Innovate It !

Course in May a "must attend" for product developers in SA Food Industry

2011-04-13T15:29:00.001-07:00

Course title: Product Development from concept to launch. An introduction Venue: Room 2, Food Technology Building, Bellville Campus of CPUT(Directions available on request) Dates: 24 – 26 May 2011 (We have to limit the number of delegates to 25 to ensure individual attention during the practicals) Cost: R8 500 (ex. VAT) Included: • A folder with course notes. • A CCFRA publication entitled “Product Development Guide for the Food Industry. Guideline No. 8” • Morning and afternoon Teas and Coffees, Lunches and a gourmet meal in the form of a “Diagnostic Dinner” – an integral part of the course Course description: The course has been specifically designed by Campden BRI for those people new to product development or those from different areas who require an understanding of the product development process. The overall aim of the course is to lead delegates through the main topic areas and intersperse it with practical sessions that allow the delegates to put some of the skills learnt into practice. During the course they will develop a product right from idea generation through to making the product and presenting it to a mock retail panel. Delegates are split into groups from different technical backgrounds, they stay in these groups through all the practical sessions to encourage teambuilding and interaction between thedifferent skills bases they will have. The Campden BRI model runs over two days, but the courses offered in May will include an optional third day on the 26th of May. This third day will offer delegates insight into aspects to consider when selecting ingredients for particular product applications, the range available to the product developer in the different classes of ingredients. The presentations will be as interactive as possible within the time constraints. The objective is to equip delegates with a firm idea of where to start when particular ingredient functionalities are required in a product. Who should attend? • Novice/Trainee technologists in Research and Development and New Product Development (NPD) This saves managers time and money, since novice technologists are orientated within two days, freeing up and taking the pressure of basic training of the senior staff to continue with their projects • Food technologists/ Food industry professionals who have been working in areas other than Product Development (like production, quality control and assurance and so on), who now need a ‘refresher course’ with up to date information • Marketing managers – to bridge the well-known gap in understanding between Research and Development and Marketing • Product technologists in the Retail sector – to gain an understanding of the principles behind and the challenges around NPD in the Food Industry • Business owners/ suppliers who have no formal Research and Development or New Product Development structures or procedures in place “NEW IMPROVED”Course delegates can look forward to a revamped course, focused more than ever on the South African Food Industry and Consumer. We are privileged to have Ms. Sydlene Hector on board as a partner. Presently with Synorich Consulting, Sydlene has more than 10 years of experience in Research and Development in leading companies in South Africa, with a recent stint as a consultant in Argentina. Adding her wealth of experience in Research and Development to the existing course, the new course will be not-to- be-missed value for money indeed. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT THE DEPARTMENT OF FOOD TECHNOLOGY, CPUT, Cape Town Posted by: CMB Consultants @ e-WiseKnowledge Library http://www.ewklibrary.com Posted by Innovate It ! at 3:15

Innovation and Marketing

2009-06-15T01:07:00.000-07:00

Would you like to destroy the competition in your field?

That should be everyone’s aim, but how to go about it!

Read what Steve Tobak has to say about this important subject (June 2009). He is a marketing and strategy consultant based in Silicon Valley -- a 20-plus year high-tech industry veteran and former senior executive of a number of public and private companies:

“An exasperated CEO stood up in the board meeting and exclaimed, “Is that all you marketing &#*$s know how to do, compete on price?!”
Before you get too excited, that CEO was cursing at me. And no, that wasn’t all I knew how to do. But he did have a point, and it’s even more relevant now than it was back then. In today’s marketplace where everybody’s competing for the same shrinking budget and differentiation is hard to come by, marketers often think of price as their only lever.
That’s just incompetent marketing, plain and simple.
There are lots of ways to differentiate a product. You can even create the perception of differentiation, if you’re creative enough. It’s called product positioning and it’s something of an art.

