Our thinking appears in marketing articles and publications around the world

Andy Stefanovich outlines Prophet's 5M Model of Innovation and Prophet's LAMSTAIH [lam´sti] philosophy.

The saying, "May you live in interesting times," is considered a curse, but wise leaders will understand it also as a blessing, and use it as a mantra in charting their course through the turbulence. 

Andy Stefanovich answers your questions about innovation, and offers five tips for success.

The shift in the economic climate has created a sense of urgency among business leaders who need innovation now in order to survive—if not thrive—in the future. Leaders have become impatient to get to the “big idea” that grabs the attention of their customers. This article outlines a framework for creating ideas that is appropriate and relevant to the needs of innovation sponsors within a company—no matter what the economic forecast might be.

A common scenario in corporate headquarters these days features the Chief Innovation Officer having a meeting with her Innovation Council in the recently completed, state-of-the-art Innovation Room, frowning at the results of their efforts to create a “culture of innovation.” Why don’t they have it? Why aren’t they getting the output they need?

Luxury brands face no small dilemma these days as they try to deliver growth without compromising cachet—all against the backdrop of a severe global recession that’s sure to challenge their fabled resistance to downturns.

While it is tempting to cut resources, slow down product launches, and refocus only on the core, companies that continue their commitment to innovation are more likely to reap great rewards.

Classic financial theory has it that all else being equal, the greater the risk, the greater the return. And when it comes to innovation, those businesses that are the most successful embrace that notion.

There's a "secret sauce," as a friend would put it, to creating a recipe that works for serving up innovation success. But if businesses have trouble getting it quite right, it's because they're short on a critical ingredient: inspiration.

Innovation appears to be the holy grail of our times.  But the innovation quest is long, laborious and not for the faint of heart. Success requires strong leadership setting the pace: a catalyst and change agent who has the vision, desire and ability to enlist and inspire others to the cause.

The concept of Open Innovation is increasingly familiar and many organizations are eager to position themselves to harness its potential. However, considerable confusion exists around what Open Innovation is and what it isn’t. This article aims to dispell three of the prevailing myths about Open Innovation.

Despite its promise as a primary source of organic business growth, capitalizing on innovation’s potential is an elusive goal for many businesses. Our 2008 Best Practices Study, developed in collaboration with Play, reveals how “model” innovators do it — with approaches that point the way toward better innovation success for others.

In this article, David Aaker argues that brand strategy is crucially important to an innovation. Without it, the strength of an innovation will be short-lived. 
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Kevin O’Donnell believes innovation’s role as a driver of organic growth and a differentiator that adds substantially to a brand’s value remains as critical as ever. In his inaugural column in the newly relaunched Marketing News, a publication of the American Marketing Association, O’Donnell spells out one solution: Creation of innovation “systems” that foster actionable creativity.

In this article that appeared originally in the Wall Street Journal, Dave Aaker argues that to win market share, don’t try to influence what brand of product people buy. Change how they use the product in the first place.

Innovation is now a priority in most firms around the world just as quality was two decades ago. The challenge then was how to transform a quality program and results into a quality image. Today the need is to gain image credit for developing an innovative organization and a flow of innovative products.

Two Choices: Burger King and Ford followed different paths in their quests to grow-and stand as case studies of why the best marketing comes from innovation, not desperation.

Marketers aiming to better position themselves and the marketing function to add real value to the organization have their work cut out for them. A new year makes the timing right to recap three of the most critical prescriptions for change.

Innovation is a major hot button with businesses these days, given its critical role in driving organic business growth. As one survey of 940 senior managers found, all considered growing revenues through innovation as critical to success. Yet more than half were unhappy with their innovation investment returns.

There is a growing need for businesses, and particularly their marketing leadership, to look differently at what constitutes innovation, and create a culture that fosters and rewards it.