Concepts in TRIZ Applied to Marketing

Key Concepts in TRIZ as Applied to Internet Marketing

TRIZ is a fascinating problem-solving and innovation methodology, originally developed by the Soviet engineer Genrich Altshuller. TRIZ stands for Teoriya Resheniya Izobretatelskikh Zadach, which translates to Theory of Inventive Problem Solving. It’s designed to help systematically solve complex problems by identifying and overcoming contradictions in the design or process.

The core idea of TRIZ is that many inventive solutions across different fields share similar principles. By studying thousands of patents, Altshuller and his colleagues identified 40 inventive principles and a set of strategies, known as contradiction matrices, that can be applied to solve problems creatively without having to reinvent the wheel each time.

Some key concepts in TRIZ include:

• Contradiction Identification and Resolution: Many problems have conflicting requirements, such as wanting something to be strong but also lightweight. TRIZ helps address these contradictions by providing principles that have worked in similar cases.
• Ideality: The idea of making the system as close to “ideal” as possible by maximizing benefits and minimizing drawbacks without adding complexity.
• Patterns of Evolution: TRIZ proposes that technological systems evolve in predictable patterns, which can guide innovation and predict future developments.
• Substance-Field Analysis: A tool within TRIZ for modeling problems and solutions, especially in technical contexts, using materials (substances) and their interactions.

TRIZ is particularly popular in engineering, product design, and manufacturing, but it has been applied in other areas as well. Its systematic approach is often used to break through conventional thinking and generate innovative ideas.

TRIZ as Applied to Internet Marketing

TRIZ hasn’t been widely applied in internet marketing yet, but it certainly has potential! While traditionally geared toward engineering and physical product design, the TRIZ principles can be adapted to address challenges in internet marketing, especially since this field often deals with solving complex, strategic problems under various constraints.

Here are some ways TRIZ could apply to internet marketing:

1. Contradiction Resolution in Marketing Strategy

• Example: In marketing, we often encounter contradictions, like needing to increase customer engagement without increasing ad spend. TRIZ offers principles that could help resolve this contradiction creatively, such as the Segmentation principle (splitting the target audience into more specific subgroups) or the Principle of Using Intermediaries (leveraging affiliates or influencers instead of direct spending).
• Application: For instance, you might use influencers with highly targeted audiences to reach specific demographics rather than running broader ads, addressing the contradiction by focusing on indirect engagement channels.

2. Using Patterns of Evolution in Marketing Channels

• TRIZ’s Patterns of Evolution suggest that systems (in this case, marketing channels) tend to follow predictable stages. Applying this to internet marketing can help you anticipate changes and prepare accordingly. For example, channels often start as new and experimental (like TikTok a few years ago), then mature and become crowded. TRIZ can help identify when it’s time to shift focus to new, emerging platforms.
• Application: By observing where each platform is in its life cycle, a TRIZ-informed marketer could prioritize up-and-coming channels to stay ahead of competitors and capture audiences earlier in the cycle.

3. The Principle of “Ideality” in Content Marketing

• TRIZ’s Ideality concept is about creating solutions with the most benefit and least harm. In content marketing, this might mean designing campaigns that drive the maximum impact with minimal resources or cost. For instance, leveraging user-generated content to keep costs low while increasing engagement is an approach that aligns with the ideality principle.
• Application: By encouraging customer testimonials, reviews, or even contests where users submit their own content, you achieve high engagement at minimal content creation costs, aligning with the Ideality goal of maximizing output while minimizing effort.

4. Substance-Field Analysis for Marketing Funnels

• TRIZ’s Substance-Field (Su-Field) Analysis models a system by examining its components and their interactions. In internet marketing, a Su-Field model could represent the stages of a customer journey (awareness, consideration, conversion) and the interactions (emails, ads, calls-to-action) that guide the user through the funnel.
• Application: By modeling the marketing funnel as a series of Su-Fields, you can systematically identify weak links or “contradictions” (like a high drop-off rate in one stage) and apply inventive principles to improve it. For example, if consideration drops, introducing an “intermediary” like a testimonial video might help carry potential customers to the next stage.

5. Inventive Principles Applied to Campaign Design

• TRIZ includes specific inventive principles like Segmentation, Feedback, Self-Service, and Prior Action, all of which can inspire new approaches to campaign design.
• Example: The Prior Action principle suggests doing something in advance to mitigate a challenge later. In marketing, this could mean building anticipation or warming up an audience through pre-launch content so that by the time the campaign goes live, customers are already primed to engage.
• Application: A pre-launch email series or social media teasers can effectively build up anticipation and address any “resistance” to a campaign before it even starts.

6. Using Inventive Principles to Solve Content Volume vs. Quality Contradiction

• Marketers often struggle with balancing content quantity and quality. The Asymmetry and Local Quality principles in TRIZ could be applied here. For instance, you could focus high-quality resources on creating cornerstone content that can be repurposed, rather than producing many pieces of average content.
• Application: By investing more in fewer, high-impact pieces, you could then segment or repurpose that content across different formats (blog, video, infographic), achieving both quality and volume without excessive resource use.

7. Adapting the System Dynamics of TRIZ to Customer Experience

• TRIZ’s idea of System Dynamics explores how components within a system interact over time, which can be very relevant in designing long-term customer journeys or loyalty programs. It can guide marketers in structuring multi-touchpoint campaigns that evolve and engage customers over time.
• Application: Using TRIZ, you might structure a loyalty program that evolves based on customer interactions, offering new rewards or experiences as customers deepen their engagement, preventing “staleness” and encouraging long-term loyalty.

8. Automating Solutions Using the Self-Organization Principle

• In TRIZ, Self-Organization suggests that systems should evolve to operate without constant manual input. For digital marketing, this could mean setting up automated workflows, nurturing campaigns, or using AI for personalization.
• Application: Implementing AI-driven content recommendations or automated email sequences for different user segments can keep engagement high while minimizing manual work, especially valuable for resource-strapped teams.

TRIZ in internet marketing is still a relatively unexplored territory, but it could bring a structured, inventive approach to solving many of the industry’s pain points. The challenge is in translating some of the more technical TRIZ terms and concepts into the language and context of marketing, but the framework’s problem-solving potential is definitely there!