Zzzzzzzzz
When was the last time you saw something so unique, so well designed, so creatively done, that you were absolutely amazed by it? Can you think of anything that stands out head and shoulders above its competitors? Maybe a product, or some type of unique service…or something from the entertainment industry – a movie, TV show or stage play.
If you could immediately think of something, congratulations. If you had more than one response, that’s incredible. Or maybe, out of necessity, you’ve just unknowingly lowered your expectations.
If you’ve followed the movie industry during the last several years, you’ve probably noticed the HUGE percentage of films that are sequels (parts 2, 3, 4…44, etc.) or flat out re-dos of classics from the distant past. Watching the current movie trailers on television certainly confirms this. And – let’s be honest here – a vast majority of these stink.
Hellooooo. Any creative thoughts in there? Is it that much cheaper, that much less taxing on the brain’s right hemisphere, to just keep regurgitating the same old crap?
How about television? Are they now giving bonus points for coming up with truly lame knock-offs of new shows that are actually somewhat unique and creative? How many knock-offs of shows dealing in used items, cooking competitions, survival, hospitals, sleazy housewives, cops, lawyers and fishermen can possibly have any substance? I won’t even begin to discuss the dozens of “reality show” (heh) knock-offs. (And what about the knock-offs of knock-offs, which were unbelievably putrid in the first place).
Electronics? Mostly knock-offs. The typical company’s M.O. is to let someone else spend the time and money charting new territory, copy what’s been done, tweak it slightly, and tell the world how far superior their product is to the original.
What about consumer products? Since there are thousands of different types, you’d think that more than a handful would qualify for the “cool concept, looks great, works perfectly, never knew I needed one but gotta have it” category. Uh-uh.
Where are the innovators, the leaders? Have people resigned themselves to becoming like sheep? Baaa? Bah!
Having had the privilege on numerous occasions of visiting the design areas of some of the large automotive OEMs, and talking at length to many of the folks who work there, I can assure you that the talent pool is deep, and that they don’t conceptualize, or try to sell management on, boring, mundane stuff — quite the contrary. Most envision being part of a team that creates the next iconic vehicle, and, having seen some recent design proposals, they’re certainly not giving up the dream. I’m sure this thinking is prevalent in other fields as well. The ideas, and the enthusiasm, exist.
Is the pragmatic, bean counter-type mentality dictating the product availability of the world? Have we all become conditioned to a certain degree of sameness? I’m reminded of the 90s movie Groundhog Day, considered by many to be one of the top comedies of all time. The date of February 2nd kept repeating itself over and over again. Funny? In truth, the movie made me extremely uncomfortable.
The solution? You’re the consumer…you hold the cards. If the movie or television show is awful, let someone know (via email, blog, etc.), and don’t waste your time being “mesmerized” by useless trash. There are millions of other ways to be entertained.
If the products or services you’re considering aren’t what you’re looking for, don’t buy them. Hold out for something that meets your desires, even if that means bucking the status quo. Time spent researching available alternatives – especially given the information resources we have today – can be extremely well spent, if you have the persistence and the patience to find what works for you. (Please note: “Unique, well designed, works great, creative” is NOT the dictionary definition of “expensive.”)
The need to have customers ultimately drives innovation in business. If we, as the customers, settle for “Zzzz,” that’s exactly what we’ll get.
Perry Kartsonas 12/21/2011
I 100% agree with this! It seems things have settled into the big Z on many fronts. Consumers have been accepting things we really don’t want…could be due to apathy, economics,not wanting to rock the boat, etc. TV stands out the most as the leading Z with bottom level programming (Shipping Wars – c’mon, what’s next? the Rock’em,Sock’ em toy making a retro novelty comeback as boxing robots sporting UPS, Fedex logos), ho-hum commercials, etc. In fact, we are also customers of where we work and that is something people don’t always realize either.