Here are Five fundamental product positioning principles that will help you destroy the competition:
1. Find a product attribute that captures the customer’s imagination.
2. Market share gains are expensive.
3. Reinvent the “customer experience”.
4. Only target up, not down the totem pole.
5. Infrastructure (or ecosystem) as a competitive barrier.”

(To read the complete paper, go to http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=2316&tag=nl.e713)

What does this have to do with innovation?

Everything.

Innovation is not just about creative thinking – it is about making it real, making it possible.
It is about finding strategies to create products that will achieve the desired product positioning.
It is about more than price.
It is about working in a team -- not in isolation.
It is about multiple disciplines and numerous perspectives getting the job done.
This is the role and importance of "Innovation" -- and NO -- it does not just apply to the automotive industry. It is true of any innovation in any industry -- also the food- and beverage industry.

Innovate your professional image!

2009-04-20T15:07:00.000-07:00

Did you think that innovation only applied to business? Think again -- what about your professional image. How do you project yourself as a professional in the business world. What about the issues that influence your perceived inage? Read this interesting paper on creating a positive professional image, published in 2005 on the Harvard Business School Working Business site.

Interviewed, is Laura Morgan Roberts
Published: June 20, 2005
The interviewer and author is Mallory Stark

Here is the executive summary quoted from the article:

"People are constantly observing your behavior and forming theories about your competence, character, and commitment, which are rapidly disseminated throughout your workplace," she [Laura Morgan Robers] says. "It is only wise to add your voice in framing others' theories about who you are and what you can accomplish."

There are plenty of books telling you how to "dress for success" and control your body language. But keeping on top of your personal traits is only part of the story of managing your professional image, says Roberts. You also belong to a social identity group—African American male, working mother—that brings its own stereotyping from the people you work with, especially in today's diverse workplaces. You can put on a suit and cut your hair to improve your appearance, but how do you manage something like skin color?

Roberts will present her research, called "Changing Faces: Professional Image Construction in Diverse Organizational Settings," in the October issue of the Academy of Management Review."

To read more about the interview, go to:
http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/4860.html

cmblignaut@ewklibrary.com

Trends

2009-04-15T06:57:00.000-07:00

Many readers would like to know more about trends.
Take a new look at the blog!
New 'gadgets' were added to place different trends (especially trends in food) at your fingertips. Innovation starts with an idea -- it can also start by searching for trends.

Find out what people are interested in.
Find out about their lives!
It makes for interesting reading.

CMB

POLL RESULTS!

2008-03-11T06:33:00.000-07:00

Questions asked:

1. How important is specialized knowledge in innovation?
2. Do companies know how to manage innovation successfully?

Thank you to everyone taking part in the poll!

Although the results are not statistically significant, it is interesting to note that 60% of the votes expressed indicated that specialized knowledge is essential in innovation.

With regard to the second question, 40% of the votes indicated that the voters were unsure whether companies knew how to manage innovation successfully. The other votes were split evenly between "yes, companies do know how to manage innovation successfully" and "no, companies do not know how to manage innovation successfully".

Perhaps you will agree that this is an interesting result -- especially with regard to the second question. When the results from the two questions are read together, perhaps we should question whether a lack of appropriate knowledge and skills are not having a negative effect on the management of innovation in companies!
If this is so, many companies may be spending much on innovation without success.
Even worse -- they may be appointing the wrong people to "get the job done"!
Thinking a little down the line, perhaps some companies will have a low success rate when it comes to innovation -- and this when innovation, new products and optimized existing products and -processes are important to company growth (acquisitions excluded).....

Interesting.....

For now --

Why not have a look at our new polls?

Something different this time.
The first question is about disruptive innovation, and the second is all about reverse engineering.

Have your say!!

CMB
http:www.ewklibrary.com

Descriptors & Triggers......

2008-01-09T02:55:00.000-08:00

Descriptors ..... Triggers?

In our world, words are not just words.

Blue – is not just ‘blue’ …..

