It’s interesting to see an emerging trend we’ve known about for some time finally making mainstream news. Articles, editorials and blogs are buzzing about the population trends that show it is births, not immigration, accounting for most of the growth in the United States Hispanic population.

The arrival of Hispanics in remote and rural areas far from traditional gateways has been going on for years. What’s new is a pronounced demographic shift unfolding because these young immigrants are having children. Births outnumber deaths, and the population increases. That’s due largely in part because Hispanic moms are younger than the U.S. population as a whole. Their median age is 27.4, compared with 37.9 overall.

What will this mean in the future?

For one thing, the economic impact will be a positive. The U.S. is gearing up to support 79 million Baby Boomers in their old age, the growing and younger population of Hispanics ensures that the next generation as it grows will contribute greatly to the workforce, the tax revenue and the housing market. Other countries simply are not replacing themselves demographically, according to some researchers.

I think of all the opportunities this is already opening up for innovative companies. The only way these corporations are able to stay ahead of the innovation curve is by recognizing the global impact of megatrends and by knowing their consumers on a deeper level. Hispanic women lead the AlphaMom market in many ways and they are an important segment for marketers to understand.

Those who have tapped into the Hispanic mom’s feelings about motherhood, the challenges she faces, how to reach her, the impact of acculturation on her decisions and what motivates her as a consumer will ultimately deliver the innovative products and services that will shape our culture in the U.S. for decades to come.

We’ve been helping him in the development of KlenzPod™ which recently won the inaugural Innovation Award at the annual World of Wipes (WOW 2008) Conference. Mick was honored for his innovative approach and elegant solution to the lack of efficient wet wipe disposal facilities on the market.

The KlenzPod system was developed for offices and public buildings to provide employees and customers easy access to single wet wipes. Mick’s invention was inspired by his experience with his dying father in a British hospital where he saw poor hygiene being practiced, and realized that medical staff really needed some easily-available wipes to keep their hands clean.

It has taken years of development. Mick refined the invention based on feedback from other experts and corporations, but numerous innovations have now come together to provide a really useful, economical, and aesthetically-pleasing solution that can be used almost anywhere.

Way to go, Mick!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Neenah, Wis. (July, 2008) — Innovationedge, a global strategic innovation consultancy, assisted in the development of KlenzPod™ which recently won the inaugural Innovation Award at the annual World of Wipes (WOW 2008) Conference. Mick Gordon, the inventor of KlenzPod, was honored for his innovative approach and elegant solution to the lack of efficient wet wipe disposal facilities on the market. This award-winning new system was developed for offices and public buildings to provide employees and customers easy access to single wet wipes.

“I am truly delighted that KlenzPod has won the Innovation Award at WOW 2008. KlenzPod and the related suite of products have received numerous top awards at some of the biggest inventors shows in the world. However, this accolade is particularly important because it has been awarded by those directly involved in the non-woven industry who understand the industry and the commercial impact that KlenzPod could have,” says Gordon.

The stylish new KlenzPod system introduces a suite of patent-pending innovations to many industries, including consumer use, industrial applications, food service and health care. The key innovation in the KlenzPod system is the NippleNozzle™, which allows only one wipe to be pulled from the dispenser every time. This provides easy use, prevents moisture loss and eliminates unnecessary waste. The elegant dispenser can also be mounted securely to walls, medical trolleys, bathroom stalls and changing stations in office facilities, hotels, or restaurants.

“We have purposely designed the system to not only be easy to use, but also look great. The KlenzPod is receiving enthusiastic acceptance from those who would like to install them where appearance is of critical importance in addition to functionality,” says Mick Gordon, inventor of KlenzPod. “Everyone who sees them loves them, so we hope we can come to an agreement with a major manufacturer in the near future and get the product out to a very eager public as soon as possible.”

Also attending WOW 2008 was Cheryl Perkins, CEO and founder of Innovationedge, who along with her colleagues, assisted with the development of the product. Innovationedge is continuously dedicated to assisting in the development of new and innovative products, including new ways to improve hygiene.

“We are thrilled to be part of an award-winning innovation that will add value across many industries and provide businesses with a stylish, fast and easy solution to keep their employees healthy,” said Perkins. “At the end of the day, business is important, but if your business can improve the lives of others, it’s a great feeling.”

