Rethinking brand innovation from the inside out

Abstract

Innovation is a complex word. It is subjective, biased and incredibly hard to define. And it is made even more complex when combined with those other notoriously complicated and hard-to-define words: ‘brand’ and ‘strategy’. Modern dynamic organisations today often struggle with where, how and when to approach ‘strategic brand innovation’, finding themselves following first movers without their own authentic direction, countering first movers for the sake of being different, also without a sense of authentic direction, betting big on product innovations hoping it bleeds into brand innovation, or simply failing to innovate at all. This paper aims to reset the definitions, objectives and pursuits of organisations trying to stand out through strategic brand innovation, by refocusing the methodology on where customer engagement will continue to be fostered for brands in the future.