Yes, this is a post about AI, but not just about AI. This is a post about how much things have changed in the world. For brands. For consumers. For anyone who buys and/or sells anything. Which is all of us. COVID-19 changed everything, sure. We all know that by now. There are some people and businesses who are still using that as an excuse to underdeliver or deliver late. "Oh, you know, COVID" has been the apathetic battle cry for anyone not getting it done for years. It's the El NiƱo of a new generation. COVID forced people to get more things done online. Online shopping had been increasing gradually through Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 for years. Amazon changed the world long ago (2005) when it launched free 2-day shipping. But COVID sped that along. It forced late adopters to go online for more and more of their wants and needs. Not just random Amazon purchases anymore. Whole industries like grocery shopping and restaurant dining moved online virtually overnight. A lot of busin
I got invited to a CPG food marketers group Zoom call recently and was excited to attend. The subject was innovation and the lady presenting talked about product innovation and creating a culture of innovation at companies. We talked about timelines and budgets and how to ask the right questions and how to iterate. Then we got to the end of her presentation and she asked for questions. There were a few hands that went up and people asked some good questions about how to foster a culture of innovation at their companies. I couldn't help myself. I put my hand up and asked a question that I ask myself all the time: " Why should we innovate?" She had a pretty good answer, so it's not like this was her first time getting the question. She talked about how innovation didn't have to be a product, it could be a new way of doing things at a company that was better than the old way of doing things. I like that answer and it resonates with me. But when we all in CPG are t