The WOW 2008 Conference, held in Chicago from June 16-18, was organized by INDA, Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry and devoted solely to wipes. The WOW Awards recognize and reward the industry members who bring innovative and value-added processes and product enhancements to the wipes market. KlenzPod was among five other products nominated by the industry earlier this year.

About Innovationedge:
Innovationedge is a global strategic innovation consultancy based in Wisconsin. The team’s fearless champions of innovation break barriers to help executives define their business strategy, develop new capabilities, design a winning organizational structure, and deliver breakthrough innovations through a robust growth pipeline of solutions and new-to-the-world innovations. The company also gives inventors an edge by crafting winning business propositions and creating strategic corporate partnerships that deliver commercial success. For more information, visit http://www.innovationedge.com

As with an electrical circuit, all of the different innovation pieces have to be synchronized and working with one another to develop the end result. True innovation-driven growth can be delivered if you develop a roadmap that aligns the leadership team on key priorities and capabilities.

The energy of innovation requires what I’ve coined, “Completing the Circuit of Innovation™,” by plugging in a holistic intellectual asset strategy that goes beyond simply getting a patent. (To learn more about this, I recommend taking a listen to my Incite Innovation podcast about Completing the Circuit of Innovation. Click here and scroll down to #004.)

So in the spirit of “Top Ten” lists, here are the essentials for entrepreneurial success:

1. Start right! Have a clear definition of your idea or invention.
2. Find a coach or mentor to help you through the process and increase your chance of succeeding.
3. Keep searching. Conduct additional research of the art to better define the competitive landscape.
4. Develop Intellectual assets to strengthen your competitive advantage.
5. Define your territory. Learn what potentially can be owned by you or your competitors, and develop a vision for a pipeline of offerings and inventions.
6. Do your diligence. Due diligence and a defined market entry strategy will help exploit channels and potential targets.
7. Identify potential strategic partners and companies for your business proposition pitch.
8. Target the decision-makers. These often are the marketing people or innovation leaders with expansive networks who will open the doors and pave your way.
9. Develop partner relationships (and development licenses) with end users, equipment manufacturers and packaging raw material producers.
10. Find a coach with the expertise to help you establish reasonable royalty rates and a pricing structure as well as assist with commercial negotiations.

If you can check these off, you are well on your way to connecting the Circuit for innovation success!

]]> http://innovationedge.com/2008/07/03/top-10-energizers-to-jolt-your-innovation/feed/ http://innovationedge.com/2008/06/27/alpha-moms-join-the-wii-fitness-club/ http://innovationedge.com/2008/06/27/alpha-moms-join-the-wii-fitness-club/#comments Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:37:07 +0000 Cheryl Perkins http://innovationedge.com/?p=306

Nintendo is releasing what might be the first big-budget console game that can pull in that ever elusive segment: mothers. I blogged about the Wii craze last year, pointing to the ALPHA MOM as the key audience Nintendo looked to in creating video games that would spur their children to get off the couch. For an industry that’s often been blamed for helping cause obesity and inactivity, Wii Fit is a chance to turn back the criticism by offering a game that targets health issues in a way that’s fun.

Wii Fit is a health and exercise program that I believe will boost the momentum of the Nintendo Wii, which has sold more than 9 million consoles since it was released in November 2006. The Wii has created a huge shift in the gaming world, inviting millions of casual and nongamers, many of them women, to pick up the motion-sensing Wii remote controller and play games using gestures and waves.

Officially, Nintendo said Wii Fit is designed for an “expanded audience.” But the game has the potential to attract what some marketers have called the chief household officer, ALPHA MOMS, a large but mostly unreached population of potential gamers. Some think that the new Wii game will skew female, much like the “Richard Simmons Sweatin’ to the Oldies. ” videos of the Eighties.

For about $90 players can chart their weight and body mass index over time and work to improve them by engaging in about 40 activities including yoga, aerobic step routines, strength and training exercises, and balance games. The balance board can track the progress of up to eight players, so users can encourage each other toward their respective goals. (Nintendo’s Wii Fit mini-site has video demonstrations of each training mode. For those who are well aware of the Wii Fit and have been patiently awaiting its release, you may have a tough time finding it in stores!)

The increase in new female gamers on the Wii has been noticeable, but Wii Fit can take it a step further by enticing moms to spring for the Wii for themselves, not just for their kids.

