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Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly by Bernadette Jiwa Summary

Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly
Bernadette Jiwa
3.71 (927 Reviews)
Business
Entrepreneurship
Leadership
Overview
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Overview of Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly

Bernadette Jiwa's "Meaningful" reveals why some ideas soar while others crash. With its rallying cry that "innovation is a by-product of empathy," this customer-centric manifesto has transformed how businesses connect emotionally. Want to know why caring is your ultimate competitive advantage?

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Key takeaways

1

The Power of Meaning: Why Some Ideas Soar While Others Fall

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Why did Airbnb transform travel while countless hotel apps vanished? Why did the iPod revolutionize music when Sony-inventor of the Walkman-could have beaten Apple to market? The answer isn't about features or marketing budgets. It's about meaning. The most successful innovations transform customers' lives by addressing unspoken needs and desires. This insight has made "Meaningful" required reading in innovation departments at Google and Nike, with Tim Ferriss naming it among his most gifted books. In today's crowded marketplace, relevance isn't just a competitive advantage-it's survival. The most successful businesses don't simply create products-they create new kinds of customers whose lives are fundamentally changed. Every meaningful innovation creates a "before and after" story. Before iTunes, music lovers waited for physical CDs; before Kindle, we needed bookcases; before Google, we relied on paper maps. The transformation needn't be monumental-even small shifts in habits matter. If there's no change in the customer's life, there's no innovation.

2

From Attention to Understanding: The New Marketing Paradigm

3

Why Giants Fall: The Legacy Trap

4

The Context Revolution: Evolving Customer Expectations

5

Beyond Data: From Knowing to Understanding

6

The Innovation Trifecta: Creating Ideas That Fly

7

Show Them Their Wings: The Heart of Meaningful Innovation

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Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly isn't just a book — it's a masterclass in Business. To help you absorb its lessons in the way that works best for you, we offer five unique learning modes. Whether you're a deep thinker, a fast learner, or a story lover, there's a mode designed to fit your style.

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Break down key ideas from Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly into bite-sized takeaways to understand how innovative teams create, collaborate, and grow.

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Distill Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly into rapid-fire memory cues that highlight Pixar’s principles of candor, teamwork, and creative resilience.

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@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC
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