No Innovative Burgers Please... The Danger of Buzzwords

Way back when, when we started doing Innovation events, the word was powerful, inviting and articulate. We're all intrigued by innovation - the foundation for growth and prosperity. The key to survival we are told. But nowadays, when we see innovation plastered all over everything - ironically on the least innovative "innovations" it makes me think - has it become such a buzzword that we're immune to it? I'm not sure I ever want to eat an "innovative burger" that scares me actually.

Is there another word out there that defines innovation better than the word innovation itself? And then, when I see people using terminology like Open Innovation on presentations or even naming an event itself - I think to myself, who in the world, in 2009 is going to an event that focuses so narrowly on one aspect of such an important strategy? Innovation Immersion and FEI, our premier events have been covering Open for so many years, we've actually graduated from Open to Partnering and Crowdsourcing. Unqualified organizers seems to be jumping on the innovation bandwagon, many of whom dont even understand what it is. This in turn is devaluing innovation and ironically getting in the way of the growth of innovation as an embraceable, repeatable culture and process. For those really serious about enterprise wide value innovation, new business model innovation and unlocking customer value - come hear Scott Anthony, Author, The Innovator’s Guide to Growth speak at Innovation Immersion this October along with CEOs from Fast Company’s 50 Most Innovative Interview Each Other... www.iirusa.com/immersion. Now THAT is what I'm talking about.