Over the past week, our news reports have featured a couple of cases of old dogs learning new tricks, vintage companies getting into new areas. Now, we see this kind of thing all the time – after all, adaptation to the marketplace is essential if a company is to survive. But what's interesting is these are three companies engaging in a smart kind of creative futurism that may change their futures.
The first company is actually one that's in no major trouble – GameStop. They're one of the great geek success stories, actually, riding a mixture of clever marketing (their popular used games policy) and in-depth product knowledge to being the leader in their field. However, they're facing increased competition, with both Best Buy and Target making bids to get serious about the used games buisness – not to mention a possible future where gamers might get as much content from downloads as from discs.
Their solution was to develop a "store of the future" that includes kiosks where gamers can download content – and use their used game credits to pay for the downloads. It's a concept that combines old marketing and new, putting a fresh spin on their tried and tested approach and instantly vaulting them ahead of those who are thinking about giving them a run for their money.
The next company was Playboy, a veteran publisher that has been struggling mightily in recent years as the Internet took over what used to be their exclusive domain (we all know what the Internet is for, don't we?). Rather than just lay down and die, however, they're taking an entirely new tack by getting into a currently booming area – casual gaming. Their new Playboy Games brand will feature offerings aimed at men between 18 and 35, the traditional target audience of the magazine. Something totally unexpected from them – and that's precisely why it just might work.
The third instance was actually not talked about in our news – it arrived very quietly, in the form of an E-mail from Borders sent out to members of their Rewards Club. Now, Borders has, like Playboy, been struggling mightily as of late, and the fact that they were latecomers to the E-book sweepstakes – with their Kobo coming out long after the Kindle and Nook – didn't help at all.
Rather than bring out another version of the Kobo, they're going in a slightly different direction – all the way to tablets. They'll be offering an Android slate called the Velocity Micro Cruz come October – just in time for the holiday shopping season – at a reasonable price of $299. This is probably the smartest possible move they could have made – jump one step further than their competitors, and do it quietly, so they can't get a jump on them.
Borders, Playboy and GameStop are all engaging in something here that I call creative futurism. This is analyzing future trends, figuring out what's next . . . and then figuring out the most creative way possible to take advantage of these trends, using a combination of creative thinking, foresight and the element of surprise.
It's a big gamble, to be sure – especially for a company like Borders or Playboy, both of whom are struggling so mightily right now. But if it pays off, the dividends could be huge.
This is why it's important to keep your ear to the ground and listen not only for what's coming next, but what may be coming a year down the line. (Sometimes, rumors are worth paying attention to). That way, you can put your thinking caps on early, figure out your strategy, and play your hand before your competitors even know they're going to need cards.
It's too early to say if these moves are the magic bullets that Borders and Playboy need to survive, and GameStop needs to stay on top of the heap. But one thing's for sure – they show the kind of out-of-the-box thinking that can only help just about any company.
- Bonnie Walling