History is littered with epic fails that started with one brilliant idea. You nail something big, and suddenly, you take off your shirt and start walking around like you’ve got the golden ticket to utopia. Sadly, this is where the s***t hits the fan. One win does not make you invincible. It spins you into a dangerous cycle of arrogance and, eventually, failure.
You see, a killer idea can launch you to the top, but it is a double-edged sword that can slice you open if you’re not careful. Look at Nokia, for example. Those folks revolutionized the mobile phone industry with their 3310 and made Finland a new Mesopotamia. And then they got comfy. Meanwhile, Steve Jobs was busy removing buttons from the mobile phone and launched the iPhone, whose single button brought down that giant of Helsinki. Today, the corporate graveyard is filled with companies that failed to see beyond their grand ideas. Success is not a free pass; it’s a trap.
Marketing is even worse. You launch a campaign that goes viral, maybe you get a sweet hashtag or a meme that takes over the internet, and then you start thinking you are the next David Ogilvy. Hold on, friend. I know it’s very tempting to replicate that formula ad nauseam. But that’s where the problem lies. Look, people get bored, audiences change, and the market is a moving target. What was once the next big thing can turn into stale bread faster than you think. The real curse in marketing is not just doing the same thing over and over. It’s failing to adapt. If you can’t keep up with the times, you’ll be left behind like Nokia.
Then there’s politics. What a circus. One good idea or achievement can turn a leader into a legend, but it also puffs up their ego and reinforces their delusion of grandeur. Remember Boris Johnson? His success in the Brexit referendum might have made him feel like Zeus. But then came the COVID-19 pandemic, the “Partygate” scandal, and suddenly, people realized he wasn’t a genius after all. What went wrong? He got caught up in his own hype, thinking he had cracked the code. You know what happened next.
People become myopic when their big idea pays off. Some have called themselves ngwazi and other fancy names because of one fluke of accomplishment. Others have gone a step further, calling themselves prophets because they guessed the weather right last week. Ego is a hell of a drug. It blinds you and obscures your rational interpretation of reality, making you think that all your ideas are great.
So, business leaders, politicians, and fellow marketers, lend me your ears. Don’t get lazy. Question your assumptions and be open to new ideas. Success is not a finish line but rather a starting point for your next big thing. The real genius is not settling on one great idea. It is the ability to keep evolving, adapting, and innovating. If you think you are immune to this, well, history will have a word with you soon.
