I watched Davis Guggenheim's new U2 documentary, From the Sky Down, last night on Showtime. Guggenheim brings the band back to Berlin's Hansa Studio where they recorded "Achtung Baby" twenty years ago. They re-imagine and perform some of the songs, talk about the making of the album, and play and react to early demo recordings. In between, Guggenheim weaves in archival footage and animation to help establish and drive the narrative. The production value is strong, and it's an entertaining look inside the band and the making of a tremendous rock record.

But more than being an entertaining rock documentary, it's also a profile in smart business and brand leadership. Going into the 90s, the band's popularity was on the downslide. They had in many ways lost their way. Instead of trying to recreate what they had done before and just trying to make it a little better, they decided on radical change and musical experimentation. Then they worked their assess off. And they kept pushing until the new sound and clothes fit. In essence they laid out a roadmap for creative innovation.

The most transformative and exciting brands today aren't afraid of radical change and experimentation. They hit it head on every single day. It's a core part of the company DNA for brands like Facebook, Google, Netflix, Rovio, and Starbucks, to name a few. They hack their way into long term plans. They tinker and experiment. They get products to market fast, listen, react, adjust, and experiment some more.

For a lot of people this is not a new business leadership insight. But the marketing world is still largely behind. Marketers wants innovation. But they also want campaigns. There's nothing wrong with a smart and strategic marketing campaign. They work. But if we want to get to meaningful innovation we need to look at what we do differently and need to redefine the marketing fundamentals. Consistent and prolific creative experimentation has to become key deliverable. You just don't get to the big new sound without it.