The Complexity of Simplicity

Two simple words. New. Improved.

You’ve heard it, seen it, hundreds of times - classic ad line. New and Improved. But yet, how? The basic, core definitions — without getting too much into the various forms and alternate definitions — that we all assume are…

  

New: of recent origin, production, purchase, etc.; having but lately of recent origin, production, purchase, etc.

Improve: to bring into a more desirable or excellent condition.

How can one thing be both? Yet we have accepted this description to buy many products over the years. But isn’t it inherently just wrong? I would argue if something is new, by definition, it can’t be improved, because, well, it is just a ‘new’ thing. If something is improved, you have taken the old thing and made it better. Right? Am I missing something here?

Let’s take my blog here as an example. At one time it was simply new. It will never be that thing again. I am constantly trying to improve it, for you, my faithful and ‘new’ readers, and to some of you, it will be new to you, but as a thing, it was only new once. You can only be new once. You can be different, or you can copy a product and for you (or your company) it will truly be new. But again, the newness becomes old at the exact moment it is new. And you can’t improve that new thing, you can only make it different.

Now I agree, New and Different isn’t very catchy or attractive. “New’ is just a little boring by itself. ‘Improved,’ well that just doesn’t say enough now, does it? So someone in the Mad Men era put the two together, and now it is a default brand positioning statement for many brands. Ludicrous in a way if you really think about it.

So I plead with all of you advertisers out there, don’t assume as consumers we are all that naïve or just plain stupid.

I am aware that others have recognized this common, misleading idea. So my thoughts here aren’t original or new, but they are the thoughts I bring you today.

Please keep reading my blog, for it will be improved as we go, but it will never truly be new again. And it truly and impossibly will never be, ‘New and Improved!’