In the classroom at the Eastern Institute of Technology teaching commerce I divide the available lecture time into:
a) Me imparting understanding to students in relation to key terms/ principles/ practices; reinforced with the use of “real world” case studies – many relating to my own commercial experiences.
b) Set exercises/ challenges performed by students working in small groups – culminating in a representative from each group presenting their group’s determinations to the wider class. This practice develops the skill of collaboration, and oral presentation techniques that are proven to be persuasive.
I was genuinely stunned (in a good way) during yesterday’s Branding lecture, when one group – tasked with the challenge of:
* Conceiving an original brand (either business or brand), and
* Designing an effective logo in support of the conceived brand, and
* Determining the profile of each target market segment that is expected to connect with the originated brand, and
* Determining how the brand is to be positioned and what its USP’s are…
….came-up with a brand that was so clever I believe that it would rival (if not eclipse) all of the branded water products currently on the market. For now, I’m going to keep this creative spark under wraps…as a teaser, to see if a water bottling company comes out of the woodwork to enquire as to what this brand looks like.
I believe that this brand most certainly has commercial value and the potential to etch-out commendable market share very quickly should it be taken to market. Let me know if curiosity is getting the better of you and I’ll think about a way of sharing this brand with interested parties under confidential terms in due course – with the consent of the students concerned.
So what I can see is that, the spark of innovation (i.e. the will and ability to innovate) is still alive in certain minds. But if we’re serious about fanning these embers to allow these sparks to fully ignite then we’ve got some work to do in clearing some of the smouldering ash (rules) to allow air to circulate.
I’m quietly confident that the two recently appointed business advisory panels to central government will be focused on recommending measures that are designed to rekindle innovation in New Zealand; through the relaxation of unwarranted rules (legislation/ regulation/ policy), coupled with initiatives that incentivise innovation to be pursued.
Let’s go New Zealand !