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large doses and over long periods of time for an illness like arthritis.
When acetaminophen became available without prescription, the
first brand on the market was presented and promoted as a drug for
those who suffered side effects from aspirin. It was eminently suc-
cessful, indeed, far more successful than its makers had anticipated.
But it was this very success that created the opportunity for creative
imitation. Johnson & Johnson realized that there was a market for a
drug that replaced aspirin as the painkiller of choice, with aspirin
confined to the fairly small market where anti-inflammatory and
blood coagulation effects were needed. From the start Tylenol was
promoted as the safe, universal painkiller. Within a year or two it had
the market.
Creative imitation, these cases show, does not exploit the failure of
the pioneers as failure is commonly understood. On the contrary, the
pioneer must be successful. The Apple computer was a great success
story, and so was the acetaminophen brand that Tylenol ultimately
pushed out of market leadership. But the original innovators failed to
understand their success. The makers of the Apple were product-
focused rather than user-focused, and therefore offered additional hard-
ware where the user needed programs and software. In the Tylenol
case, the original innovators failed to realize what their own success
meant.
The creative innovator exploits the success of others. Creative imi-
tation is not “innovation” in the sense in which the term is most com-
monly understood. The creative imitator does not invent a product or
service; he perfects and positions it. In the form in which it has been
introduced, it lacks something. It may be additional product features.
It may be segmentation of product or services so that slightly differ-
ent versions fit slightly different markets. It might be proper posi-
tioning of the product in the market. Or creative imitation supplies
something that is still lacking.
The creative imitator looks at products or services from the view-
point of the customer. IBM’s personal computer is practically indistin-
guishable from the Apple in its technical features, but IBM from the
beginning offered the customer programs and software. Apple main-
tained traditional computer distribution through specialty stores. IBM—
in a radical break with its own traditions—developed all kinds of distri-
bution channels, specialty stores, major retailers like Sears, Roebuck, its
own retail stores, and so on. It made it easy for the consumer to buy and
it made it easy for the consumer to use the product. These,