By Russ Onish
Nurturing Innovation.
Dream big. Be agile. Fail fast.
As a small-business founder and entrepreneur, I embody and appreciate these sentiments; however, I also know that one of my most important responsibilities is keeping our company afloat. Our employees and their families are counting on me. Our clients are counting on us. The marketplace can be brutal.
We at Vista Grande help our clients envision and realize big opportunities through the lens of shoppers’ desires and expectations. We think innovation is a critical organizational muscle that needs to be nurtured and trained.
That doesn’t mean that our clients should take enormous risks. We have the tools to help them evaluate, pressure test, and refine their ideas. For big bets and risky investments, I would generally encourage you to quantitatively test in real stores with real shoppers spending real money. Enter GameChanger…
Retail Testing with GameChanger
Vista Grande acquired GameChanger a year ago; the company and its current employees have nearly two decades of experience serving CPG marketers and innovators with the industry’s most reliable and easiest-to-execute controlled-store testing protocol. While GameChanger has been the partner behind some of the world’s most well-known innovation successes, I’d like to call your attention to some recent failures from some of the world’s best-known brands.
When Tests Don’t Meet Expectations
We have recently conducted tests that failed for a new product, a new package, and a new aisle flow. All came up short of expectations. Yes, the clients were initially disappointed, but ultimately, they were highly appreciative that we saved them millions upon millions in wasted direct investments and wasted time. Delivering tough news to valued clients is not for the faint of heart, but it’s our job, and we take it seriously. Conversely, it’s easy to hire consultants who tell you you’re amazing in every which way.
What Brands Learned from Testing
These GameChanger tests didn’t merely kill some bad ideas; all three of these innovations had some merit, and we were able to share with our clients elements that are working, which they can build upon for even greater future success.
Beverage Product Insight
The company that tested a new beverage product learned that it should position this innovation in its home category rather than attempt to create a new one, and that consumption would predominantly occur at home (they had expected the innovation to be exclusively on-the-go).
Packaging Design Insight
The company that tested the new package learned that the new, brighter, colorful design did attract new buyers, but it alienated its core loyalists on its most iconic varieties. This gave them a clearer direction for working with their graphic designers on another version.
Aisle Flow Insight
The company that tested a new aisle flow for a major center-store staple gained an appreciation for what was working constructively in their current flow and gained confidence to make a tweak to improve visibility for an emerging healthy, premium segment.
Why Real-World Testing Matters
I can tell you this without hesitation: testing real products in real stores always yields useful insights. Not all ideas work as originally planned, but they can go on to be spectacularly successful.
Post-it® Notes came to fruition after 3M scientist Dr. Spencer Silver failed to develop a tougher, stronger adhesive, but he later teamed up with fellow 3M scientist Art Fry, who was frustrated that his bookmarks kept falling out of his church hymnal. Why are Post-it® Notes mostly yellow? The lab next door only had canary yellow scrap paper on hand. The rest is history.
What Matters
Dream big, be bold, and don’t be afraid to fail. But use the tools to gain insights and feedback to improve your odds of success. Those two things are not contradictory. They’re just plain smart.
Contact Vista Grande
For more information about how Vista Grande can help you improve the odds of success on your innovative ideas, please contact us at: info@vistagrandestrategy.com
