The Diffusion of Innovation

In stumbling around the inter-webs looking for something entirely unrelated (yes, we were actually googling diffusion) we stumbled across this beaut of an article. For those of you who know us well here at Hudson Spider, we are passionate about making cool shit that solves problems, we are innovators, not business people. In fact, our company manual is a children’s book series (not even joking, more on that below).

So, the formal side of traditional business is foreign to us. In much like the vein of Facebook, we designed a product we wanted to use, and then realized the world wanted in also. BUT, had we of been business people we would have such knowledge as I just gleaned from this accidentally found article. It is titled “Five Characteristics Of An Innovation” and is centered around the theory of the “diffusion of innovations” by communications expert and rural sociologist Everett Rogers. Everett attempts to identify and explain the factors that lead to people and groups adopting innovations. So, without further ado, having already launched our products without any prior knowledge of anything we probably should have on this topic, lets give ourselves a schoolroom grade on our product retrospectively. ;)

FORWARD: Characteristics Of An Innovation
Individuals do not automatically adopt new products. They make a conscious decision of whether to use a particular one. That is, their decision to adopt an innovation is deliberate.

The most important reason that an individual will conscienceless decide to adopt a product is the RELATIVE ADVANTAGE that product gives. Relative advantage measures how improved an innovation is over a competing option or the previous generation of a product. Improvements can be in one or many of these areas (this is where we’ve graded ourselves, whilst wearing smug shit-eating grins.

better service - CHECK

consolidation of multiple functions into one tool - FUCK YEAH, we’re a swiss army knife of lighting

decreased need for supplies and equipment - YEP

empowerment of users - F’N OATH

improved interface - YEP

increased customizability - ARE YOU KIDDING ME, YES!

increased longevity - YEP

increased productivity - YEP, call our AD if you want affirmation!

reduced user effort - 7 lbs, Set up in less than 5 minutes, YES

reduced environmental impact - YEAH

saving of money - Initially down-payment, but the savings on daily shooting is HUGE

saving of space or storage - NAILED it

saving of time - see above.

So, on relative Advantage, we got an A fucken PLUS.

Is this blog meant to be purely an Eff you, we’re the greatest brag? No. But it does make us supremely happy. We never set out to become Hudson Spider, but as life often happens, opportunity fell in our lap. We discovered a solution to problems that people were so used to coming across in their everyday filming that they no longer saw them as problems, it was just life. It is our intention to continue to simplify filming at every turn that we can. We are not going to make life difficult for you and upgrade the Redback every 6 months for the sake of money, we are not going to play the money making game. As we said above, our background is filming, not business, so expect us to focus on the former not the latter!

As promised earlier, lets take a glimpse into our company manuals, literally a series of 3 EPIC children books. We’ll just touch on the first in the series today, it’s called “What do you do with an idea” but Kobi Yamada. The blurb states “What do you do with an idea? Especially an idea that’s different, or dring, or just a little wild? Do you hide it? Walk away from it? Do you pretend it isn't yours?” The book follows a child as he initially ignores his brilliant idea and then as his confidence grows, he embraces it. Its an utterly glorious book, for inventors and dreamers of all ages, and its the basis of Hudson Spider, before, now, and into the future.

““I liked being with my idea. It made me feel alive, like i could do anything. It encouraged me to think big..and then, to think bigger” ”

— Kobi Yamada, What do you do with an idea?