Clark Griswold: A Pioneer Of Innovation Strategy?

I kicked off my annual Christmas Vacation marathon the other day, and it got me thinking…

Lets take a little travel back in time to 1989. Full disclosure, as a bread and butter millennial my knowledge of this era largely stems from distant memories sitting in the family room watching the news with my parents and an accumulation of pub-trivia-esque “fun facts” from over the years. I think 1989 was a year where society was flirting with the idea of a global shift in industry, economy, and politics but also not quite ready to dive head first into the pond yet. This was an ambiguous time sandwiched between the dusk of the Cold War and the dawn of the Gulf War. Baby boomers were becoming mature adults and disco parties were a thing of the past. George Bush Sr. was elected President, the Berlin Wall crashed, Pete Rose was banned from baseball, a savings and loan crisis sent the US into the 90’s in a fragile economic state, Steve Jobs releases the NeXT Cube and had launched Pixar, and the greater landscape of technology companies were hitting their stride in the dawn of the Internet-Era.

This time very well might have seemed hopeful and optimistic, but also very well might have seemed scary and uncertain as the brightness of late 70’s/early 80’s utopia had casted a large shadow and things were changing. With all this going on, somewhere in a quiet Chicago neighborhood was a brave man; this man I speak of goes by the name of Clark Griswold. While this man was no stranger to the nostalgia of a better time and certainly had his stresses of career and financial success, Clark was not afraid to think differently and disrupt. What am I referring to, you ask? Well of course his Non-Nutritive Cereal Varnish which coats the cereal flakes so milk doesn’t penetrate them thus resulting in the ultimate prevention of soggy cereal. Clark Griswold was a Food Additive Designer.

Fast forward 25 years. A lot has changed in the global market since 1989. We are in a time where innovation and disruption is valued and seeked. Saturated markets and technology have created a demand for greater attention to be spent figuring out how companies can differentiate from competition. This requires rethinking of business models, product offerings, and brand strategies. There is a greater importance to answer the question, what’s next? In addition to commerce, our world needs fundamental changing as well, just to survive. Leaders are learning to be more brave by partnering with people who know how to think differently, disrupt markets, and envision future solutions that can allow for innovation platforms. One semantic title of this type of this thinking and practice is Innovation Strategy. Right now permanent change of this species must come from the top down, and is largely being put into action by CEO/Designer partnerships.

So here is my question: Could Clark Griswold have been one of the first Corporate Innovation Strategists?

1. Clark’s role was a Food Additive Designer. Key Word: designer. Innovation strategists are designers at heart. They use design thinking to envision new ideas and programs that create longterm platforms for growth built on innovation and differentiation.
2. Clark was disruptive. Not only did he have the imagination to create a great idea, he had the drive to follow through and make this idea happen within a limiting corporate culture of the late 80’s. As an innovation strategist, most of the time you have to be disruptive personally in order to execute a disruptive idea — they go hand in hand and require some bravery in the work place, which Clark showcases early in the film.
3. Clark fought to prove the value of thinking differently and innovation (with a little help from Cousin Eddie, of course). Sometimes its hard to be recognized for great ideas if design isn’t supported from the top down. I’ve been in this position and its frustrating. Designers have to go to great lengths sometimes to gain recognition or even support of an innovative idea, and I am sure a lot of designers feel like they wish they could hold their CEO for hostage in order to shake them into reality.

That being said, I think Clark Griswold could have been the first common man to show the world what an Innovation Strategist provides to a corporate culture and consumer brand. There is really no way to know, but perhaps Clark was a pioneer of divergent thinking in the workplace? Perhaps he was behind the scenes conducting rapid sketching exercises, leading multidisciplinary brainstorms, and gathering ethnographic research in order to help drive the creation of his Non-Nutritive Cereal Varnish concept? Perhaps this product had so much success that Clark was promoted to Chief Creative Officer or Director of Innovation Strategy?

Most importantly, if you’re a designer or strategist — next time you sit in a meeting with your CEO and your ideas are heard with open arms and/or these great ideas are rewarded by more than just a “a free year’s membership for the Jelly of the Month Club” (even though it is the “gift that keeps on giving”)— just remember: The Great Clark Griswold helped breakdown the walls of a limiting and structured corporate culture in order to help pave the way of modern design strategy so you could be sitting where you are today.

Happy Holidays, now go watch Christmas Vacation.

J. Pat McCool lives and works in Brooklyn, NY as a designer and strategist for products and brands. Please hit “reccomend” below if you have found this entertaining and/or useful!