Bono's Got News for Your Business

Stunning live 3D concert movie
Reveals telling (and crucial) business lessons

I have a bit of a confession.

Last week I played hooky.

Yep, in the middle of perfectly good Wednesday I fulfilled a promise I made to my Master Mind group to take the afternoon off and see a movie.

But not just any movie.

It was U23D, a 90-minute film of rock band U2 and lead singer Bono's 2006 concert tour. In full fledged 3D IMAX.

And not the crummy, blurry 50’s 3D that made your stomach turn. But an amazing visual feast.

And what it brought home to me (if the millions of YouTube videos weren’t screaming this already) is that we really are at the dawn of an amazing new multimedia era that will revolutionize the way you present your business to the world.

But more specific: The movie brought home three overpowering truths that will have profound implications on the profitability of your business in the years ahead.

1. Get in the innovation habit
   
   The most innovative folks in any field – whether its rock music or small business – didn’t roll out of bed one morning and decide to be cutting edge.
   
   They have been that way for a long time.
   
   Which brings up perhaps the most important key: Innovation is a habit.
   
   U2 has been staging theatrical, cutting edge multi-media concerts for a long time. So it wasn’t a stretch for them to create the first feature length live action 3D Imax film.
   
   When innovation becomes a habit, you don’t have to take long, scary expensive leaps into the unknown to be perceived as a thought leader in your field.
   
   
2. Innovate incrementally
   
   I have always been amazed at amazing jugglers.
   
   But there is one crucial key to the success of even expert jugglers: They start out juggling just a few items. And as they get the hang of those few, they slowly add more objects to manage.
   
   Its crucial we take this cue in our own business, and introduce our own innovations at a pace we can easily handle. Rather than shoot the moon, innovate incrementally, adding each new wrinkle to the foundation of what you have already mastered.
   
   This will drastically reduce the fear and financial risk factors that keep many of us from stepping out.
   
   Since U2 has been staging huge outdoor multimedia stadium concerts for a long time, simply adding the 3D element to capturing it all, was not a huge stretch or financial risk for them.
   
   In fact, it was a logical next step.
   
   There is so little imagination in most businesses and marketing, that even a small wrinkle stands out. There is simply no need to bet the farm on something that’s beyond your capacity, when a small, easy step will do just fine.
   
   
3. Content is still king
   
   Innovation is empty without great content. Imagine a 3D Imax film of me playing my guitar. Not something you would pay $15 for? I didn’t think so.
   
   Because of the nature of their music, their popularity, and their mastery of highly staged live shows, U2 is the perfect band to launch the feature length 3D live action medium. Innovative delivery methods without content worthy of that innovation are worse than useless.
   
   So if you’re tempted to step out into the new frontier of all these amazing new possibilities for gaining mindshare for your business – Bravo! But don’t make the mistake of believing bells and whistles make up for a lack of value. They don’t.
   
   The truth is, if your content sucks, a highly visible method of presenting it will make that fact more obvious.

The good news is that great content, combined with innovative methods that make the greatness of your content MORE OBVIOUS translate directly into more visibility and profits for your business.