While ‘disruptive innovation’ is not exactly a new term, it is often co-opted to describe any number of innovations in technology and mass media. At its core, disruptive innovation is focused on creating a new market, value network, service or product that displaces or “disrupts” an existing one of similar nature. These innovators take their cue from an existing service or product as a baseline and create something that is more convenient, smarter or faster for the user.

Netflix has a long history of disruptive innovation. In 1999 they began a mail order DVD service and became a huge threat to movie rental retailers— most notably Blockbuster. By 2007, Netflix had delivered over a billion DVDs to subscribers, successfully establishing its first major disruptive punch to brick and mortar movie retailers. While Blockbuster focused on stocking multiple copies of the most popular titles, Netflix offered a wider array of titles in its catalogue. Then, as physical DVD sales started to dry up, Netflix sniffed a shift in the wind and began its current video-on-demand service via the Internet.

With House of Cards, Netflix has not only illustrated its disruptive prowess with original content, they’ve also managed to leverage their huge amount of user data as an accurate bellwether of success for new programming. With 33 million users, Netflix has a feast of data that provides unparalleled insight into their subscribers’ viewing habits. With powerful and insightful data, continued programming innovations and content that resonates, it appears that Netflix now has broadcast television in its “disruptive innovation” crosshairs. As it did before, Netflix is innovating and changing the rulebook, this time giving broadcast television a taste of what it can do.

“Authenticity” is a word that has received a lot of attention with the rise of social media – leading audiences to expect brands to be open, transparent and always on.

While authenticity can mean different things to different brands, the common element is humanization. Often times we picture those mammoth companies that don’t care about the little guy—they speak through a logo and are concerned more about padding their bottom line than anything else. It’s a stereotype that has reason to still be alive.

But, not all is lost! LEGO, one of the world’s largest companies and one that has built a remarkably strong brand, defied almost every assumption that’s out there… especially the one about the little guy.

A 7-year old boy decided to email LEGO after he lost one of his beloved action figures at a local mall:

Hello.

My name is Luka Apps and I am seven years old.

With all my money I got for Christmas I bought the Ninjago kit of the Ultrasonic Raider. The number is 9449. It is really good.

My Daddy just took me to Sainsburys and told me to leave the people at home but I took them and I lost Jay ZX at the shop as it fell out of my coat. 

I am really upset I have lost him. Daddy said to send you a email to see if you will send me another one.

I promise I won’t take him to the shop again if you can. 

~Luka

It’s a letter that most of us working in just about any service-based industry would smile at, but that’s probably as far as it would go. Instead of ignoring the letter all together or sending one of those “cookie-cutter” responses, LEGO did this:

Luka, 

I told Sensei Wu that losing your Jay mini figure was purely an accident and that you would never ever let it happen ever again.

He told me to tell you, ‘Luka, your father seems like a very wise man. You must always protect your Ninjago mini figures like the dragons protect the Weapons of Spinjitzu!’

Sensei Wu also told me it was okay if I sent you a new Jay and told me it would be okay if I included something extra for you because anyone that saves their Christmas money to buy the Ultrasonic Raider must be a really big Ninjago fan.

So, I hope you enjoy your Jay mini figure with all his weapons. You will actually have the only Jay mini figure that combines 3 different Jays into one! I am also going to send you a bad guy for him to fight! Just remember, what Sensei Wu said: keep your mini figures protected like the Weapons of Spinjitzu! And of course, always listen to your Dad.

When we talk about authenticity and customer/audience experience, this is exactly what we mean. This employee went above and way beyond what was needed. We don’t think he did it with PR in mind, but this letter generated three things: positive mass media coverage, a lifelong loyal customer in Luka, and thousands of brand evangelists who have praised the company’s culture.

While customers today may be persuaded more by price and the best deal, it doesn’t mean brand loyalty doesn’t exist anymore. LEGO has proven that authenticity and a little bit of human investment can go much further than any amount of money spent on PR and advertising.

Photo by: Professional Images

Zync worked closely with Speakers’ Spotlight’s marketing team to map out an industry-leading website design aimed at drawing the attention of their global audience—a framework grounded in creativity, communication and engagement. This project was more than just a website, it was a representation of the company’s culture, their future and their speakers’ value.

Speakers’ Spotlight wanted to create a memorable experience for their audience. The responsive website structure, which utilized large white space and bold imagery, was able to bring a more intuitive design to the forefront. From trending topics to social media feeds to user-curated lists of speakers, the design and functionality allowed audiences around the world to get more involved with the company and its content.

Connection is everything

Customer expectations have drastically changed. Technology, digital touch points and social media have given them more power and influence – and they want a meaningful experience awaiting them every time. In order to deliver, brands must design a seamless journey that can easily transition between the online and offline worlds. While trends and tactics will change, an ongoing, evolving brand experience is required, not just a series of one-off interactions. Without an experience that connects the brand to its customers, evolution, success and growth is an uphill battle.

