It may be inappropriate to quote the Bible to make a point about marketing, but here goes…

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 1:9-14

Still here.  No lightning strikes.

I don’t completely agree with this quote.  Certainly there are things happening in the world of product development, branding and marketing that have never happened before.

But I do think the verse does hold some promise, especially for those who market a product that is just plain out of innovative possibilities.  Why not look to the past for some new ideas?

It’s happening now in the exciting world of toothbrushes.  I remember as a kid in the 80s when Johnson & Johnson came out with the Reach toothbrush.  It was revolutionary because it had an angled head, like a dentist’s tool.  I don’t know if it was the first innovation in consumer-grade toothbrushes, but it had to be among the first.

Since that time, Crest, Oral-B, Braun and others have tried everything from angling the bristles to electrifying it to adding ergonomic grips.  All these new-fangled changes to gain attention, yet I don’t think there was ever a drastic improvement in plaque-removal.

Face it.  Every innovation that can be made to toothbrushes has been made.  So what’s a toothbrush company to do?

Well, Johnson & Johnson is re-introducing the Reach.  They’re simply positioning it as a new way to get those hard-to-reach back teeth.  No fancy bristles or colors.  As far as I can tell, it’s basically the same as the original.

The lesson here is that the past can sometimes provide some good inspiration for the future.  Good ideas will often be left in a file and never implemented.  If you’re struggling for ideas, maybe dust off some old ones and see how you can apply them to today’s challenges.

UPDATE: Hefty is bring back its “Hefty! Hefty! Hefty! Wimpy! Wimpy! Wimpy!” slogan.  Ah, the classics.

It’s funny how companies sometimes view marketing, and specifically PR, as a magic bullet that make them look fantastic in the public’s eye.  It’s not.

A long time ago, when I was a young PR practitioner, a client came into our offices and told my bosses and me that they wanted to be “perceived as a leader in their industry.”  They asked us to make that happen.  Change the Web site, do some PR.  Whatever we needed to do.

Of course, we failed to make them look like a leader.  Why?  Because they weren’t.

In my book, the first step to being perceived as a leader is to…wait for it…be a leader.  Do things that innovate, change or revolutionize the industry.

You know, lead.

Once you have that part licked, then start “doing some PR” to get the word out.

These days, companies and brands have to be genuine and real.  They have to have substance behind what they say.  You might be able to fool the public a little while, but eventually they’ll find you out, and you won’t like what happens next.

Your PR department or agency can help you determine how to lead and what to do to demonstrate leadership.  And, of course, they can help you get the word out once you are leading.

But they can’t make you look like something you’re not.

I’m writing a lot these days about New Year’s Resolutions, and wrapping that concept around marketing and branding.

You know, being topical.

I’m giving people advice about how to make and keep New Year’s Resolutions for their brand.  I came across two blog posts that are apropos to the subject of making plans for 2009.  Both offer great advice about how to approach your marketing this year.

The first is from the Bad Pitch Blog.  Blogger Richard Laermer implores us to take risks.  Be bold, be distinctive, stand out.  Being ordinary isn’t going to cut it in 2009.

…being a wimp … is no way to do business when you’re hired to be a communicator of messages that are at least a little distinctive. Risk taking is all that matters in a society where people used to care more than they do today.

Sage advice, indeed.  I know those words will be at the back of my mind as I dream up more ways to make myself and my clients remarkable.

Blogger Jim Connolly on his blog talks about the difference between movement and progress.  His point is that we better be focused on things that work and forget about the things that don’t.

Progress is not the result of hard work. If hard work were the secret to success, our grandparents would have been millionaires! Progress only comes when we work hard doing the right things!

So do your darndest to make sure your marketing time and dollars are well-spent.  There’s less room for error than there ever was.  Don’t be afraid to try something new, but if it doesn’t work and doesn’t show signs of working any time soon, move on.

But don’t keep doing the same old things that aren’t working, either.

Companies like Apple are known for creating new products like the iPod, but if you want to impress me, apply some new thinking to existing, mundane products.  It’s called changing the rules, and we’ve seen some good examples of that recently.

Dyson has built a brand on revolutionizing the vacuum cleaner, a product that has changed little since its invention over 100 years ago.  Their latest innovation, the Dyson Ball, has made their vacuums a must-have.  I even know women who would prefer a Dyson over diamond earrings.  Both are about the same price.

An even better example comes from the world of construction equipment.  John Deere, a company with a ton of history, but not recognized for its innovation.  But that’s changing, with the introduction earlier this year of the 764 High-Speed Dozer.  Its cab-forward design, rubber tracks and high-speed performance are just a few reasons this is a groundbreaking machine. Ha! Groundbreaking! Get it?

You may or may not be in the market for a vacuum cleaner or a bulldozer, but that’s not the point.  The point is that innovation, changing the rules, can happen anywhere, in any industry.  Even products that have remained unchanged for generations.

Don’t get complacent.  The world is changing all around you.  Look for ways to change the rules. “The way we’ve always done it” is not good enough.