The second piece in my article series for TechSauce, a leading media hub for the tech startup community in Thailand, was recently published.  The series is entitled ‘Future Shaping Innovation Step-by-Step’, and the focus of my second article is about ‘The Fine Art of Infatuation’.

Finding new, previously unexplored combinations of already existing components to drive new levels of value is at the heart of smart innovation. In fact, the approach is so useful and effective that I call it the Innovation Shortcut. Here is a recent example in practice, from the Middle East.

I am delighted to be invited to the NASA Cross-Industry Summit, which is taking place at the Houston Space Center on November 5-7, 2018. The purpose of the event is to bring together a really eclectic, and stimulating group of future shapers, business leaders and cultural pioneers to explore the intersections.  The event is hosted by Omar Hatamleh, NASA’s Chief Innovation Officer, and kicks off with an exclusive tour of NASA. Only 50 external guests have been invited, with participants taking turn to give 15-minute presentations or partake in a panel discussion. This format insures a strong and intimate cross-pollination of ideas.

Well, well, well. What goes around, comes around. At least in the case of Sears. Sears was a market disruptor, dominant player, household name, and the originator of remote shopping back in the late 1800’s. It decoupled retail purchasing from a physical store through its catalogues, making goods and services accessible like never before throughout the U.S. Sadly, after having built a substantial store infrastructure, it is now becoming obsolete by the new remote shopping maverick, Amazon.

There is really insightful evidence of shifting customer interest, in wake of the iPhone XR launch last week. Plotting the intensity of online activity at the launch of each new iPhone since iPhone 5, has revealed that customers are less and less enthralled with each new generation. This type of cyclicality in customer attachment is natural for all businesses, which is why you need to continuously 're-infatuate' your target audience to keep them emotionally close. It's certainly the writing on the wall for Apple right now.