Want to blow your mind?
Try to imagine all the thinking, research and invention that’s gone into the technology you rely on – and take for granted – every day.
Everything you use to do your job was developed out of thin air or as an outgrowth of a previous innovation.
In both large and small ways, we all stand on the shoulders of those who came before us.
All of us at BusinessVoice stood on Lou Ottens’ shoulders.
But we never met Lou. In fact, we never even heard Lou’s name until March 10th when we read of his death at age 94.
Lou Ottens invented the cassette tape.
While the head of new product development at Philips in the early 1960s, Ottens saw the potential in a portable, affordable alternative to large reel-to-reel tapes. So, he invented it.
In 1963, Philips released his first cassette tape. It launched a revolution in easy home recording that impacted a wide swath of musical genres, from punk to hip hop to garage rock.
If you grew up in the 1970s or ’80s, chances are you made at least one mix tape, compiling your favorite songs from your own record collection or by capturing them from the radio.
BusinessVoice, too, owes a huge debt to Lou Ottens.
When we were taking some of our industry’s first steps in 1989, we relied on his cassette tapes to distribute content to our clients. We’ve since advanced to digital, no-touch remote download systems to send On Hold Marketing productions to companies all over the United States, but it’s no exaggeration to say that our agency wouldn’t exist today without Mr. Ottens’ foresight.
You never know how what you think and do might impact others, today or years into the future. We consider On Hold Marketing an opportunity to connect with people; a chance to turn the negative of holding into a valuable touchpoint.
We use our time with your callers to share your company’s unique perspective. In the process, we hope to spark fresh ideas and ignite new inspiration, adding yet another set of shoulders for those to come, just like Lou Ottens did for us and so many others.