| Originality counts -- and you'll be counting your | | | | A few years ago, I attended a 10-month |
| sales figures whenyou implement your original | | | | multimedia course. One ofour assignments was to |
| ideas in your product line, marketingand sales | | | | write the story line for a Costa Rican travelvideo. |
| materials. | | | | We were told that film star Robin Williams would |
| Take a look at many of the headlines and | | | | beproviding the voice-over in our imaginary film. |
| advertisements that youcome across on the Web | | | | I gave the matter a couple of minutes thought, |
| and in newspapers and other media. | | | | and suddenly I hadmy brainwave. The video |
| Same old, same old. Most barely make an | | | | would open like this: |
| impression on yourconsciousness. | | | | The suns rises over a gorgeous, tropical beach. |
| On the other hand, who will ever forget the | | | | Robin |
| Energizer Bunny? Thatrabbit is one original little | | | | Williams'voice rings out: |
| hopper. Bunny, of course, was the productof a | | | | "Good Morrrrnnnnnning, Costa Rica!" |
| highly creative advertising team. The rest of us | | | | (Those who don't catch the connection, run to |
| will have tostruggle a little harder to find original | | | | the video store andrent Williams' award winning |
| ideas for our small businesses. | | | | film, Good Morning Vietnam). |
| Originality counts, but being original isn't always | | | | Afterwards, I learned to my embarrassment that |
| easy. | | | | approximately halfof my classmates had used the |
| Here's the thing. Most people within an identified | | | | identical opening. And worse,students in previous |
| culture or ethnicgroup are hot-wired to come up | | | | classes had also come up with this openingscene |
| with very similar responses whenpresented with a | | | | for the same assignment. The instructor was |
| word, concept or product. | | | | very sick of Good Morning, Costa Rica. |
| But strangely, we all tend to think our response is | | | | The lesson is clear. If an idea, headline, name, joke |
| unique and specialand that no one has previously | | | | or other responseleaps into our mind quickly, |
| thought of it. | | | | we're not alone. It's a given thatnumerous others |
| I've noticed this for a long time -- at least for as | | | | have had the same immediate response -- and |
| long as my namehas been June, which is to say, | | | | eachand every one considered it unique. If the |
| all of my life. Ever since I canremember, on being | | | | idea was obvious to you,guaranteed it was |
| introduced, people are prone to announcegleefully, | | | | obvious to many others as well. |
| "JUNE BUG!" | | | | The truly original response is likely to be one that |
| I don't mind being called June Bug. There are | | | | pops into our mindlater -- after we've slept on it, |
| worse names. But I domarvel at how each and | | | | or while we are daydreaming aboutsomething else |
| every person who says this believes that Iam | | | | completely. |
| hearing this wonderfully witty remark for the first | | | | And why is originality so important? If you are in |
| time. Yeah,the first time this morning, maybe. | | | | business, it meansyou'll come up with a different |
| You'd think I'd know better than to fall into the | | | | product, a different service, adifferent advertising |
| trap of "same old,same old" thinking myself, given | | | | headline than the one used by your competitors. |
| that I've been complaining about itsince childhood. | | | | If you're in a creative field, it means you'll be |
| But no. | | | | remembered andknown for your original work. |