If we are dealing with a “Need” that the market is unaware of, are we creating a solution or are we adding to the problem?
Let us consider a product that is hazardous to the environment or to the general health of humanity. Maybe this product is the waste-product or by-product of some other manufacturing process, and management wants to find a way to make it profitable instead of spending money to recycle it properly. Marketing is then tasked with creating a message and developing communications to sell this product to the market. Basically, we are then working backwards, to create a “Need” in the mind of the market. But is it really a “Need”? And, what future are we creating for our global community by pursuing this sort of coercion and manipulation?
On the other hand, if we have foresight, if we are able to read the general behaviours of humanity and see where future issues may arise, then we are more likely to find future solutions to big issues. The challenge with this approach is knowing when to release the solution. It is rumoured that the major delay between James Cameron’s Terminator and Terminator 2 was due to CGI not being advanced enough to create the sort of effects required in Cameron’s vision (see Syd Field’s books on scriptwriting). Leonardo da Vinci came up with the Helicopter 500 years ago, but the materials weren’t available yet, and let’s face it, most people weren’t ready to fly. But, eventually, both ideas came to fruition, and the market was ready.
Do you have the strength of character to focus on immediate needs for sustainability and also have the foresight to see new opportunities that truly can improve the human experience?
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