So Says a Disruptive Seminar Panel
Please don’t take offense. “Go disrupt yourself” is not a euphemism for that other, often used R-rated suggestion. This is a serious directive for so-called disrupters themselves, as well as for all businesses operating traditional models who incorrectly believe disruption is defined only by fundamentally new models or game-changing concepts. Today’s disrupters are typically spun out of the thin air of “Siliconville,” which often define them as tech-driven and Internet enabled.
This not-so-clear concept of self-disruption was one of the major points that I filtered out of the spirited panel discussion at the recent Robin Report and Fashion Group International forum, “Disrupters vs. Disruptees.” And I believe with some elaboration, the conversation is highly instructive for both upstarts and traditional businesses.
The forum presented a panel of “Disruptive” CEO’s including Warby Parker (Neil Blumenthal), Rent the Runway (Jennifer Hyman), and Shapeways 3D printers (Peter Weijmarhausen). These new kids on the block had a robust discussion with the “Disruptee” CEOs of HSNi (Mindy Grossman) and The Ascena Retail Group (David Jaffe), whose portfolio consists of Lane Bryant, Dress Barn, Catherine’s Justice’s and Maurice’s. Paul Charron, former CEO of Liz Claiborne and Chairman of Campbell Soup was our moderator. Yours truly set the tone with an overview of the principles and perils of disruption.
Upon reflection, it occurs to me that since most of the au courant disruptive new business models are really just new marketing concepts made possible by the tools of technology and the Internet — they can be knocked off in a nanosecond. Both Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos understood this from day one at Apple and Amazon. Their mantras, “the next big thing” and “get big fast,” respectively, were loud and clear marching orders for self-disruption, day in and day out. Whether breakthrough new products from Apple, or entirely new marketplaces from Amazon, implicit to their vision is to preempt copycats by becoming so big, so fast, that knock-off artists would find it nearly impossible to catch up.
Self-disruption and rapid preemptive growth require two ingredients: perpetual innovation into new product or market spaces and huge capital investments to fuel such growth. While these two legendary examples of continuing marketplace disruption are obvious by their success, it was largely due to the tenacity and audacity of their visionary leaders as “first-movers” who leveraged technology and the Internet to catapult their product and marketing ideas into dominant positions.
Many early movers later, we are now witnessing a deluge of innovative ideas (some more disruptive than others), still facilitated by technology and the Internet. In fact, many of them, including Warby Parker and Rent The Runway, were launched on the Internet.
The continuing challenge of all disrupters is to be the de facto, sustainable solution with new product innovation and distribution. They will need to continue to dominate market share from competitors. And the hugest threat of all is that the giant traditional companies can easily copy these upstarts and have the financial clout to steal and own the space.
With the ease of entry into this technological and Internet-based space, another challenge facing these “later movers,” so to speak, is that their fundamental value propositions are easy to copy. For Warby Parker, the model is making and selling trendy eyewear online (and now in stores) for low prices. Their charitable program donating glasses to kids in need hits spot-on with Millennials’ sense of social justice. The fundamental proposition for Rent The Runway is renting apparel, and they have found themselves in the dry cleaning business along the way to ensure that their quick turnaround rentals are guaranteed clean. In Warby Parker’s brilliantly conceived, innovative eyewear space, there are now several copycats: Classic Specs; Eyebobs; Lookmatic; Mezzmer; and Made Eyewear — offering frames, sunglasses and readers. Likewise, the world that Rent The Runway launched has some wannabes, including Lending Luxury, Girl Meets Dress (in the UKL, and Wish Want Wear.
It’s important to note that while these may be copies of the core value proposition of Warby Parker and Rent The Runway, they are not necessarily marketing the model and delivering it in precisely the same way. How these models are executed of course, will determine their success or failure. Nevertheless, the copycats did enter the same space pioneered by these two initial disrupters. Such is the compliment and challenge of innovators.
