Should We Settle for Mimicking?

The transitive verb “to mimic” has several definitions, but the first two listed in the Webster’s dictionary are (i) to imitate closely, and (ii) to ridicule by imitation. Semantics is one of my favorite branches of linguistics; and when I look at the below picture I really don’t know which of these two definitions suits it best, but this image is certainly one of the best illustrations of mimicking:

BMW Donkey

What would BMW itself do?

They’d be innovative: both in essence (technology), and in shape/appearance (from design to advertising). The infamous billboard fight between Audi and Santa Monica’s BMW comes to mind:

Audi versus BMW: billboards

Are you mimicking in your marketing, or being innovative? While some talk about replicating successes of others, I believe that achieving the real success comes from perfecting what it was that lead to their successes, taking things one step further, opening truly new horizons, and adding value in the way that was previously un- or under-utilized.

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