, vice president of engineering and chief information officer of Google... continue reading