Tuesday 6th October:
Digital snacking
Kraft, who manufacture the iconic Australian spread, Vegemite, have released a spin-off version of their yeast-based product. Kraft ran a competition to name their new cream cheese-vegemite blend, and the winning name, ‘iSnack 2.0’, was officially announced during last weekend’s Australian Football League Grand Final. Kraft hopes its iSnack 2.0 will bring the Australian favourite into the pantries of the younger generation.
However, like Vanilla Coke and Fanta Cherry before it, changes to many long-time favourites often meet with contention. Just four days after iSnack 2.0 was publicised, the Australian t-shirt company, Epicfailstore.com, printed their opinion.
Ref. http://www.psfk.com/2009/09/isnack-2-0-iconic-aussie-spread-gets-a-makeover.html
Tag. Food and drink, FMCG, Naming
Wednesday 22nd July:
‘Upcycling’ – a great idea still waiting to happen (again)
‘Upcycling’ is a 21st century term, coined by Cradle to Cradle authors William McDonough and Michael Braungart. But the idea of turning waste into useful products came to life brilliantly in 1963, with the Heineken WOBO (world bottle). Envisioned by beer brewer Alfred Heineken and designed by Dutch architect John Habraken, the ‘brick that holds beer’ was ahead of its ecodesign time, letting beer lovers and builders alike drink and design all in one sitting.
Mr. Heineken’s idea came after a visit to the Caribbean where he saw two problems: beaches littered with bottles and a lack of affordable building materials. The WOBO became his vision to solve both the recycling and housing challenges that he’d witnessed on the islands.
Crazily, a shed at the Heineken estate and a wall made of WOBOs at the Heineken Museum in Amsterdam are the only structures where the ‘beer brick’ was used. As to the remaining WOBOs, it’s not clear how many exist, or where, but the idea even some four decades later remains a lasting example in end-use innovation.
But why didn’t this project didn’t take off, and why aren’t other brewers, or Coca-Cola for that matter, thinking like this? Certainly there are shipping efficiencies to packaging square bottles, and there’s no cost to the company if people decide to build things out of them. Re-use is always better than recycling, and if properly done, this could result in a virtually waste-free product.
Ref. http://www.ethiopianreview.com/articles/13630
http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/10/11/heineken-wobo-the-brick-that-holds-beer/
Wednesday 1st July:
Making life a little easier!
Office drones chained to their desks have no hope of heating up a hot lunch… until now. Heinz has developed a prototype USB-powered microwave that lets workers keep working and eat a hot lunch without leaving their desks.
Called the Beanzawave, the mini-microwave stands a short 7.4-inches tall by 6.2-inches wide and 5.9-inches deep – just big enough to hold Snap Pots, a new microwaveable dish from Heinz.
Beanzawave plugs into a computer’s USB port and heats up dishes using mobile radio frequencies. But what about when the battery’s drained? Lithium ion power is a possibility if the product makes it to market.
Finding the balance between smart innovation and silly gadget is key as consumers crave smart tech that’s energy savvy. Beanzawave from Heinz is still a prototype, but is expected to retail for $160 if it comes to market.
Ref. http://www.iconoculture.com/Approach/WhatWeIdentify/Observations/GenXers/index.aspx?DocName=oa_USBMiniMicrowave_111019
Tagged with: FMCG, Office, Technology
Tuesday 2nd June:
How can you help people re-slice the familiar?
Think like the US beef industry who’re rolling out new cuts in response to people’s desire these days to make more of their own dinners, and seek out relatively cost-effective ways to enjoy a good steak.
The beef industry spent five years and $1.5 million studying the chuck roll, the area under the shoulder blade that’s normally turned into moderately priced steaks and chuck roast — and came up with five new products. Country-style Chuck Ribs are boneless and best braised, like a short rib. America’s Beef Roast can be roasted in the oven and makes a great sandwich. The Denver has lots of marbling and is best cooked to medium-rare. The Sierra is similar to a flank steak and needs to be marinated for several hours before grilling or broiling. The tender Delmonico steak is best grilled or broiled.These new cuts will cost people as much as $4 more per pound than traditional cuts from the shoulder area, but still less than premium cuts.
