Spark: Be More Innovative Through Co-Creation

by John Winsor

Book Overview

The playing field for businesses is always changing. But one principle remains constant: individuals and companies that innovate will excel. In this groundbreaking guide, entrepreneur John Winsor... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1419503162
• ISBN13: 9781419503160
• Release Date: November 2005
• Publisher: Kaplan
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.7" x 7.4"

Customer Reviews

Full of Great Ideas

This book is a quick read but full of great ideas for (re)igniting creativity and innovation. It's set up in an interview style, with each chapter representing a conversation with one of sixteen marketing professionals from well known consumer brands and agencies. The chapters are then grouped into 4 categories all focused on innovation through co-creation, either via a team, the company, the customer, or the culture. Some key excerpts: "A spark wouldn't happen if there weren't a difference between one end of the spark and the other. It's in that gap that the potential exists." "Improv suggests that creativity is fundamentally something that arises between people and is never done by someone on their own...people can only act in response to the stimulus they are given." "Consumers are tough and they're smart, they have choices, they have power, and they like to use it. They understand the world of innovation. They mash together sports and music and film and gaming and art and food and fashion. They ignore the superficial scratch and hiss of brandsters. They are not beyond influence, but they are above manipulation." The book brings together a lot of the ideas raised in Malcolm Gladwell's Blink and James Surowiecki's The Wisdom of Crowds before it. And it underscores the fact that the best marketers are social scientists: get out there and observe, talk to, and engage with your customers and prospects.

A Must Book for those seeking Successful Marketing Ideas

John Winsor conducted interviews with leaders from successful corporations, who believe in the concept of innovative marketing as a means to promote their products. Industry leaders from corporations such as, Nike and LEGO Group are examples Mr. Winsor uses to express how innovative marketing works. Mr. Winsor expertly organized the subject content of his chapters as if he was weaving a blanket. The book's organization, weaves the reader from one perspective of innovation to another. He starts his book with the different concepts of how individual leaders develop a TEAM. Then he weaves forward, tying into different perspectives, of a few COMPANIES that help create innovative environments for ideas to flourish. Once this part of the blanket is weaved, the book concentrates on the CUSTOMER base. In this section, Mr. Winsor weaves the different lessons of how the COMPANY'S TEAM can learn to understand their CUSTOMER base. By understanding the CUSTOMER, the innovative TEAM will know how best to anticipate and meet their customers needs. Finally, the blanket's completion is weaved, by adding the CULTURAL perspective of innovation. The book is finished with chapters on understanding the CULTURE environment. This final section brings the idea of innovative "Spark" of co-creation together for success. Lessons learned in this section provide ideas on how to develop community relations with "competitors, retailers, suppliers, the political environment," as well as consumers. Thus,the cultural environment helps the TEAM develop INNOVATIVE ideas that benefit CUSTOMERS, which will eventually produce profits for the COMPANY. A great book that provides the reader with definitive proven, successful, innovative concepts that can be applied to any business. A must book to read for anyone who enjoys thinking outside the usual approach to marketing.

I found Spark inspirational and useful

Spark is a book that is both inspirational and useful. Keeping with the theme of the book, co-creating innovation, Winsor has gathered together 16 inspirational thought leaders from, Lego to Nike, that makes the book more interesting and practical. I really enjoyed the unique design. Each chapter had it's own set of tools and resources plus workspace allowing me to explore the ideas further.

Intuitive Innovation

This book is all about easy access and inspiration. From the leaders at Nike to other iconic brands, I enjoyed being able to drop in and check out a certain story about a brand I was interested in (quiksilver in this case)and have real life examples of people out there in different parts of corporate America. The diversity of brands and ideas represented was phenomenal (can you say milk to Lego?)and I found the stories inspirational and motivating. Definitely worth keeping in your carry on for a few months and a few reads.