Remember your Mom saying “imitation is the greatest form of flattery”? And thinking as a kid … “Right, Mom.” I do remember, and now I find opportunity to say it to my girls.
But what’s the proper way to imitate something that you like? From a legal perspective, we know to avoid other companies’ intellectual property. We strategize about ways to “design around,” to avoid infringing others’ IP. But can we legitimately imitate?
In an article posted yesterday on the Fast Company site, “The Right Way To Steal Ideas,” Matt Siegel proposes imitating the strategy that got a company to its enviable position as a leader. He discusses Samsung’s imitation of Apple’s tablet, and talks about his Bonobo jeans. Siegel says:
You can’t usurp a brand’s success if you don’t understand the strategy behind it.
… If you want to borrow from a company you admire, start first by determining why it is you actually admire them.
I like this. Imitating business strategy is not a violation of any intellectual property rights I know, yet it may be more effective than trying to directly copy products protected by that IP. Siegel also suggests:
Make a list of your favorite companies along with the real reasons you admire them–but stick to brands outside of your own domain.
If you manufacture tablet devices, don’t embarrass yourself by drawing inspiration from the closest tablet manufacturer. Instead, figure out why you prefer to order pizza from the place across town rather than the place by your office, why you’ll never again let that barber with all the piercings cut your hair, and why you still pay to see every single movie starring Harrison Ford, and draw your inspiration from there.
From an everyday perspective, I relate to many of these points. Translating them to a business perspective may prove a bit more challenging. (I’ll be trying!)
MIMI