Words that describe what we feel or observe are ‘descriptors’. Descriptors are words that describe a product. When they lead us to action, they act as ‘triggers’.
Why ‘triggers’?
The word ‘trigger’ is not part of the terminology used in Market research or sensory science!
We use the word ‘triggers’ in our business because it infers action.
When it comes to the debit and credit side of the business world, descriptors without action are not worth much.
Descriptors without action are the words of experts and business. Descriptors describe products -- they do not necessarily infer consumer action.
Words that ‘trigger’ action are the elusive key to effective consumer communication, consumer satisfaction, the unlocking of new markets and more. Determining and acting on the consumer ‘triggers’ for each product / product range / -category, is similar to finding the key to lost treasure….

Let’s put it in simpler terms.
The words used by us as consumers are very important – especially if they can be linked to an action such as a purchase – especially a repeat purchase of any product.
These are the words linked to buy-intention.
Liking or preferring a product does not automatically infer that a person will buy it. It is important to understand which words or terms are best correlated with consumer intention to buy – and eventual purchase. It is therefore important to differentiate between the terms or words that ‘describe’ a product and those that lead to action. In many businesses, much emphasis is placed on ‘descriptors’.

This may lead to misuse – and disaster.

How?

By accepting that descriptors are the same as ‘triggers’ – words that lead to action, when they do not and never will. It is the difference between using words to identify and describe a product on the one hand, and the words that consumers use on the other.

Descriptors are well known in sensory science as well as market research. According to sensory science principles, these terms are determined and verified through rigorous research protocols. In the case of market research, they are pre-determined by marketers or market researchers, which may give rise to the measuring of product characteristics that are not understood by the respondents in the study or the scoring of products by consumers (respondents) using ‘descriptors’ which they find too generalized or even unimportant with regard to that specific product. This gives rise to misleading research results and may lead to misinformation and product failure.

Does this mean that descriptors are not important?

No – indeed not!

They are very important – when determined and put to use in a suitable situation such as in some sensory methods, quality control evaluations and more.
It is a question of using ‘the right tool for the job’.
Descriptors and triggers both have their own place in the business world.

Are descriptors ‘different’ from ‘triggers’?
Only with regard to the differences described – they are still all just ‘words’.

What about words leading to consumer action – the ‘triggers’ we mentioned?
They differ from product to product and are determined through specific methods.
These are the terms that companies are most interested in – it is the words that lead to new products that capture the minds and hearts of consumers and lead to ….profit…..

CMB
http://www.ewklibrary.com

Results : Innovation- and Consumer Insight polls

2008-01-02T12:12:00.000-08:00

Polls Closed!

Our first two polls closed on 31 December 2007.
Thanks for voting!

With regard to the first question, all participants agreed that innovation was very important in any company.

With regard to to the second question, not everyone agreed that consumer insight was an important resource in every company! Interesting indeed -- perhaps we need more of you to have your say on these issues?

Since only a few of you took part in the first polls, we'll repeat the questions again a little later in the year -- remember to make your opinion known -- vote!

Our new polls are already up and running -- why not have your say? You can vote until 1 March 2008 and are most welcome to post comments to motivate your opinion!

On this second day of the new year our wish is that 2008 may be a special year for you and yours -- remember -- you can make a difference -- just "believe it" ... and then "do it"....

CMB
http://www.ewklibrary.com/

The Facilitator ...

2007-12-16T00:24:00.000-08:00

What is a 'facilitator'?

How can facilitation skills possibly be linked to
innovation,
consumer insight,
market research results,
sensory science,
product development .....?

A good facilitator is worth his / her weight in gold!

A facilitator determines the outcome of discussions with clients and consumers.
Facilitators assist or 'make possible' interaction, discussion and more -- acting as 'devil's advocate', steering thoughts, guiding meetings, ensuring actionable outcomes -- without taking an active part in discussions or influencing decisions.

According to the Concise Oxford dictionary (1976, p.371), 'facilitate' means "to make easy, promote, help forward (action or result)"....