According to Garnter’s Research, the percentage of customers lost after a negative brand experience skyrocketed from 68% in 2006 to 89% in 2011. So, if your customers can’t access what they want, find something they need or have their problem resolved, they will move on – very quickly. Consumers now expect to have real-time engagement and meaningful connections with brands.

Heading into 2013 – where competition will continue to increase – organizations will need to tailor their entire brand experience on a more personal level, with a strong focus on creativity in order to stand out. While sales, marketing and customer service silos will still exist; organizations must work to embrace the idea of cross-functional and real-time evolution in order to stay competitive. The traditional brand and marketing segments are becoming more blurred as time goes on. However, this change isn’t something to fear – it should be embraced and seen as an opportunity.

Your brand is in constant evolution

We believe the most important thing to remember in 2013 is that your brand is a constant, integrated experience that grows, evolves and changes, not a “project” with a specific end-date. For example, many websites used to be a static marketing element – built and then mostly ignored. Now, they are constantly evolving mediums that need to adjust to their audiences and meet expectations like engagement, information sharing and relationship building.

Changing expectations have forced brands to adapt. You shouldn’t view social, web, mobile and print as four distinct marketing approaches – they’re all connected. While a direct mail piece may have a specific intent, wouldn’t you want the reader to have an opportunity to spread the word through social media, find additional products or services on your website and then download your mobile app to stay connected?

This new approach is about seeing brand development and marketing as a “living organism” that allows a customer to seamlessly transition through multiple touch points – from a direct mail piece to social feeds, from a website to a live person on the phone. It’s not about channels and channel differentiation, it’s about a creating a common experience for your customer, from the first point of contact all the way through to the last.

Kaypok Inc., which was spun off from York University research with support and funding from MaRS Innovation, filters, categorizes, identifies meaning and measures the root cause and emotions buried within unstructured text to understand what people are saying and feeling. Kaypok Inc. launched nationally at the iStrategy Digital Marketing Conference in Toronto on December 4, 2012.

According to Razieh Niazi, founder and CEO, “Kaypok™ allows users to spend less time analyzing their data and more time acting on unbiased, real results. While other services tell you what and how many, Kaypok™ can tell you why consumers behave.”

“We worked closely with Kaypok Inc. to brand the company from the ground up, including its name, messaging, creative elements and marketing strategy — it was about establishing a business structure that can adapt and grow in this space,” said Brad Breininger, principal and strategist at Zync. “Many of the world’s most successful companies like Apple and Google fused technological innovation with creative branding to become who they are today. Our partnership and approach with Kaypok has and will continue to mirror that two-stream process.”

As Kaypok’s agency of record, Zync will lead development and execution of an integrated marketing campaign, designed to create a groundswell of brand awareness, interest and demand. Infused with the brand’s fun-loving personality and deep insight capabilities, the launch seeks to connect with smart and social media savvy marketing executives across multiple touch points, including social, digital and industry thought leadership forums, such as the Toronto iStrategy conference.

“Zync came to the table fully engaged in the brand, and with a detailed strategy and impressive creative vision for our launch,” said Razieh Niazi, founder of Kaypok. “After conducting an extensive agency review, we trust their expertise and value their experience. We’re looking forward to a successful partnership.”

“Our focus was on capturing the company’s inventiveness and groundbreaking trajectory through creative messaging and corporate brand development,” said Marko Zonta, principal and creative director at Zync. “This is a start-up company that has the potential to make a substantial impact on industries around the world. We have created a voice, culture and borderless identity that created a foundation that will not only maximize its entrance into the market, but also its longevity over the years.”

About Kaypok
Kaypok is a leading technology start-up being commercialization through a partnership between MaRS Innovation and Innovation York, the commercialization office for York University. The software’s high-performance algorithm transforms noisy, unstructured big data by automatically filtering and categorizing text regardless of source (e.g., email, survey results, social interactions, etc.). Kaypok allows companies to determine the root causes and underlying emotions driving their customers’ feedback. Visit us at kaypok.com, follow us on Twitter @KaypokInc or call 1-877-9KAYPOK to learn how we can help you find the root of your data insight.

Earlier this year Zync was named the agency of record for Kaypok and worked extensively to brand the company from the ground up ahead of its global launch, which included the name, logo, messaging, website and marketing strategy. The logo, a foundational piece of the brand, was derived from the actual process of the Kaypok software—parts coming together to form an identifiable element. The end result was a modern, sophisticated logo that was dynamic and functional across multiple platforms.

The entire approach was grounded in the fact that we needed to establish a brand structure that could adapt and grow in this space. The strategic and creative process was designed to capture the company’s inventiveness and groundbreaking trajectory, while ensuring the voice, brand culture and identity could translate across borders and industries.

We continue to work with Kaypok to develop and execute an integrated marketing campaign that is designed to create a groundswell of brand awareness, interest and demand within one of the most competitive marketplaces in the world.