In simple terms, innovation is defined as something new or different introduced. In the value chain, it is often defined as the process of translating an idea or invention into a good or service that creates value or for which customers will pay.

In a social context, innovation helps create new methods for alliance creation, joint venturing, flexible work hours, and creation of buyers’ purchasing power. If the idea is to create something new, which either satisfies an existing need or creates a new need, the big question is “how innovative is the innovation”?

Are marketers in a state of innovation myopia? Marketers and agencies often refer to the age old mechanics of marketing strategies as often being innovation or renovation. The question still remains — are we still renovating and following strategies which are indeed passé?

The key question, I believe, should be — how do we overcome the innovation myopia? Let’s look at some examples of real innovation in digital, content development & experiential marketing.

Instagram has been in the forefront of innovation. The positioning beyond just an app, a forum for storytelling and the depth of strong narratives has made Instagram constantly innovating content marketing. With 86 per cent of the world’s leading brands on the platform, it is indeed a validation on the success stories in innovative digital marketing.

Fashion and luxury have gained most from Instagram’s success, where they successfully tap on the visual and auditory sensorial experiences of their brands. The Dolce Gabbana fashion show on January 13 had an exciting build up and a line up of some leading fashion bloggers walking the ramp, which did create the right levels of excitement and engagement.

Dubai-based names such as Ahmad Daabas and Elias El-Indari were on the ramp and adorning the brand’s Instagram handle in both post- and pre-event. This shows the power of engaging the consumer live.

When IKEA launched their catalogue app in 2013 using augmented reality, people could view items in their home space. The app has indeed been a success in pre-shopping planning behaviour and has enabled more focused in-store experience for the shoppers.

Another great example of innovation is Netflix, which is often referred to as a service and distribution delivery platform. However, to many people’s surprise, they have been involved in the production of some of the most popular television series. The future planning in Netflix is inspired by data analytics of customer demand and behaviour.

Engineered data resources often inform the innovating or renovating of content — a great example of innovation and innovation-inspired strategy development.

Lastly, L’Oreal transformed the digital consumer by showcasing a world-class experience using apps. The “makeup genius” app with 7 million downloads allowed consumers for a digital makeover. The participation of beauty bloggers, planning of product launches based on app feedback and seamless experiences created a strong digital brand.

With such examples of true innovation focusing on content and the digital space, brands have a true opportunity to be in the innovation forefront. What is considered as innovation internally may just end up being a redefined experience for the consumer.

Hence, the honest question always remains — are we really creating something new? Two examples of an innovation myopia may have occurred:

The constant battle in innovation between ride-hailing apps is a classic example of reactionary behaviours. While consumers could be seeking a simplified or reality integrated experience or just a great value proposition bundle, the companies often tend to fail to really and truly innovate.

The focus either tends to be a reaction to competitive moves or renovating existing practices or a real time ride-tracking mechanism.

Secondly, in the constant search for increasing more “likes”, most companies pressurise their digital marketing folks to increase this. As a result, tactical measures of innovation — such as not addressing real consumer needs or just adapting global mechanics — fail to provide any real innovation benefit.

We are tempted to share many examples, but would rather leave marketers to reflect on such internal behaviors.

Innovation is core to transformation — of business models, customer behaviour, strategy and even organisational vision. The choice for marketers is to either suffer from innovation myopia or create a culture of true/real innovation inspired by honest consumer truth based thinking. To invent rather than re-invent.

Hence, is it time up for “innovation myopia”!

The writer is CEO of marketing services firm Human.