In business, this definition of facilitation and the work of facilitators are required in its fullest context -- and more.
Facilitation skills are required in almost every aspect of business.
We therefore need to be more specific and focus on the role of facilitation in market research, consumer insight and innovation.
Why is facilitation and good facilitation skills so important in this instance?
The answer is important...
A facilitator determines the value of all qualitative research results.
A person with good facilitation skills will be able to interpret body language (non-verbal communication), will understand all aspects of person perception, will be perceptive, know when to intervene, ask relevant questions with excellent timing, will know when to allow a discussion to flow, will know when to mine new avenues for discussion, and more.

With whom do facilitators work or interact?
Groups.
Any groups.
Facilitators 'lead' or guide discussions, meetings, ideation-, innovation-, evaluation-, trouble shooting sessions and more.
They work for companies, research agencies (such as market research agencies), and more, as consultants or permanent employees.
They understand

the 'flow' of a discussion and all forms of communication -- both verbal and non-verbal,
that what is unsaid can be just as important as what is said,
the importance of peer pressure, group pressure, religion and more.

They are sometimes employed exclusively as facilitators, or in another capacity where their facilitation skills are used as required.

Are all facilitators good at their work?
Unfortunately -- No.

Many facilitators are extremely skilled -- yet do not deliver satisfactory results.
Why?
Excellent facilitators will tell you that they need to know their subject back to front -- and this is the problem.
The subject they need to know, is not about for example facilities, psychology and communication -- that is a given.
They also need to understand the subject under discussion or investigation by the group extremely well.

Why?

The reason is clear.
Without in depth knowledge about the subject under discussion, many casual remarks, non-verbal indicators from participants, respondents, clients or consumers, and more, will either pass them by or even worse, be unaddressed because they do not have an insight into the possible new avenues to explore in the discussion -- avenues that would have lead to new insight; more clarity and understanding in the interpretation of qualitative information.
Without such knowledge, it could be very difficult (if not impossible) to instigate more enlightening thought and insightful exploration of the subject and its underlying implications.
In plain language --
'it will be difficult to adequately word or phrase questions and statements that will lead to in depth enlightenment in the group and more insightful outcomes from such a discussion'.
It will be difficult to assist the group in attaining the much sought after "aha" moment or "wow" insight that brings the all important feeling of closure and satisfaction to the discussion; the feeling that movement took place, from here -- to there... forward... indicating the way to go with a lighter tread and enlightenment -- with (ideally) nothing left unsaid or uncovered.

Many people in the know will counter this by stating that all quantitative analysis must be structured -- that is the first rule in scientific research to ensure duplication of circumstances / repetition. New avenues of discussion are therefore less important.
Why?
They will quickly state that it could jeopardize the validity of previous results where the 'new avenues' were not explored.
That is true......
On the other hand -- if you know what you are doing as a scientist and are worth your salt (so to speak!), research structure and -protocols will not be endangered when knowledgeable, scientific facilitators mine new avenues of information. A well trained researcher / scientist will know how to cope with the new information and incorporate it into further research protocols to verify and validate findings -- that is a given.

What is important is the state of mind and training of the facilitator; the manner in which he /she views the work -- their profession and point of reference -- their outlook and professional adaptability.
If every group session is stagnant and stale -- the results will reflect it.
Even worse -- reports will offer nothing spectacular and company- or corporate decisions based on such findings or insights will result in mediocre products, ensuring mediocre customer satisfaction and mediocre return on investment.
How sad.

When will this sad state of affairs occur?
It is all in the approach.
It is about facilitation being a profession .... or a tool.
In many situations, facilitation skills seems most successful when viewed and used as a tool -- a means to an end.
The truth of this is found when facilitation skills used as a tool results in vigorous discussions, actionable results and an acceptable return on investment.

It all depends on the facilitator....

CMB
http://www.ewklibrary.com/

Creativity in Action?

2007-12-13T22:15:00.000-08:00

What is 'creativity in action'?

Let's break it down first.

What is creativity?

This is easy.