Shapeways, while not the creator of 3D printing technology (earliest versions launched in the 1980s), they also face a different challenge. Shapeways 3D printing is on an industrial scale (unlike MakerBot home 3D printing) and is still in pursuit of a scaled-up market to serve. They are ahead of their time in the sense that the potential of 3D printing to disintermediate the accessories business, for example, is still nascent.
A major point to be made is that the three Disrupter panelists are faced with the almost daily challenge of stealing market share in their categories and sustaining growth. They must also understand the concept of self-disruption as envisioned by two of the most powerful disrupters of our time: Jobs and Bezos. They must be relentless in churning out the “next big thing” and to “get big fast” (now more difficult among a sea of knock-offs). Each of these young CEOs seem determined to do so.
Have We Over-Glamorized Marketing 101?
Now step back for a second and reflect on these business concepts. Are today’s winning principles any different than they have ever been? You innovate and come up with a new product or service or retail concept that targets a segment of consumers who need or want your offering and the way in which you provide it. You then brand the business and invest heavily in marketing it for growth. And you keep innovating new ideas into your model to continually add value to keep your existing customer loyal and to entice new customers.
Today the only difference and change from the past are the full-on advancements of technology, the Internet, and the all-enabling smartphone. However, they are simply tools to achieve a greater understanding of, and connection with, consumers and provide more efficient and effective marketing and distribution. These tools are only as useful as the human minds that envision their optimal capabilities for their specific business models: Jobs, Bezos and hopefully our three Disrupter panelists leading the perpetual stream of new upstarts.
So are the Traditional Giant Brands and Retailers “Chopped Liver?”
In closing, I’m sorry to have to break it to many of these young upstarts that while they may be disruptive in the way they are using the new tools, those same tools are available to the 800- pound gorilla brands and retailers that are already big, some in fact, enormous. And as traditional retailers wake up one morning to understand how to use those same tools, they won’t be disrupters, they will be serial destructors.
And of course our other two panelists were anything but “chopped liver,” comfortably reinventing self-disruption, perfecting and maximizing the use of the technology and Internet tools, and reframing their business models. HSNi and the Ascena Retail Group are both multi-billion dollar businesses that got huge over time and are now envisioning how to get bigger faster by seamlessly integrating their enormously complex business models with the Internet and all of the advanced operating and information technologies available. And guess what? They don’t have to lurch from one round of funding to another.
Talk about self-disruption. Mindy Grossman commented: “In the past eight years we have disrupted our business model at least four times. We created a culture where risk-taking is encouraged and failing fast is encouraged too.” HSNi has an advanced innovation group tasked with finding the next big thing., They disrupt the status quo and innovate reflecting changes in consumer behavior, tasked with primarily raising whatever bar necessary to provide a boundary-less shopping experience, wherever, whenever and however the consumer wants it.
David Jaffe, with about 4000 stores under five nameplates, is also using the new tools to seamlessly integrate the omnichannel concept and to provide shopping interchangeability both online and off. He closed by saying: “We believe the convenience and sociability of shopping gives us a head start over the Internet startups.”
Indeed, there is great truth in that statement as Warby Parker, Rent The Runway and many other e-commerce startups are now opening physical stores. Apple, of course, understood the synergy long ago.
So, the great news for all of commerce is the tsunami of young entrepreneurs who understand how to use the new technologies and the Internet to create disruptive and innovative ways to engage and delight consumers and to integrate operational systems to more efficiently and effectively market and distribute their value.
The challenge and tough news for these entrepreneurs is three-fold: first, self-disrupt with a continual innovation process; second, build a management and operational infrastructure for sustainable growth; and, finally, invest heavily to \”get big fast.\”
A final ironic twist may very well be that while the young upstarts, as well as Amazon, Apple and others disrupt the market with innovative ways to use the new tools, the world of billion dollar legacy brands and big retailers may end up being the real copycats. And if I were Warby Parker, I would not want Luxottica as a copycat. If I were Amazon, I would not want Walmart knocking me off.
It could all end badly, more like a knock-out.