ago, 98% of the value of innovators goes
to imitators who are often overlooked and
despised as copycats. The rate of imitation
is also accelerating, for instance, the
original music player (the phonograph)
took 30 years to imitate compared to
the 3 years it took to replicate the CD
player. With the growing and emerging
technology which allows for data sharing
across different platforms and markets,
reverse engineering is becoming a norm.
The Imitator’s DNA
Companies looking to imitate must know
that “Imitation is not mindless repetition;
it’s an intelligent search for cause and
effect.” Oded Shenkar. To succeed,
firms must actively seek out ideas worth
copying not just within the industry and
region but beyond.
The magic is not in just copying but in
being able to avail a better and cheaper
copy. The approach of availing a new
product or service that is better at a third
Companies pur-
sue imitation as
a strategy when
they wish to lower
the costs and risks
associated with in-
novation. Rather
than go for break-
through innova-
tions, firms are in-
creasingly aiming
for faster develop-
ment cycles that
avail new products
faster and cheap-
er. This is achieved
by copying certain
aspects of innova-
tion and improv-
ing on the new of-
fering.
of the price is disruptive to the innovators.
Imitators win more through disruptive
innovation if they must outcompete the
pioneers.
Are you an innovator or
imitator?
Imitation happens more often than we
think. Take a moment and think about the
following statements and give your best
possible response. Did Starbucks invent
coffee shops? Which came first between
Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Alexa? Did
you first hear about Apple pay, Google
pay or Alipay? Who first introduced
cloud computing? On which social media
platform did you first experience the 24
hours stories feature? Is Alibaba the eBay
of China? What is the difference between
Uber and Lyft?
Think about some of the brands we
interact with. Do you notice that Visa
and Mastercard came after Diner’s club?
Google after Yahoo, FedEx after UPS,
Coca-Cola and Pepsi after RC Cola,
Huawei after Apple? Blockbuster or
Netflix? The list is endless.
Innovation to a greater extent sparks a
wave of imitation. In a highly competitive
environment, actions of one firm or group
of firms trigger a reaction from another
firm leading to a series of actions and
reactions. Adopting an imitation strategy
allows a firm to maintain relative fitness.
The scope and speed of imitation of one
firm influences the scope and speed of
rivals firms.
Bringing it All Together
Copycat does not mean second best.
Being the first does not always guarantee
market dominance. The decision of
whether to imitate or not is dependent on
the follower’s view of the uncertainty that
comes with the decision. If for instance,
the innovator fails, the follower’s decision
to imitate will most likely fail. The opposite
is true. Pioneers have also been successful,
but like the case of Pfizer, firms cannot
afford to ignore imitators especially in the
current world of growing and emerging
technologies. Imitation must not be
shunned but should be adopted as a way
of innovating better.
Are you an innovator or imitator? Share
your thoughts.
Senorine Wasike is an innovation
champion with over 10 years’
experience in FMCG, currently
working as the Innovation
Commercialization Manager at
Kenya Breweries Limited. You can
commune with her on this or related
matters via email at: Senorine.
[email protected].