It is the stuff artists are made of. It is about painting, photography, styling, the arts and more. It is about being imaginative and inventive. It is about creating beauty (whatever its definition) and new things. It is about designing and dreaming; baring the soul; seeing in ones minds-eye what no one else can envision. It is about taking from past and present to give the future wings. It is about ideas and concepts; leaps of the imagination and vision.

In the business world it is the same as dreams, talk and air....
It is words....

What about action?

Creativity requires one very specific component to make it real......it requires Action.

Without action, creativity does not make any difference -- none.

Without action, ideas, concepts and strategies do not turn into products, categories, sales and profit.

This action, in turn, has certain requirements -- it must be well planned, focused and well executed. It must be the actions of cross-functional, professional individuals functioning as a well-oiled machine.

Action is planned, structured, measured and valuated.

It has a beginning and an end.

It has specific results as aim.

How would one know which/what action is required?

The forerunner of action is intelligence -- not the IQ type (although that is always welcome) -- the research type.

Action is preceded by finding out as much as possible about the situation as envisioned by 'creativity' through secondary- and primary research respectively; It is preceded by "doing your homework" from all possible angles without researching the subject to death and bankrupting the company in the process. This requires skilled, expert knowledge and intelligence (of the IQ type) to plan the required research protocols and -analysis, statistically analyze quantified information , interpret qualitative information, mine the combined data for insights, reach specific conclusions, distinguish between actionable and non-actionable results, predict results of possible actions and advise a course of action.

Creativity is about ideas, ideals and dreams.

Action is about analysis, business realities, identifying the process to make the creative vision real -- and making it happen.

Creativity in action?

That is known as 'innovation'.....

CMB

http://www.ewklibrary.com/

Failures and Fickle consumers......

2007-12-10T00:40:00.000-08:00

Why do products fail?

Products fail when they do not make a profit anymore.
Products fail when consumers choose a different product when they part with their money -- not your product.

Business and products are about profit .... sometimes. A failing product may be kept in the market to complete a basket of goods on offer to consumers. It then has more ad value than anything else -- it assists in the sale of other, more profitable products.

In general, however -- failing products die -- sometimes at great cost to the company that invested heavily in its predicted success.

Many reasons exists for failure.

At the root, however, is perhaps the inability to predict failure at the idea and concept evaluation stage; the apparent inability to act proactively regarding the eventual replacement of a current "cash cow" when that highly successful product starts its decline after many years of superior sales; the inability to understand how fickle consumers can be and how important it is to be in constant touch with their lifestyles, whims, feelings to predict and influence how they will act, react and more. All of this happening while the corporate world is focused on regimes, management systems and regulating actions. It is geared to eradicate "fickleness" -- not embrace it in an "organised" fashion.

How can this cause products to fail after years of development or many successful years in the market?
Many knowledgeable people will tell you that masses of product research, market analysis, sales analysis, trend analysis, ad analysis and more cannot all be wrong. The big picture is important -- markets, segmentation, categories, the brand- and company image. It is true -- all these can contribute to success -- but also to failure.

Why?

One of the most overlooked reasons for failure is the fact that products fail when the market and consumer requirements have been misjudged (although it is a given that here can also be other reasons for failure).

Why does this happen?

Surely -- with all the money spent on market research, more than four out of ten products in the FMCG (especially Food Industry) should succeed -- so what is the problem?

The problem may be that most of the tools used in market- and product research look to the past to identify tendencies and apply that to the current state of affairs, when in fact it should endeavour to predict the future with consumer insight in mind -- what consumers (not companies) live, feel and desire. All the things consumers apparently cannot put into words -- the things that everyone thought up to now, could not be quantified. It can be quantified with great success, but it requires faith and understanding of innovative new tools and protocols -- it requires bravery and trust in an unknown future. In many companies this is still a challenge. Embracing the unfamiliar can seem risky at times and business must really reach a critical stage before the apparent new and unconventional, yet innovative tools are looked at with new insight. By that time, many products already failed. Having successful products in the market and ensuring they stay that way as long as possible, takes bravery, enthusiasm, an innovative spirit, an entrepreneurial view of the world, new research and new possibilities -- it requires the hunger for success.