Monday 11th May:
Why not take the norm from one market and make it the exception in yours?
Take a leaf out of ‘Boxed Water Is Better’s book. With only 14% of disposable water bottles being recycled, it’s no wonder designers are flooding the market with eco-friendly alternatives. Boxed Water Is Better is part-sustainable water company, part-art project, and part-philanthropic project.
The Michigan-based company creates each water box using around 90% tree matter, sourced from certified and ‘well managed’ forests, which continuously replant harvested trees. The boxes are also shipped flat to reduce carbon emissions from transportation, and each box is filled as needed.
The company returns 20% of its profits back to reforestation and world water relief organisations. (Many thanks to big Nick for this one.)
Ref www.thesun.co.uk
http://www.psfk.com/2009/04/boxed-water-is-better.html
Friday 17th April:
How can you fail better than the competition?
Everyone knows but rarely practices the secret to successful innovation: knowing how to fail early, and fail cheaply. Which is why P&G is still actively investing in game-changing innovations even amid the recession.
Real innovation is becoming rare which is why P&G knows it’s important to master the ‘art of failing’. P&G’s CEO, Lafley says, ‘In our industry, only 15%–20% of new products succeed. P&G’s success rate is a little over 50%. But we were at that lower industry average in the ’90s. We improved our batting average by clarifying and simplifying the innovation process. We set checkpoints with clear measures for each phase of the process from ideation through development and commercialisation. If a project looks like it won’t make it, we drop it. You learn more from failure than you do from success but the key is to fail early, fail cheaply, and don’t make the same mistake twice.’
Ref. http://blog.futurelab.net/2009/04/the_secret_to_successful_innov.html
Wednesday 25th March:
How can you make more of what’s staring you in the face?
Think like Koleston Naturals. Their innovative use of billboards re-inforces the beauty of nature by making use of the views right under our noses. Koleston Naturals is a hair colourant made from natural ingredients for women aged 20-40. The strategically placed billboards use a die-cut silhouette of a woman’s head to reveal the scene behind them. And so as the day progresses from morning to night, nature’s light changes to tell the simple story that Koleston Naturals enhances your looks naturally. Brilliant.
(Many thanks to our digital whiz Alex N for this one).
Ref http://www.frederiksamuel.com/blog/2009/03/koleston_naturals.html
Thursday 5th February:
How can you reach a new audience by tapping into their lifestyle?
Think like Economist magazine, which as part of their “Get a World View” campaign, is courting college-age readers who have a healthy intellectual appetite but an unhealthy diet. BBDO New York created a series of Economist-branded pizza boxes, which were then supplied to more than 20 pizzerias in Philadelphia. The placement of shops wasn’t random either. The shops were chosen because of a close proximity to one of Philly’s institutions of higher learning. The boxes cover such topics as “Arable and permanent crop land by country” and “Mushroom exports to U.S.”
Ref http://www.coolhunting.com/archives/2008/11/the_economist_b.php
Friday 30th January:
How can you soothe shoppers’ troubled minds?
Think like Tide: shout less to reduce the ‘visual noise’ that causes sensory overload, and place more emphasis on clean, more refined graphics that focus on a simple message instead. . . Aaaahh doesn’t that feel better?
Ref. http://www.thedieline.com/blog/articles/page/3/
Wednesday 28th January:
Self-help is on the rise so how can you make the most of it?
Think like PatientPak – a collection of antimicrobial and other hygiene items for those planning a hospital visit. Its aim? To kill 99.99% of bugs, including nasties such as MRSA, salmonella and E. coli.
For £16, you get a set of 14 different germ prevention items, ranging from hand, surface and fabric sanitizing sprays to an advice leaflet, disposable pen and polite bedside sign to remind others to wash their hands.
PatientPak was made available from UK stockists such as Amazon.co.uk, Tesco and Mothercare late last year. Separately, much of the pack’s contents are readily available, but by bundling a range of products for a specific purpose, the brand has created a new product that should speak both to consumers’ worries and their desire for convenience.
Ref. http://www.springwise.com/index.php?page=2