Belief and Emotional Attachment in Innovation
As a researcher who studies consumers’ wants, needs, and beliefs, the past year of national upheaval has been very interesting to observe. Whether it was politics, protests or mask-wearing - the contradictive narratives were a good reminder that people’s internal belief systems and their emotional attachment to that knowledge is a primacy that must always be adhered to when developing new innovations.
Surprising Innovation Lessons You Can Only Learn in the Real World
The real world is in a state of flux right now. What is certain, is that during times like this, the ability for people to predict what they will do is even more difficult because there are so many unknowns about what the future holds and how it will impact them.
Instead, observing actual behavior is much more reliable. At Mission Field, we encourage our partners to use transactional testing because we believe consumers “vote with their wallets” and the best predictor of what someone will do in the future is what they do today, not what they say they’ll do tomorrow.
Studying consumer behavior in an actual store with real product on the shelf is the best way to understand what is working, what is not working, and why they do or do not decide to buy something.
Adventures in In-Store Research
You’ve probably read articles recently about the return to pre-pandemic levels of in-store foot traffic and the general improvement in the supply chain of most consumer products, particularly foods & beverages. On Mission Field’s end of the spectrum, that has translated into the ability to get back to conducting in-person in-store research in the latter half of the summer.
Sampling Returns to Costco-Are Shoppers Ready?
Grocery retail has experienced one of the biggest transformations during the pandemic. From making sure the shelves stay stocked to implementing new safety protocols, they’ve had to pivot quickly to keep ahead of curve. One indicator that retailers are adjusting to the new normal is Costco’s return to in-store sampling
Our People: An Unsung Hero + a New Welcome!
It’s worth taking a moment to acknowledge the unsung heroes at Mission Field who are vital to the success of our client’s efforts but aren't often overtly acknowledged. For starters, I’d like to acknowledge Julie Beck, VP of Retailer Strategy…
How we're working around Covid-19
Covid-19 has given us the opportunity to innovate some of our processes and get creative with our tried & true research approaches. Here are two examples that everyone can learn from:
1) Online Research Works.
Center Store Is Making a Comeback....
On February 1st you could have rolled a bowling ball down the center store aisle in any grocery store and not hit very many people. Today, and most likely for many weeks in the future, the aisles are more crowded than Chicago’s Mag Mile during Christmas. The resurgence of center store is good for retailers, and it can also be a great opportunity for CPG innovation.
The New Normal
“When or how long do you think it will take shopping behavior to normalize after a crisis like this?”. As innovation leaders we’ve been contemplating this question and what the balance of this year will look like for shoppers, consumers and our innovation clients. Read four points of view from the Mission Field core team below:
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Jonathan Tofel has a point of view of optimistic-urgency on the state of CPG and the need to Battle Test™ new product innovation against the “new normal”
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Carolina Fryer sees a short-term shift to comfort foods with a resurgence towards healthier eating as our “new normal” set in and the initial panic subsides
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Caragh McLaughlin sees opportunities for new products if they can find deep connections with our current stay-at-home lifestyles
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Julie Beck has an eye on the retailer mindset and how they are likely to “pull” CPG innovations in a certain direction based on today’s experiences
Celebrating Innovation Day 2020
At Mission Field, we celebrate all things innovation. So, for Innovation Day 2020, we put together a list of 20 ways to spark innovation. These are some of our tried & true tools and approaches and we hope they help you spark your own innovation journey.
Speed and Your Innovation Strategy
A recent discussion I had with a retail VP of a major Organic/Natural grocery chain hammered home the point of the need for speed as it relates to innovation… and our contact made a point that “large CPGs are falling behind in many ways” because they “are waiting too long to get into the mix.” This does not have to be you!
Shifts in Perspective, Shades of Winter
Sometimes work inspiration strikes you when you least expect it… Impressionist inspiration to start the new year.
2020 Trend: Strong, Vibrant & Vegan
Elite athletes lead the way to the rise and acceptance of a Vegan diet. Check out the growing trends beyond vegetarian and plant-based diets.
Entrepreneurs are doers, who recognize perfectionism as a foe, not a friend.
And yes, entrepreneurs can exist and thrive in big enterprises.
I truly believe these statements. I remind myself regularly that “doing” is critical to moving in a direction, any direction. I remind myself of the hard-cold fact that if you never create something to sell, you never produce revenue, which means you’ll never have a business, yet alone fulfill some vision.
Look your consumers in the eyes with Real-World Learning.
Over the past month, I have spent quite a bit of time testing innovations in various retailers on two continents for our clients. And once again, I am struck by the power of standing in a store, face-to-face with consumers and getting a visceral understanding of their reactions to the different things we’ve been testing.
The Impact of our FEI Process & How we Get Results
Because we work in innovation and we keep our client’s efforts a closely held secret, we don’t often get to announce the specific results of our Front End Innovation (FEI) processes and efforts… but recently we delivered 3 projects that outputted >60% of the concepts achieving an Outstanding probability of success as defined by Nielsen, many qualifying as SuperStar ideas with others as Brand Growers and Emerging Plays. Read more ot learn how we got there.
Three lessons from the Symphony for New Product Innovation
Not too long ago I had the opportunity to attend the final rehearsal for the Boulder Symphony as they were preparing for opening night of a concert. Here are three takeaways I gathered that apply to any innovation team building and launching new products.
Welcome to the Inc. 5000!
We just found out that Inc. magazine today accepted Mission Field into its 38th annual Inc. 5000, the most prestigious ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy’s most dynamic segment— its independent small and midsized businesses.
21st Century Food Innovation vs. 1776!
The Fourth of July is a time for flags, fireworks, and lots of great food! As we celebrate Independence Day, I thought it would be fun to look up what our Founding Fathers’ ate 243 years ago, to see if we whether there truly has been an American Food Revolution.
Not Invented Here...
At Mission Field, we pride ourselves on being entrepreneurial in our approach while understanding and solving for the requirements of our “Big” established CPG clients. And that includes understanding how to help overcome that “not invented here” syndrome. Accepting innovation ideas from outside the organization can be challenging, especially for people in functions whose careers are built around inventing new things.
2019 Natural Products Expo West Trend Report
It was an amazing Expo West 2019! With record attendance of more than 86,000 in Anaheim from 136 countries all vying to see the 3,600 booths – it was a little bit of mayhem and loads of great energy. There were an impressive 600 new, first-time exhibitors this year. As someone who has been going to Expo for over a decade, it really was an amazing collection of better-for-you foods and top-notch entrepreneurs.
Read on for 8 top trends…