Why are organisations so afraid to talk about new products, new ideas and concepts?

All around us the world is changing, the world is having to evolve and innovate, and companies, people, and the environment are having to constantly adapt to the ever moving constant in our lives – change.

Whilst there are many changes which are out of our control, there are also changes which can be controlled and these changes require a choice to be made – do we adapt, or do we sit and wait?

Many company’s I have spoken to are constantly innovating and moving through the New Product Development cycle, with some aligning to the Value Chain Analysis framework to ensure they understand a true industry and company’s problems and needs. They are on their way to commercialisation and have installed Projects locally or globally, BUT, why do we not hear what’s going on?

Is it worry with regards to IP? Is it worry with supply chain? With sales approach? So many factors to consider, and they all play their part when it comes to communication, but what if it’s a misunderstanding of what Marketing can do?

Marketing in a traditional sense is seen as a Sales tool, such as promotion of products services or brand. It utilises various techniques and channels, such as advertising, public relations, market research and sales, with the primary focus being to attract and engage customers, generate leads and drive sales. If I see one more sales brochure, I may explode.

However, it’s worthy to distinguish between this and thought leadership, another marketing strategy, which focuses on establishing individuals or organisations as authoritative and influential figures in their respect fields.

Thought leadership aims to build credibility, trust and influence within a particular industry by offering valuable insights and perspectives, thought leaders seek to shake and influence trends, conversations and the direction of their field. This helps build a strong brand reputation and differentiate themselves from competitors. Thought leadership should be an integral part of a comprehensive marketing strategy.

Customers recognise the challenges they face, but are struggling to understand what direction to go when it comes to net-zero for example, it’s a crowded market place with so many technologies, start up’s, and not enough education on integration and current technologies already adopted. Customers need to see the future, and there’s a huge opportunity for companies to start influencing and showcasing what’s in their pipeline, whether a concept or not.

So why not use thought leadership to start advocating a company’s innovations, and start having a say in what the future could look like? At the end of the day, it’s a credible voice, which will help ensure a company is seen as a player in the future, and doesn’t rely on the past successes to market themselves.

#change #decarbonisation #thoughtleadership #marketing