How to innovate – one small win at a time*

Disruptive innovation is everywhere it seems. There’s an ongoing fixation with the next Uber, Netflix, WhatsApp or Airbnb. Even perennial technology darlings such as Twitter or Facebook seem, well, so yesterday. It’s intoxicating, heady stuff as one technological change can seemingly transform an industry and lead to growth rates going through the roof. But for every game-changing success there are thousands of failures which are not so glamorous. The lesson therefore is to dream big but to ... Read more

What’s the ultimate consumer response?

When I went to business school (some time ago I admit), we were told that marketing was all about satisfying a targeted consumer needs and wants at an acceptable margin. This is a sound idea approach as far as it goes. But it is not enough anymore. I believe the ultimate consumer response nowadays is thank you. Thank you for making the experience better, faster or simpler. It’s the goal in my small wins innovation approach. In the example here I noticed that in the Nanjing Airport ... Read more

Why packaging design matters

I love this example of packaging design. It’s a sun tan screening lotion. I imagine the ingredients are much the same as other products. But what makes the difference is the packaging. Notice the clip at the top. Suddenly I can imagine using this and attaching it to my jeans or board shorts or golf bag. Price has become a secondary issue. The leaders of this brand have produced a design that enhances the customer experience. It’s a small change but it works. A classic win ... Read more

Why are printers so ugly?

This is a picture of my printer at my home office. Everything else is beautifully designed yet I cringe when I have to look at my black box in the corner. Surely the printing companies can do better? Great design is now a consumer and customer expectation. Imagine if our mobile phones still looked like big, clunky bricks? Printers need to be disrupted. Please Apple and Jonathon Ivy (head of design) buy a printing brand and design something that is wonderful. Consumers and your bottom line ... Read more

The Starbucks customer experience

I have been running a number of courses and workshops in Shanghai and Hong Kong on Small Wins Innovation. One of the group activities we do is to visit a Starbucks site and search for small, new ideas. Participants are fascinated with this exercise because it’s like they are seeing Starbucks for the first time. They come back with numerous images of lots of small ideas and discuss what works, what they can learn and apply to their business. Invariably they come to the conclusion that ... Read more

What can you customise?

It’s been out for a few years now but Coco-Cola has been placing various names on their bottles. This idea was created and tested in Australia and then rolled out to the various Coca-Cola businesses. All the indications are that it is working. This made me think. What can you customise in your product, service or consumer experience. Perhaps I could customise my books or ebooks for example? It’s a nice example of a win – win. The customer feels special and hopefully it ... Read more

A small way to help your customers

I found this in a corner of a book store in New York. It’s a sample of the many staff recommendations of a few of their books for sale. What a great idea. It gets the staff engaged and proud of their knowledge and advice. And it also helps the customer make a wise decision among a treasure chest of book titles. A lovely win – win. Think of suggestions of what wine might go with what meal as another example. Or Amazon Books — customers that bought this book also bought this ... Read more