Meeting the Unexpected

The path of product innovation is always a curvy and twisty road... but sometimes it can produce something else entirely unexpected.  

The scenario I'm thinking of was a very focused innovation project from several years ago that developed powerful insights & product concepts for new foods for the Hispanic consumer in the c-store. The client team was happy, the consultant team felt proud and everything ended on a strong note. Then internal changes happened... project leaders got moved around, time passed and the new senior management eventually dropped the whole innovation effort. Nothing unusual there as priorities often shift with new leadership. But what was surprising was that some time down the road, another team picked up the core insights that were developed and leveraged it against an entirely different consumer audience. 18 months later a new product innovation was born! Not the same target, not the same food concept - but all from the roots of the core insights that transcended multiple target audiences. 

It's exciting to see the fruits of one's thinking turn into material results... now the question is, when will the other amazingly-powerful ideas that are still sitting on the shelf come to life? Hint-hint, poke-poke, prod-prod - you know who you are! Only time will tell...