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Photo: From left Professor Steve Worthington, Michael Valos, Michelle Sherwood, Associate Professor Colin McLeod and Mike Harley.

Innovation came under the spotlight at the Marketing Connections Business Breakfast recently hosted by the Department of Marketing at Zinc @ Federation Square.

In a survey conducted by Michael Valos, Chair of the Department of Marketing alumni and Marketing Advisory Board Member, amongst 45 senior marketers about key marketing issues for 2010, innovation was one of the top three topics mentioned.

Responses varied from ‘Incremental innovation is underrated there are so many ‘little’ things employees can do’ to ‘you need a culture where the status quo is continually challenged’.

Although innovation was seen as most closely linked to marketing relative to other functions and departments, a common view was that marketing’s role is being sidelined. 

During the seminar, Michelle Sherwood, General Manager Marketing for Sensis, Mike Harley, Group Executive, Marketing and International, National Foods and Associate Professor Colin McLeod, Executive Director for the Australian Centre for Retail Studies discussed the way how both the functional application of marketing and marketing skills can play central roles on the creation and development of successful innovations.