An unconventional argument for how companies can grow or revitalize
businesses through cultural innovation
Outside of tech, companies rarely succeed at growing new businesses or
revitalizing stagnant ones, even in the categories in which they are
most successful. And the model of innovation that tech firms use is an
expensive dead end for everyone else. So how can companies build
breakthrough innovations without the advantage of breakthrough
technology?
In How Brands Innovate, Douglas Holt provides an entirely different
way to understand how innovation works from the conventional ideas that
dominate in business. He argues that market transformations are pushed
forward by culture and society rather than new technology or new
products. Holt--one of the world's leading thinkers and consultants on
cultural approaches to branding, business strategy, and
innovation--draws on his decades-long experience to show how companies
can build innovative new businesses without the advantage of new
technology or revitalize businesses that have lost their leading
position.
Rather than beat competitors within their category, companies like Nike
and Starbucks reinvented their categories. Rather than deliver better
value, these brands transformed value. And rather than develop a better
product, they reimagined their products. For the first time, Holt
provides a concise explanation of cultural innovation--the model that
details how brands like Nike and Starbucks came to be--and shows exactly
how to do cultural innovation, providing a step-by-step model for
analysis and then a framework for designing innovations. He draws on his
own consulting work to walk readers through successful re-branding,
innovations, and strategies with major global corporations like
Patagonia, Huawei, and REI.
