Creative analogies for new technologies
Mary Tripsas from the Harvard Business School writes that “Humans instinctively sort and classify things. It’s how we make sense of a complex world.”
She rightly points out that when technology companies develop innovative products and services that don’t obviously fit into established categories, “managers need to help people understand what comparison to make.” Without this step, the marketing job of storytelling, we’re often left wondering, “What is it?”
We are often confronted with this paradox with our startup clients whose innovations don’t exactly fit into existing product/market boxes, or in categories covered by industry analysts. Sure, we’re all dying to be in a Gartner Magic Quadrant, but what if such categorizations aren’t able to reflect the disruptive qualities of some technologies?
These are the kind of strategic discussions that can make or break the launch of a new technology. And this is where the marketing part of the innovation equation comes into play. Is it an innovation or just an invention? Good storytelling, through good public relations, can be the crucial factor.
Read Mary Tripsas’ article in the New York Times.
