One can vastly innovate marketing if one is keen on observng customer behavior very deeply. Here is a small story of 4 young lads who innovated their soft drink stand so that they could sell more drinks.There were 4 young lads who were running a stand in the warsaw train station. They observed the crowds, they noticed a recurring pattern: In the minutes before trains arrived, people would stand on the

platform, look over their shoulder at the drink kiosk, glance at their watch, and then scan the platform for the incoming train. A casual observer might have missed the clue. But these budding Anthropologists realized that passengers were torn between wanting something to drink and not wanting to miss their train.

So what did they do? They created prototype soft-drink displays boasting clocks so large that passengers could simultaneously watch the clock “and” the drink display. The result? Sales shot up in Warsaw train stations. The clocks reass ured customers that they had time to buy a cold refreshment. That simple success made believers of these Poles.

field observations and quick prototyping for a does bring out breakthroughs.  A simple telling observation–like the train passengers glancing from their watches to the soda kiosks–can make all the difference.

Moral of the story :
Make patient observation and quick prototyping part of your recipe for innovation. You might be surprised by the results.