170: How Redbox is Supercharging Your Creativity

In this episode of the Innovation Storytellers Podcast, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Edwin Garcia, Partner & General Manager at RedBox Innovation US. Edwin and I explored the profound ways in which creativity and innovation can be supercharged through immersive experiences. RedBox takes a distinctive approach to fostering creativity with their "inspiration excursions." These are not just typical travel experiences; they’re carefully curated journeys to locations around the world designed to deeply engage participants with new environments and ideas. Whether it’s the bustling streets of New York or the rich coffee culture of Tokyo, Edwin explains how these excursions transform inspiration into actionable ideas by immersing individuals in sensory-rich experiences. We also tackled the complexities of innovation, particularly how to measure the outcomes of inspiration services. Edwin discussed how companies innovate for two main reasons: purpose and panic. He emphasized that during challenging times, like the current climate where traditional venues are facing reduced attendance, investing in innovation can be crucial for recovery and long-term success. Drawing on historical examples, Edwin highlighted how Howard Schultz revitalized Starbucks by returning to its core values, demonstrating the balance between exploring new ideas and honing existing strengths. Finally, Edwin shared practical strategies for enhancing creativity, including the "perspective change" exercise and empathy mapping. These tools encourage looking at problems from multiple angles and deeply understanding different perspectives, which can lead to more innovative solutions.  

Om Podcasten

Did you ever wonder how an innovation got to its finish line? How innovators saw the future, made a product, and created change – in our world and in their companies? I did. Innovation Storytellers invites changemakers to describe how they created their innovation and just as important – THE STORIES – that made us fall in love with them. Come learn how great innovations need great stories to make them move around the world and how to become a better storyteller in the process. I’m Susan Lindner, the Innovation Storyteller. But I wasn’t always. I’ve been a wannabe revolutionary, an epidemiologist at the CDC and an AIDS educator in the brothels of Thailand helping to turn former sex workers into entrepreneurs. Trained as an anthropologist and the Founder of Emerging Media, I’ve spent the last twenty years working with innovators from 60+ countries. Ranging from cutting edge startups to Fortune 100 companies like GE, Corning, Citi, Olayan, and nine foreign governments, helping their leaders to tell their stories and teaching them how to become incredible advocates for their innovations. Great innovation stories make change possible. They let us step into a future we can’t see yet. I started this podcast to shine a light on our generation of great innovators, to learn how they brought their innovation to life and the stories they told to bring them to the world.