The Other Dan(ny) Brown

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Reinventing the Wheel

James Dyson looked at the vacuum cleaner and gave people a different way to do things - no bags. Simple.

EasyJet looked at international flights and gave people a different way to fly - no thrills affordability. Simple.

Sony looked at video games and gave people a different way to view gamers - cool mass appeal chic. Simple.

We don't always have to build something brand new. We don't always have to spend millions on research when the audience is already there. We don't always have to create from scratch.

Sometimes just reinventing the wheel is more than enough.

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Comments (6)

Sep 14, 2009
Feel like you are channeling your inner @timjahn here :) You are annoying me with good content tonight!
Sep 14, 2009
Tim Jahn said...
Hands down one of my favorite blog posts you've ever written Danny.

(And not just because Michael said it sounds like me!)

Sep 14, 2009
Danny Brown said...
Thanks guys, appreciate it and glad you enjoyed. And Tim, Michael's comment did make me laugh - as soon as he said it, I knew what he meant ;-)
Sep 14, 2009
TomDickson said...
Awesome post and point of view! Only thing I would add is just make sure you finish the reinventing with putting your personal touch on it :)
Sep 14, 2009
 said...
"Sony looked at video games and gave people a different way to view gamers - cool mass appeal chic. Simple."

Are you sure you don't mean Nintendo? When I was helping my buddy set up Wifi on his PS3 (and then wait an hour for mandatory updates, after *finding* &$%#ing updates menu)... I wasn't thinking simple. The Wii, regardless of what you think of its game library, is an incredibly simple, Apple-like experience.

Sony doesn't do simple. Ever. They couldn't design an easy-to-use menu or interface in a million years. Why else did the Onion make fun of them for it?

Sep 14, 2009
Danny Brown said...
@Jason. This was a reference to the original PlayStation and the move away from cartridges. The ability to have quality soundtracks and artists like The Orb for cool titles like the first WipeOut made the PS1 the first truly mass appeal console that clubbers, female gamers and non-gamers could enjoy. Taking away the geek factor was a key component in moving the industry to where it is today.

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