Why new ideas don't have to be new
Ella Tassi
CMO I Marketing & communication I Growth strategy & execution I CX I Digital transformation I Executive leadership I
An idea doesn’t have to be new to be a game changer; in fact, it being brand new is no guarantee of success. Kodak, for example, was the first to invent the digital camera – but lost the digital photography game.
When it comes to great ideas, it’s as much about timing and execution as the light bulb moment itself. And sometimes, the genius comes when other people take that initial idea and make it better. Take for example War of the Worlds.
Timing
H.G Wells initially released the story in a serialised format in 1897. As one of the earliest stories exploring conflict with extraterrestrials, it was ground-breaking for its time and (astonishingly) still remains relevant today; the novel has never been out of print. When it was dramatised in a 1938 radio program, it allegedly caused public panic among those who thought the Martian invasion was real – an early precursor to The Blair Witch Project.
Execution
In 1978, Jeff Wayne released a concept album, reinventing War of the Worlds as a haunting musical. The two-disc album remains a bestseller, having sold millions of records around the world. I remember my parents playing it at home and, as a little kid, being equally intrigued and terrified by the eerie alien noises coming from the stereo ("Ulla!”).
The story even inspired scientists, notably Robert H. Goddard who invented liquid-fuelled and multi-stage rockets which, seven decades later, resulted in the 1969 Moon landing.
But reworking a great idea doesn’t necessarily guarantee a great outcome.
In 2005, Tom Cruise starred in the Hollywood version of War of the Worlds. By this point in time, the novelty of stories about alien invasions was long gone. To make any impact, a sci-fi movie needed to give the genre an unexpected twist: to be visually spectacular, thematically clever, emotionally searing... Instead, the movie achieved mediocrity. A great idea, but one with poor timing and execution.
New ideas are exciting. But don’t underestimate the power of refining an existing one, extending it and taking it somewhere unexpected. Just ensure the implementation and market conditions are right. Taxis and ride-sharing already existed, but (scandals aside) Uber was able to take us somewhere new.