IMITATION AND INNOVATION AS A FUNCTION OF INCREASE COMPETITIVENESS : Graduate paper

U današnjem turbulentnom svijetu mnogi smatraju kako više nema mjesta za inovacije, te da su imitacije sveprisutnije. Smatra se kako inovacija ima pozitivan učinak na poslovanje i gospodarstvo u cjelini, dok s druge strane imitacija često ima negativnu konotaciju. Inovaciju karakterizira viša razina rizika i financijskih ulaganja, dok je kod imitacije obrnuto. Dodatno, imitacije su često ekonomičnije za poduzeće. No, digitalnom transformacijom javljaju se novi trendovi, a s njima nove mogućnosti za inovacijama. Stvaranjem novih ideja, odnosno inoviranjem, poduzeća mogu postati pioniri na tržištu te stvoriti održivu konkurentnu prednost. Digitalnom transformacijom javile su se mnoge inovacije (npr. pametni telefoni, električni automobili, društvene mreže, web tražilice) i njihove imitacije. Nije rijedak slučaj da imitacija postane značajan konkurent inovaciji, ali postoje slučajevi kad su ih i nadmašile (MySpace i Facebook). Mnogi autori smatraju imitaciju kao alternativu inovaciji, a jedina razlika je što imitatori nikada ne mogu ostvariti tehnološko vodstvo. Kako u tehnološkom sektoru, inovacije se mogu primijeniti i u ostalim sektorima kao što je marketing. U marketingu je ključno prepoznati promjene u trendovima i na vrijeme reagirati na iste. Provođenjem marketinških kampanja javlja se potreba za originalnošću čija je okosnica kreativnost. Kreativnost se može pronaći i u imitaciji, u smislu da poduzeće imitiranjem konkurenta dodaju vrijednost proizvodu kako bi ono bilo unikatno te se u konačnici izdvojilo od konkurenta. U ovome diplomskom radu će se objasniti pojmovi inovacije i imitacije kao i njihove vrste. Dodatno, analizirat će se Coca-Cola i PepsiCo korporacije na temelju marketinških kampanja kako bi se utvrdilo kojim strategijama imitacije ili inovacije su postigle konkurentnu prednost na tržištu.In today's turbulent world, many feel that there is no more room for innovation and that imitations are more ubiquitous. Innovation is viewed as something with a positive effect on business and the economy as a whole, while on the other hand imitation often has a negative connotation. Innovation is characterized by a higher level of risk and financial investment, while imitation is the other way around and is often more economical for the company. However, digital transformation brings new trends and with them new opportunities for innovation. By creating new ideas, or innovating, companies can become pioneers in the market and create a sustainable competitive advantage. Digital transformation has given rise to many innovations (eg smartphones, electric cars, social networks, web search engines) and their imitations. It is not a rare case that an imitation becomes a significant competitor to an innovator, but there are cases when they even surpassed them (MySpsce and Facebook). Many authors consider imitation as an alternative to innovation, the only difference being that imitators can never achieve technological leadership. As in the technological sector, innovations can be applied in other sectors as well, such as marketing. In marketing, it is crucial to recognize changes in trends and react to them in time. In implementing marketing campaigns, there is a need for originality, which is based on creativity. Creativity can also be found in imitation, in the sense that by imitating a competitor, the company adds value to the product so that it is unique and ultimately stands out from the competition. In this paper, the concepts of innovation and imitation as well as their types will be explained. Additionally, the Coca-Cola and PepsiCo corporations will be analyzed based on their marketing campaigns to determine which strategies of imitation or innovation have achieved a competitive advantage in the market