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