The post title is from a quote in the New York Times by Sunder Raman, marketing director for North American fabric care at Procter & Gamble. (Heck of a title.) His full quote is, "We want to shake this category up with innovation. What you're going to see from us is a little more risk-taking."
Whether it is for a product or a marketing campaign, that's the kind of thinking I love to hear. As I point out in my book, nothing can kill creativity easier than the lure of a big budget. While it is not always the kiss of bland, a big budget allows marketers to believe that the message will surely get out, so why muck things up with an idea that is risky (read "clever," "different").
The particular innovation Sunder is talking about it is Tide Pods, a new single-use laundry tablet that combines detergent, stain remover and a brightener. And they are doing all the things a big budget allows you to do: print, commercials, buying rights to a song, (along with all the things you don't even need a budget for, like a micro web site, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook).
I have not yet seen the commercials, but if the print ad above is what P&G thinks of as innovative, perhaps because there are no side-by-side demos, well, I think not.
So I guess I am suggesting innovation is wonderful, but your marketing should be as innovative as your product.
Got the idea?
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