Renovate before you innovate, says marketing guru

Zyman, the first speaker on Day Two of the three-day IAA Congress underway in the Dubai International Convention Centre, is chairman and founder of marketing strategy firm The Zyman Group and former Chief Marketing Officer of The Coca-Cola Company. He was named one of Time magazine's three key pitchmen of the 20th century.

"Innovation says 'Start with what you can manufacture and see if you can sell it'," Zyman said. "Renovation says 'Start with you can sell and see how you can make it'. Innovation is too often seen as a cure-all, and we forget that the thing that made us successful is not fully developed."

"The better way of doing things is to trace what put you in business, your core essence - which is too often confused with core competence," Zyman said. Renovation is grounded in a company's core essence, and combined with research provides a context for growth and defines what consumers will buy and provides it for them, he added.

The runaway success of Apple iPods, Zyman explained, is a perfect example of this strategy. "Steve Jobs created a significant new paradigm by taking a good look at his business, and realizing that Dell had taken much of it," he said. "Jobs brought back the idea of graphic user interface (GUI), Apple's core essence, and combined it with the new trends in music sharing, downloads and mobility to create a new culture with all of us walking around with this sticking out of our ears."

And even with the challenges of globalization, transaction dislocation and media fragmentation, marketing remains an integral part of any sound business, industry or even national political strategy, Zyman added.

"No one has ever made money by manufacturing stuff," Zyman said. "You only make money by selling it, and marketing has the ability to get that done." It is essential and far easier to be proactive rather than reactive, he said, even for those involved with marketing a nation.

Other speakers on Day Two of the 40th IAA World Congress included Steve Forbes, CEO of Forbes; Jay Rasulo, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks; Jack Klues, Chairman and CEO of Starcom Worldwide; and Obaid Humaid Al Tayer, President of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Platinum sponsors of the 40th IAA World Congress and Exhibition include Gulf News, CNN, Dubai Television and Motivate Publishing, while Gold Sponsors are Dentsu and EMAAR. Silver sponsors include the Chouieri Group, MBC, BBC World and Al Ittihad, while Khaleej Times, Dubai Duty Free, AME Info, FedEx and Arab Media Group (AMG) and Al Wataniya have Bronze sponsorship status. The 40th IAA World Congress is held in association with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Dubai Media City.

While the Congress and Exhibition are taking place, the IAA will play host to an exhibition of public service advertising (PSA) campaigns from around the world under the banner of 'Great Ads for a Better Future.' The exhibition, which includes posters, print advertisements, TV spots and reports from companies, NGOs and international organizations, will be on display in the main concourse of the Dubai International Convention Centre and is open to the general public, free of charge.

The 40th IAA World Congress and Exhibition continues until Thursday, March 23, 2006.