[Welcome back to the Damn, I Wish I’d Thought of That! newsletter. This is text of the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using the handy form on the right.] Paying attention to your customers’ feedback, criticisms, and compliments isn’t enough. You could be missing something even more remarkable: the innovative […]
Newsletter #996: The “Your Customers are Innovators” Issue
July 10, 2014
Give them something they can’t get anywhere else
March 21, 2014
Samsung added this unique app to their phones that helps you speed-read called Spritz. The word of mouth and PR they received was amazing. (A few examples: The Huffington Post, Slate, and PC World) Why did it work? Because they gave people a reason to talk about them. One of the big rules of word of […]
Never say never
December 20, 2013
Canada is phasing out home postal delivery. Why does it matter to you? Because it’s a great reminder of how radically things can change, and how fast — even when things seem inevitable. Example: Seven years ago, the iPhone didn’t exist. Now Motorola is a department of Google. You need to train yourself to expect […]
Competition is irrelevant
July 12, 2013
Google’s Larry Page explains why so many companies miss the future and fail in an interesting Wired interview: I worry that something has gone seriously wrong with the way we run companies. If you read the media coverage of our company, or of the technology industry in general, it’s always about the competition. The stories […]
Smash the system
October 23, 2012
Do you want to make meaningful change in society? Do you want to fix things? Do you want to make it better? It’s not going to happen through politicians — of either party. Some are better, some are worse. But changing politicians to improve the country is like changing your wiper blades and hoping your […]
It’s worth it, even if they don’t buy it
October 22, 2012
Sometimes a great innovation isn’t there to sell the innovation. It’s to restart the conversation about your company. Sort of like the non-existent concept cars that auto companies show off each season. MOO Cards makes really cool business cards. They are a darling of creative and tech types. (Good proof that you can innovate and […]
Really, I wish I’d thought of that
June 29, 2012
BrightFarms is doing something remarkable. People want local food. Grocery stores want a steady supply of fresh produce. So, BrightFarms is building farms on the roof of grocery stores, who pre-agree to buy the crops. That’s one of those big, simple ideas that makes you go, “Whoa!” Read the full story at Fast Company.
This is the kind of awesome craziness that we should all support
April 29, 2012
My friend Marek is growing an art museum out of wheat: “For this project, I will plant a field of wheat that will be harvested, turned into straw bales — a safe, green, and proven construction material — that will be used to build a museum of contemporary art. The field that supplies the wheat, […]
How to screw better
December 31, 2011
One final thought for the year: There is always a way to make something better. Even something as simple as this computer bolt. Bolts and screws have been around for centuries, but someone still figured out how to make it easier for users: A slot big enough to use a dime if you don’t have […]
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