Imitation Innovation

Is imitation a form of innovation? Can it be? I think so.

In less than 16 months (started counting Sep 2009) I witnessed three different frozen yogurt bars pop up in Greensboro, NC:  Feeney’s, Frozato, and Taste.  Now there’s a grand total of four frozen yogurt bars (Red Mango, the fourth, may have been here before I noticed the proliferation) to serve the ~260K residents of Greensboro.  Each seems to have staked out a particular location -  well away from each other - and the corresponding demographic.  

How can / will each bar differentiate itself?  Do they have to? Can all four be successful? Will there be a fifth?  I’ll have to check back in a few years and see.

The point is that when my students were tasked to brainstorm new ideas, they would get frustrated because they often couldn’t invent something never-before-seen new.  I kept reminding them that you may not have to come up with the new idea first, just be better at executing it.  After all, Google didn’t invent search - whether or not they’ve perfected it is an oft debated matter of opinion.  L. didn't invent the condom but they sure are making headlines with their approach.  There are countless others, but the result is the same:  it may not always be a matter of invent, but re-invent, differentiation via the execution.

Now off to get some yogurt!