Fickle consumers do not cause product failures. Once that truth is understood, many products will be managed with new insight to ensure success.

CMB

http://www.ewklibrary.com

Sensations, Senses and Insight

2007-11-27T02:47:00.000-08:00

When we describe any object, we use words to try to describe what we perceive, experience, associate or remember. Often many words are linked together to describe complex perceptions.

In the case of food products, these descriptions become even more complicated, necessitating the differentiation of sensations into groups such as (for example) appearance, odor, texture (visual, when handling as opposed to in the mouth), taste, aftertaste and the feeling in the mouth after swallowing. In isolation, the words have limited meaning, but grouped together they project an holistic impression of a product. When the impressions of a group of people are combined and the data mined effectively, it becomes possible to describe the “aura” of a product or the feelings that it may evoke, from a consumer perspective.

Many of the descriptors or words used by consumers to describe a product, are language bound. It is sometimes very difficult or even impossible to translate descriptive terms directly from English, French, Spanish and so on, with a single word in Afrikaans, Zulu, Hindi, Xhosa – and vice versa. The language aspect can cause some difficulty in the work conducted for multi national corporations, and have also been a headache for many controlling bodies that address validity in Sensory Science and Market Research.
Is it impossible to overcome?
No.
It does however require much insight into research methodology, internal and external validity of questionnaires and insight into consumer interpretation and their use of words and ‘slang’. Standard translations that have been validated by international bodies do however exist to address mainstream translations. When it comes to research in FMCG products – especially food products, a word is clearly not just ‘a word’.

Why this is important? After all – blue is blue – or is it?
Only if my light blue is the same as your light blue -- not to mention midnight blue, dark blue, navy......
Ever heard of the Tower of Babel?
Insight into consumer experience start with understanding each word in its exact connotation as used at a specific point in time. It is the way to change Sensations into Insight.

CMB
http://www.ewklibrary.com

The power of "it"

2007-10-23T13:34:00.000-07:00

Have you ever felt the urge to create something new?

Are you sure that you have the perfect idea that will make perfect sense to millions of people out there if you just had the opportunity to present it to someone?

What is keeping you back?

What will make you act?

There is one word that can make a difference -- "it".

No, not IT (Information technology or any other impressive explanation). Just the plain old word "it" -- as in "he, she or it". The word "it" is extremely powerful in innovation -- especially when insight, knowledge and logic is under pressure (which is often).

Where does its strength come from?
It can be found in the use of the multitude of verbs used in combination with the word "it". The use of "it" can encourage, distract, describe, discourage, create brand names and visions, become a call to action.
Look at these examples:

Make it...

Break it....

Create it....

Design it....

Revamp it....

Visualise it....

Embrace it....

Cook it....

Eat it....

View it....

Sort it....

Enhance it....

Combine it....

Admire it....

Adjust it...

Abbreviate it....

Master it....

Read it....

Look at it....

Leave it....

Lose it....

Foster it....

Free it....

Dump it....

Change it....

Adjust it....

Edit it....

Entertain it....

Energise it....

Zap it....

Focus it.... -- can you add more?

Suddenly a simple word is empowered to create optimism or define failure, give direction, inspire new ideas in marketing, products and more.

Perhaps this is what innovation is all about -- taking the insignificant and making it significant. Making the most of the opportunity to select phrases that inspire.

Selecting a phrase requires only that you do what the phrase implies. For example, if the phrase "focus it" seems to apply to your situation, project or effort, implement the term -- try to refocus or strenghten the focus in your project or product. Ask yourself expanding questions such as -- where should the focus be, how can it be achieved, how, by whom, by when.... before you know it, you will be taking action to help you on your way.

Ideas come from many sources -- Words communicate them, Actions make them real. It can start with something as insignificant as "it":

It was

It is

It can be

It may be

It will be....

Next time when your new idea or invention seems to be going nowhere -- put the power of "it" to the test. You may find that great ideas require small building blocks to keep them moving and make them real.

CMB