If you want to be on the cutting edge of the latest industry trends and insights for your company’s strategic partnerships, here’s a conference you won’t want to miss this year. I’m chairing the 8th Annual MRT/PDMA International Congress on Open Innovation and Co-Development (Also known as CoDev 09!)

This year’s program will be held January 26 - 28, 2009 in Scottsdale, AZ at the Radisson Fort McDowell Resort.

We’re focusing on how to build the core components of a successful open innovation capability, and we’ve already lined up a compelling faculty with open innovation ambassadors from Cadbury, Frito-Lay, HP, Booz & Company, Kraft, P&G, R.J. Reynolds, Colgate, WD-40 and many more.

I’m very excited to kick off the conference with a candid one-to-one interview with Henry Chesbrough, author of Open Innovation and Open Business Models and acclaimed thought leader on Open Innovation – we’ll find out his perspectives on how companies can take their open innovation activities to the next level, how early adopters have excelled and discover the key ingredients of their success!

We’re also building in more time for attendees to connect with conference faculty, top experts and attendees of the event to ensure that you’re able to make networking connections for future discussions and possible partnership opportunities. We’ll even have an open innovation mentoring program to bring you up to speed quickly and ensure that you leave the conference with an action plan for getting started on the right path.

I highly encourage you to join us for what promises to be another exceptional program!

Here’s a fantastic article on one of my clients! Innovationedge has been working with an inventors Gene Gordon and his son Peter Gordon of Germgard Lighting, LLC. They’ve invented a product called Glovegard, a medical exam glove sterilization device that efficiently kills bacteria. It works by exposing a gloved hand to Ultraviolet C light to kill pathogens on the glove. In only three seconds, the gloves are sterilized with safety and speed.

The idea came about in the fall of 2005 after Gene reflected back on an infection he had contracted during a hospital stay for a back operation. His ultimate goal was to prevent others from going through the ordeal he experienced, and I’m excited that he is achieving that dream.

Check out the video here.

The Circuit - June 2008 (PDF)

Inventor Martha Silcott speaks about what it takes to successfully bring products to market. In this Podcast, she shares the challenges of being an inventor and insights of early challenges, such as manufacturing prototypes. Martha also provides some advice on protecting your inventions, joining inventor forums, and preparing for the duration.

Prolific inventor Brian Fried, President of Think Up Designs, speaks about what it takes to successfully bring products to market. In this Podcast, he shares the challenges of being an inventor and offers hints for those just beginning the process of getting an idea to market. Brian also provides some insight on protecting your inventions and never giving up.

Jeff Lindsay, Director of Solution Development at Innovationedge, explores disruptive innovation. After offering Innovationedge’s definition of disruptive innovation, Jeff gives some examples of different innovations that fall into that category. He also addresses the advantages and disadvantages of introducing a disruptive innovation into the marketplace, as well as some of the challenges involved. He also introduces some case studies from companies that have both profited from and passed by innovations that have since changed how consumers behave. Jeff concludes by letting listeners in on some upcoming disruptive innovations from Innovationedge.

Cheryl Perkins, Founder and President of Innovationedge, addresses the challenges and struggles of delivering growth and true innovation. Innovation is not a formula and is not one-size fits all. In this Podcast, Cheryl describes the Circuit of Innovation, a trademarked, proprietary capability offered by Innovationedge. She explains the necessity of a roadmap to deliver disruptive innovation, and changing what the world needs instead of having the world change you.

So what is Disruptive Innovation?

Disruptive innovation requires looking beyond technology and new products to understand the barriers that are leaving the often unrecognized or unexpressed needs of nonusers and low-end users unfulfilled. It typically provides new levels of convenience, access, and cost effectiveness to people – often at the expense of some high-end feature. Companies often overlook the needs of many people who would welcome a “worse” product that made some aspect of life better for them.

You’re probably asking, “how can this be? No one would want a product that is worse, would they?” In fact they do! And that’s disruptive.

Kleenex® facial tissue and the Swiffer® mop are great examples of what Clayton Christensen of the Harvard School of Business has called “disruptive innovation:” an innovation that may be initially worse in terms of standard metrics of established products and customers, but which appeals to non-users or low-end users by offering improved convenience, lower cost, or other benefits not previously viewed as the basis for competition.

When the facial tissues were first available in the 1920s, many women used them to remove makeup and cold cream. Marketers at Kimberly-Clark responded, repositioning the product in the early 1930s as “the handkerchiefs you can throw away.” Women used them as a convenient replacement for the handkerchief, even though they weren’t as strong or washable, and that forever changed the handkerchief industry.

