Moving Away from “More” of the Same – Turning up the Volume on Innovation

True innovation is not the same as an improvement on an existing model (although it’s an iterative process that can take decades to materialize). Creating a thunderous record-scratch that compares to the likes of the iPhone or cures for diseases takes fierce intent. Developing new experiences, new offerings and new categories that blow the doors off existing ones, requires much more than an R&D budget.

There has never been a more urgent cry for innovation in the digital advertising space as there is today. Having enjoyed over two decades of rapid adoption and acceleration, one could argue that the largest area of growth seen by this industry has been in the area of delivering a standardized product at higher volumes. Automating the distribution of media was (and continues to be) a huge feat.

It’s true that we have made incredible progress in developing pipelines and subsequently the corrective solutions to address the inevitable drawbacks that are a by-product of the immense volumes of data we have come to transfer each day. We’re also spending a lot of time celebrating the transformation taking place across the various traditional media as they cross the digital threshold and take advantage of the great pipelines we have built (i.e. Audio and OOH). But upon deeper reflection on what’s driving the growth of the industry, we can’t help but wonder whether it’s a result of our obsessive demand for more of the same and not necessarily different.

Innovation towards differentiation is the new(ish) holy grail. For publishers, for ad tech and especially for marketers keeping up with the explosion of DTC brands.

At MIXX Canada: Direct this year, we are very excited to hear Kumar Mehta explain what it takes to build a sustainable innovation environment within your organization, a biome that incorporates critical elements to create the perfect conditions to determine what flourishes and what dies. This year, IAB Canada celebrates the innovations and the creators that will challenge volume for diversity.