Applying mathematical problem-solving techniques to your brand

In a recently published course (Tao, 2021), Terence Tao, a maths prodigy, shared some of his insights into problem-solving for real-world applications. Tao had a keen interest in mathematics and earned his PhD from Princeton University when he was just 20 years old. He obtained his professorship at age 24 and has been able to apply his understanding of mathematics to deliver groundbreaking innovations in healthcare, particularly in making magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning faster and more efficient.

This article is not about applying complex maths to everyday issues—the goal is to gain a high-level understanding of some of the strategies used that can help in both marketing and clinical research.

Sometimes, to solve a problem, we need to change our perception, make sure that we are asking the right question in the first case and try to avoid our thinking getting stuck in a rut. For example, an airport was getting numerous complaints from passengers about the length of time that they had to wait in the arrivals hall to get their luggage back. Despite the airport management implementing numerous improvements to baggage handling to deliver small incremental improvements, the number of complaints stayed more or less the same.