The disposable Swiffer mop also offers a “worse” performance relative to the durability and cleaning power of conventional dry and wet mops, but would convert many non-moppers and infrequent moppers into frequent floor cleaners!

The key here is that it’s all about the business model –not the technology itself—that determines whether the opportunity is disruptive or not. A given technology can be launched as a sustaining innovation aimed at mainstream users in a head-to-head battle with the previous incumbents in the market, or it can be launched in a way that draws in non-users and low-end users while motivating the incumbents to largely ignore your efforts since they aren’t feeling pain - until it’s too late.

That’s the kind of disruptive advantage that motivates the long-established giants to flee rather than fight, giving the market entrant a precious foothold from which to grow with further “sustaining” innovation.

My own kids are well-past the baby stage, but I thought I’d pass this on to those of you who know a new or expecting dad this month: A cordless video-enabled baby monitor. There are a few on the market now, including the Guardian Angel, a high-tech baby monitor that can inform everything about your kid even when you are not nearby.

From within 300 feet, the baby monitor from Swann fits well in a pocket or can be hooked into your belt. The package comes with a camera and a receiver. The ultra sensitive microphone hooked to the camera picks up even the slightest murmur of your child. The infra-red LEDs even provide night vision capability. The LCD color screen makes the video visible with ultimate clarity, and costs about $150.

For $20 more, there’s the Edge 12-inch digital photo frame with built-in MP3 player. The high-resolution screen has a sharp image display , and you can program it for an automatic slide show with multiple transition effects and display times.

To get your pictures rolling, you just insert your memory card or USB flash drive in the back of the Digital Photo Frame.

Or for half the price, the Space Monitor will help dads get a grasp on the universe. The hand-held star-locator computer works by entering the time and location in the Northern Hemisphere on the keypad.

The navigator shows them exactly where to find 66 of the brightest stars, 56 constellations and four visible planets. It can also track thousands of astronomical events through the year 2020.

The device includes 20 star charts, measures about 10 inches, and requires three AAA batteries.

The inventors of the fortwo started sketching out this unique care in the early 1990’s with a Joint Venture between Mercedes-Benz and Swatch, the makers of Swatch watches known for their wide array of colorful designs. Nicolas Hayek, the inventor of the Swatch watch brought his ideas for an “ultra-urban” car to Mercedes-Benz, and Mercedes took on this engineering challenge with the outcome of one of the most innovative cars ever introduced.

Ahh, but is it safe? Mercedes says it is. The tridion safety cell was it’s answer for a small car that can meet high safety standards. The tridion safety cell is a “hard shell” that surrounds the smart fortwo’s occupants with an energy displacing system of longitudinal and transverse structural members.

The auto is made of energy efficient and recyclable materials. For example, only water-soluble paints are used for the smart’s three basic colors – black, white and yellow. Painting the tridion safety cell is done by the powder-coating process. This removes the need for solvents. The body panels with molded-in color are fully recyclable. Environmental management is a high priority in Hambach, France, where the car is made.

The game-consoles market is one of the fastest-growing in consumer electronics, with more than 60 million sold and 14 percent growth last year, according to Datamonitor. Now the Greenpeace organization is releasing the results of a new investigation that shows these consoles not only contain hazardous chemicals, but also contribute to the fastest-growing type of waste — “e-waste.”

Discarded game consoles are often dumped and end up in unsafe and dirty recycling yards in developing countries, harming the environment and the health of workers.

The Greenpeace study, titled “Playing Dirty,” reveals that the next-generation game consoles like Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation 3 Elite and Microsoft Xbox 360 have all tested positive for hazardous chemicals. For example, high levels of bromine were found in the components of all three, with the highest by weight levels in the PS3 and the Wii. But the tests also showed that each of the manufacturers avoided or reduced the use of individual hazardous substances in certain materials within their consoles.

The good news is that greener consoles are possible, according to the report. My feeling is that a typical video game consumer is not likely to care that much about the toxins in landfills, but the companies making them will definitely want to make strides to rid their products of them, for the greater good.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Appleton, Wis. (May 20, 2008) — Cheryl Perkins, Founder and President of Innovationedge, is pleased to announce the addition of Julie Gerstle to her team.

