EDITORIAL >
Outside the box
Written by: Philippe Riboton

"NEW BLOOD" was the title of this column last month - a reference to the population of dynamic and innovative entrepreneurs portrayed in our cover story. January's editorial was also intended to denounce the submissive behavior of some media to political power - namely, one of our Czech weekly competitors that managed to put two different ministers on its cover in the same month. But in the first month of the new year who do you think the same economic weekly put on its cover? A successful company manager? An aggressive entrepreneur? No. None other than the Prime Minister. Fascinating. And guess what he was talking about? Innovation. Some of us are still speechless from that piece of reportage, since God knows this government and its current leader can best be described by the high degree of innovation they bring to the job. January was also a bloody month, as our industry was hit by the demise of another economic title, PBJ. Even as a competitor, one must admit that PBJ was trying hard to bring a bit of independence to the marketplace. Not only will the market lose a useful player, but it will also lose some degree of freedom, as the information you get in your plate often has recipes you would prefer not to know about. Freedom to think outside the box is what distinguishes the marketing successes of 2003, as illustrated in this month's cover story. They offer strong evidence that being non-conformist in your thinking can actually be an advantage, especially when it comes to differentiating yourself from your competition. From cars to beverages to credit cards, these creative concepts demonstrate that ideas originating outside the box can even transform into successful business strategies. Read on and discover some marketing maneuvers that made a difference - simply through innovation.