In my role as a strategist, ideator and innovator, I regularly meet individuals embarking on a new venture who need help in developing a new product concept.
But I believe that successful food innovation starts with exploration of all aspects of relevant research, current consumer behaviour and the impact of accelerating trends in shaping products for tomorrow, not just today – and by doing so, the creation of a clear vision and foundation for their idea and the focus for the product development activity
By developing a robust strategy for translation into fabulous products and brand ideas, I ensure concepts are optimised to engage target consumers and gain their attention.
Core to my work is the identification and creation of powerful, emotional and intrinsic attributes which can go on to influence consumer behaviour, igniting a change in their purchasing habits and leading them to try the new.
To enable me to do this, I remain ever curious about the world and the very heartbeat of life – and how constant, societal changes present new opportunities to make consumers respond in new ways.
My work with my clients helps them look in new directions, to discover the unexpected and to harness their strengths and to bring learnings from other sectors and apply them in new ways.
Focusing on these techniques is key in readying a new product idea or business concept for launch. The emphasis I place on forensically understanding all market and consumer-related data (including social media sentiment) is crucial in giving a new market entrant the strength to rapidly gain a competitive positioning.
Typically the aspects we explore include:
- Mega societal trends
- Product-relevant trends
- Sector specific market data
- High growth opportunities
- Competitive threat
- Development of a competitive advantage strategy
- Product enhancement and optimisation
- Positioning, proposition, pricing strategy
- Routes to market.
This 360 degree view is vital – ensuring that all the dynamics which can impact on an idea in relation to the entrant sector are properly considered. This ensures that the work that manifests from this activity is robust, providing a stimulus for exciting differentiation.
And with this strong foundation in place, identifying how product ideas and concepts can be optimised for success becomes very clear.