Breaking what worked

The hardest brands to reinvent aren't the ones that failed. They're the ones that were too successful for too long. Because every year of success reinforces the conviction that what worked will keep working — and makes the moment of breaking it more costly.

Technological disruption forces that break from the outside when brands don't generate it from within. Kodak, Blockbuster, Nokia — they didn't fail for lack of talent or resources. They failed because breaking what had made them great was too hard to justify while it was still working.

The break doesn't come at the best moment. It comes when it still hurts — or when it's already too late.

No brand ever reinvented itself without first breaking something it was costly to break.