This is a 10-minute presentation I gave at the Digiday Agency Summit in Oct 2014. It explains why Lateral Innovation is the best opportunity for agencies to help clients with their innovation efforts. It compares how GE talks about innovation over a 60-year period to illustrate the differences in Vertical vs. Lateral Innovation. Finally, it stresses a need for agencies to invest more heavily in financial and commercial expertise to effectively play the role of "innovation partner" for any client. Like all of my presentations, it loses quite a bit without voice-over, but you can read about this and other innovation philosophy in-depth at http://finch15.com/blog.

1. AGENCY
INNOVATION
PARTNERS
@saneel | #digidayDAS | digiday agency summit

2. who am I?

3. we offer
incubator services
to brands

4. DEFINING
INNOVATION

5. in·no·va·tion
noun ˌi-nə-ˈvā-shən
the introduction of something new
-Merriam-Webster

6. in·no·va·tion
noun ˌi-nə-ˈvā-shən
the introduction of something new [& relevant]
-Merriam-Webster-Radia

7. what’s
relevant?

8. vertical innovation

9. lalatteerraal li ninnnoovvaattioionn

10. THE AGENCY
OPPORTUNITY

11. {BRAND IMPACT} LATERAL
BRAND-LED
INNOVATION
VERTICAL
INNOVATION
brand-driven
innovation
• improve existing offerings
• pursue a destination
• realistically extrapolate ROI
• create new offerings
• venture into unknown
• disproportionate ROI
reward
risk

12. tools of the craft
“who the hell is in charge, a bunch of accountants
trying to make a dollar into a dollar ten?” -Don Draper

13. brand-led exploration

14. brand-led exploration
+ brand-mitigated risk

15. brand-led exploration
+ brand-mitigated risk
+ financial expertise

16. brand-led exploration
+ brand-mitigated risk
+ financial expertise
= new & relevant opportunities
!

17. brand-led exploration
+ brand-mitigated risk
+ financial expertise
= new & relevant opportunities
!
= AGENCY INNOVATION PARTNERS

18. THANK YOU
@saneel | #digidayDAS | digiday agency summit