i am quite surprised by people who always want and demand "simple solutions".
i get it: there are merits to the elevator pitch. that we all are time-poor. that we don't have time to read reams and tons of documents. that "simple is beautiful".
but sometimes, simple is just simply not enough.
we live in a complex world. to deny that is to deny what is real.
the truth is - to get to a SIMPLE SOLUTION we will have to go through a myriad - perhaps infinite number - of potential solutions.
but no: we want quick-fix solutions to problems:
sales are going down - let's do a promotion.
awareness is nil - let's spend money.
people are not clicking through our ads - let's bombard them even more.
products aren't flying off the shelves - let's fire the ad people, the promo people, the graphic designer.
people are not talking about us online - let's pay bloggers.
people are bashing our brands - delete their comments.
people think our products are expensive - let's cut prices.
stock prices have been stagnant for 4 weeks - let's fire the ceo.
we're the market leader - let's kill the smaller players.
we want simple solutions to problems that are very complex.
well.
life is not simple.
business is not simple.
marketing is not simple.
people are not simple.
how we think isn't simple.
how we choose isn't simple.
why then should we expect that the solutions ought to be simple?
complex problems, complex scenarios, complex decision-points require due diligence, rigor, structure. to look for shortcuts for the sake of "simplicity" is simply laziness. sure, communicate the solution the simplest way possible - BUT never sacrifice the process that goes on underneath the search for that solution.
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thanks to michael.heiss at Flickr.com for the photo above.
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