It’s virtually impossible to escape the distressing (often demoralizing) news of the economy. I would specify the American economy, but let’s face it: it’s a global economic crisis at this point. Obviously we would all like to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Perhaps the initial bailout plan became that light for many people – it definitely was for me. I don’t know much about economic theory, but I figured the bailout must be necessary in order to safeguard against foreclosures at home and avoid an economic crisis abroad. The bailout passed and I exhaled a sigh of relief. Now enter a plan to bailout auto industry. Not again!

The auto industry is lobbying for $25 billion of the $700 billion bailout that just passed. Honestly, I don’t know what the answer is, but I have to say that I am in agreement with Chris Dodd and Mitt Romney (yes, Mitt Romney) when they say that the auto industry needs to look toward innovation, creativity and investments in the future in order to survive. Chris Dodd said recently, “Their board rooms in my view have been devoid of vision. They have promoted and often driven the demand of inefficient, gas guzzling vehicles, and dismissed the threat of global warming.”

Maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to turn over taxpayer money without a clear indication that it will stave off future disaster. Perhaps companies, like Ford and GM, will need to innovate elsewhere, to move in step with customers’ changing needs. An excellent article in the NYT’s Week in Review section illustrates how industries can survive and have survived by looking at changing customer wants and desires and adapting business strategies to meet them. Steering away from business as usual is no easy task. I’m sure each of us could point to a client that had focus grouped an idea to death, netting out only steps away from where they were, wasting a lot of money, and not really adding any additional value to the initial customer insight.

There may be less money to go around, but people still want to buy things. I may be an optimist, but I do believe that “if you build it, they will come”…just make sure that it addresses a particular need and continues to add value to our lives…