Since the moment the first human invented the wheel, we have been on the hunt to do more with less effort. We invented the pull-down-to-refresh gesture on mobile devices to save us the effort of clicking on a single button. This has accelerated in recent years with a ruthless focus on creating frictionless experiences. But have we gone too far? Indeed, not all friction is created equal. In the quest to reduce bad friction, have we neutered all the good friction? Good friction is essential to induce the much needed happy chemicals like Adrenaline, Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin and Endorphins (A DOSE). Good friction that leads to creating Exclusivity, Meaning, Belonging, Rapport, Assurance, Competence, and Engagement (EMBRACE). Soon Yu shares how successful companies are developing new insights into the role of good friction in the design of meaningful brand experiences.

Before chasing what's new, consider innovating what's OLD... Growing iconic brand and product franchises is a conscious and deliberate strategy for success, and requires strong and coordinated design, innovation, and marketing capabilities. Learn from Soon Yu what new best practices are required to fully leverage this competitive advantage, especially in a world where consumers are gravitating towards fast fashion and commoditized products. 

The days of a "great idea that sells itself" are gone. Organizations are facing greater complexity from an explosion of technologies, new business models and changing consumer expectations. Great ideas, while being the possible solution to these challenges, face an even greater challenge to sustain organizational momentum in the midst of all this complexity. To achieve success, Soon Yu shares why a "T shaped" leadership model must be applied to innovate—a model that goes beyond just developing inspired ideas to the organizational influencing skills required to execute them.

A young IBM executive, who just lost millions in series of blunders, was called to a meeting with Tom Watson, the CEO. He asked Tom whether they were going to fire him and instead Tom replied, "Not at all, young man, we have just spent a couple million dollars educating you." Everyone knows that failure is part of any innovation journey—but how can you turn this failure into a competitive advantage? Find out in this talk from Soon Yu.