I'm conflicted.
On the one hand people wanging on about things that other people have known about for years, as if they've just invented the sodding wheel, can be a little wearing.
On the other hand, er, George Bernard Shaw definitely had it right.
As you already know.
Because you've already seen this quote many times before.
And you're also likely familiar with Andre Gide's:
"Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But since no one was listening, everything must be said again."
By sharing Shaw's quote, am I just becoming another total wanger?
Or maybe, when shared with a little humility, which is my intention, it's OK. Useful in fact.
"Here's some universal wisdom that I've found important to remind myself of from time-to-time, that you might find useful too."
As opposed to.
"I've just nicked someone else's idea and presented it as my own, like the boss-genius that my AI is telling me I am."
Anyway, this all came to mind as the Compound Creativity / Fresh Consistency / it's-the-marketers-that-are-bored-not-the-audience imperative is coming out of Cannes loud and clear again this week. And rightly so. The facts don't lie.
Yes and, I think the principle applies as much to innovation as it does to advertising and communication.
Time and again in my work with clients mapping their Innovation Systems, the same hard to hear (and simplified for effect) negatively reinforcing feedback loop emerges...
We launched -> We supported (communicated) -> It did well-ish -> So we withdrew support -> It did less well -> It was delisted (not our fault) -> Why do our innovations always fail? -> I suppose we should try again.
...Ummmmmm.
The single biggest problem with innovation is the illusion that it has been sufficiently communicated?