What Were They Thinking?

C H A P T E R 23

Dare to Be Different

AT A CONFERENCE OF SENIOR EXECUTIVES from the grocery store industry sponsored by a large food and pet food manufacturer, I listened to people talk about innovation in their industry: self-service checkout (having customers do more of the work); grouping food products in different arrangements on the shelves; new store décor, including better lighting and different flooring material; different ways of pricing to improve margins; and various advertising and promotion strategies. Yawn. Take an airplane flight. With very few exceptions, can you tell them apart? The absence of food, service, or such amenities as pillows seems to characterize almost all the airlines as they seek the lowest common denominator for ...