Clarity of Simplicity
Why this tactic matters
We live in a world of “information overload”, attempting to make sense of the range of issues we encounter. We can either commit personal time and effort to reviewing every problem on its merits (which may exhaust us in the process) or utilise some fundamental principles to cut through to what is irrelevant and doesn’t require further attention to illuminate the key issues which do matter. Clarity of Simplicity is that tactic which is insightful in recognising that most life problems are variations of established themes.
Pepsi’s Rethink of Cola Wars
John Sculley, joined Pepsi as Vice President of Marketing in the 70s, a time when Pepsi was running a distant second to Coca Cola. Coca Cola’s distinctive hourglass shaped bottle was seen as Coke’s most important competitive advantage. After spending millions of dollars and many years looking at bottle designs to compete with Coke’s iconic bottle, Sculley realised they were looking at the wrong problem. Embarking on detailed market research, he looked at how families actually consumed soft drinks in their homes. “To our astonishment we discovered that no matter how much Pepsi they ordered, they would always consume it….what we needed to do was design larger packages that made it easier for people to get more soft drinks into the home.” The results were dramatic. Coca Cola couldn’t convert its famed hourglass silhouette bottle into a larger container. And Pepsi’s market share expanded dramatically.
Sometimes the solution is obvious. But only when we know what the problem is and can grasp its essentials. The willingness to reframe the issues and begin from first principles is a good start. The hazard: not all problems can easily be distilled down into a few fundamentals. Don’t impose a theory on the world which doesn’t fit the facts; the world will always win.