How to Stop Your Industry from Getting Stale

#QOTD - What are the first three sites you look at in the morning?

I always find that the best way to attack your own industry and innovate is to spend *zero* time in it. I spent an extreme lack of time in the wine industry, and I spent almost no time dealing with the "agency world" right now. I think I've been to like six other agencies because we had meetings there, but that is literally it. I don't read AdAge, I don't ask my senior people what they did at other agencies.

For me, my lack of industry knowledge, and my lack of education have actually allowed me to innovate even more. I go with what I think works, not with what everybody else in the industry is doing.

So pay attention to the food industry, or the rock-climbing business. The best way to not innovate is to pay attention to everybody else in the business, because they're just doing the same crap, too.