I know I’m supposed to be reviewing Brand Hijack… but I just happened to look at the shelf over my desk today, full of books I’m supposed to read and haven’t yet, I was comforted by the presence of a book I have read, so I thought I would share.

I’ve posted about improv before (here and here), so it should come as no surprise that the book Improv Wisdom by Patricia Ryan Madson was a quick read for me.  I had the pleasure of meeting Patricia at the Applied Improv Network conference I attended last year, and I love her book.  It has a wonderful set of lessons from which brands and business people and just plain people can learn a lot.  So here ya go (my comments are in italics):

• A good improviser is someone who is awake, not entirely self-focused, and moved by a desire to do something useful and give something back and who acts upon this impulse.  Does this remind you of the thinking behind a brand ambassador program?
• Blocking comes in many forms; it is a way of trying to control the situation instead of accepting it.  Again… how many articles have we read lately about companies who insist on maintaining control of their brand?
• To say ‘yes’ is to make a leap of faith, to risk oneself in a new and often scary relationship.  A similar sentiment can be found in a book that BzzAgent is currently buzzing… The Breakaway Brand by Francis J. Kelly III and Barry Silverstein.  They say that “Rather than risk being different or innovative, many products start and end their lives as me-too brands.  They take the safe road and emulate the characteristics of the category leader.”  Only the most courageous brands that are willing to say ‘yes’ to a risk are the ones that have any chance of distinguishing themselves.
  
• The habit of excessive planning impedes our ability to see what is actually in front of us.  The mind that is occupied is missing the present.  This is a great thought in terms of consumer research.  If you come to your research thinking you already know the answer, then you’re likely to miss the opportunity that’s right in front of you.
• There is a widespread belief that thinking ‘outside the box’ (some call this the goal of creativity) means going after far-out and unusual ideas.  A true understanding of this phrase means seeing what is really obvious, but, up until then, unseen.  This is a good one… since ‘thinking outside the box’ has completely lost its meaning now that it’s such a mainstream business buzz phrase.  We don’t have to re-invent the wheel to be successful.  Sometimes we just have to close our eyes for a moment and embrace simplicity.
• The most consistent road to unhappiness that I know comes from turning a blind eye to reality.  To brands who hear customers’ input, decide they’re wrong and keep doing it their way anyway.

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