In the mid-90’s, new product development teams took a leap forward in innovation efforts by breaking free of focus group rooms to learn from consumers in their home or store environment. Today, we are taking another innovation leap by getting closer to consumers’ by participating in their social media environments. To learn more about how social media approaches will impact proprietary NPD work, (more…)
Archive for the ‘Innovation Examples’ Category
Using Secret Facebook Groups for Innovation
Friday, June 17th, 2011Is the “BMW i” already past it’s prime?
Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011BMW announced this week that they will be using the sub-brand “BMW i” for their electric and hybrid cars which will launch in 2013. While the sub-brand strategy is a departure from Mercedes approach of using the Smart brand, is the BMW i concept innovative? (more…)
Kohler’s Innovative New Product Strategy
Sunday, January 30th, 2011In January, Kohler launched a new product called Elevance Rising Wall Bath. I wanted to feature this product in my blog as an example of a well thought out innovation strategy.
Elevance is an ergonomic bathtub that was cleverly designed to target the growing number of aging Americans renovating their homes. Here is a link to a video that will give you a sense of how well they tied their design features to aging consumer needs (more…)
Monika Wingate is the owner of Fountainhead Brand Consulting and V.P. of Membership for the Wisconsin Product Development and Manufacturing Association (PDMA). She has helped a variety of companies develop new products and growth strategies including CUNA Mutual, Hormel Foods, U.S. Bank, and Kohler.
