Make Products that Others Want to Imitate

There's a lot of hard work involved in the process of developing a product and getting it to market. If the product is a success, other companies will come out with a similar product. They say Japanese are good at imitating, although some people criticize this from a business ethics standpoint. However, what I say to our R&D division is "make products that others want to imitate." Products that get imitated are good products that consumers want; products that sell. Therefore, if you always try to come out with products that your competitors imitate, your company will steadily grow. Imitation gives rise to competition, raises the level of technology, and leads to progress in society. However, the company that originates a product is always being chased, so it has to think of the next product and continue its research. And the company cannot be complacent and satisfied with just one good product. It cannot rest on its laurels just because it is the inventor or originator of a product. The company has to do research into even better products, because the one who gains the most from imitation is, after all, the company being imitated.

From the autobiography of Tokuji Hayakawa