As Innovationedge’s Business Development Leader, Gerstle leverages her expertise in strategy development and marketing to help clients identify and execute innovative change, enabling them to harness disruptive innovations to succeed in an increasingly competitive market.

Gerstle brings more than a decade of experience in marketing and strategic planning for hi-tech and consumer companies. She is also a graduate of Princeton University and received her MBA (with distinction) from Oxford University Said Business School. Prior to moving to the Fox Cities area, she was an account executive for BBDO where she led advertising campaigns for Wrigley’s Spearmint. Gerstle also conducted in-depth competitive analysis as a Market Intelligence Analyst at IBM, which resulted in leading and implementing growth plans as a product manager for IBM’s WebSphere Portal.

“Julie brings a dynamic excitement to our team and our expanding list of clients,” says Perkins. “Her valuable expertise helps clients to identify market gaps and opportunities, research competitive trends, and develop business plans that focus on turning great ideas into executable actions.”

About Innovationedge:
Innovationedge is a global strategic innovation consultancy based in Wisconsin. The team’s fearless champions of innovation break barriers to help executives define their business strategy, develop new capabilities, design a winning organizational structure, and deliver breakthrough innovations through a robust growth pipeline of solutions and new-to-the-world innovations. The company also gives inventors an edge by crafting winning business propositions and creating strategic corporate partnerships that deliver commercial success. For more information, visit http://www.innovationedge.com

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This one-to-one marketing opportunity is huge–where messages are customized and localized towards individual’s tastes and behaviors. Today there are more than 230 million mobile phone users in the US; and an estimated three billion coupons will be issued to mobile phone users by 2011, amounting to sales of almost $87 billion.

How do consumers feel about coupons via cell phone? Three-quarters of consumers felt that a coupon would be the most effective incentive to get them to respond to a mobile marketing message and that half would use mobile coupons for a discount at a local store, according to a survey by ABI Research. Similar studies by Jupiter Research show that 30 percent of consumers would like to receive mobile coupons.

A start-up called Cellfire provides advertisers/marketers with the ability to promote special discounts or savings of their goods/services via mobile coupons (opted-in SMS). Some of the advertisers include Domino’s Pizza, Supercuts, EMI Music, LA Times and Hardees’ among others. McDonald recently conducted a regional test of mobile coupons where consumers could receive one of the chain’s new iced coffees for free. Subway is using mobile coupon to drive retail traffic with last-minute special offers. To date, more than 10,000 retail stores nationwide are said to redeem Cellfire mobile coupons.

The Kroger grocery store has entered into a partnership with consumer-packaged food companies like P&G, General Mills and Kimberly-Clark to offer mobile coupons at the end of the second quarter using Cellfire services. The coupons offered will be mobile-exclusive and will be valid for specific store locations.

Other mobile coupon providers include GoMobo, SnapTell and Ugotitfirst. With mobile phones being such personal devices, receiving opt-in savings messages from relevant businesses would be highly appealing.

Best of all in my opinion is that there’s definitely a “Green” advantage to mobile coupons in the potential to save billions of dollars in paper and printing costs!

]]> http://innovationedge.com/2008/05/19/coupons-going-mobile/feed/ http://innovationedge.com/2008/05/12/world-food-crisis-inspires-green-thinking/ http://innovationedge.com/2008/05/12/world-food-crisis-inspires-green-thinking/#comments Mon, 12 May 2008 14:55:27 +0000 Cheryl Perkins http://innovationedge.com/2008/05/12/world-food-crisis-inspires-green-thinking/  

The current food crisis is inspiring forward-thinking scientists to develop solutions for farmers in developing nations. Here is just one example I read about this morning: an 82-year-old scientist who was once dubbed the father of India’s Green Revolution is inspiring a perpetual revolution.

Forty years ago, Monkombu Sambasivan Swaminathan helped rescue the world from growing famine and a deepening gloom over the future of food supplies by developing a hybrid wheat seed that allowed Indian farmers to dramatically increase yields. Now he is researching new ways to put farmers on the right road to unending growth.

In the twenty-first century’s “Evergreen Revolution”, as he calls it, he predicts conservation farming and green technology will bring about sustainable change that could allow India to become an even bigger supplier of food to the world.

That would be welcome news for the millions of impoverished people and food-importing nations who are struggling to cope with the surge in basic crop prices over the last year, caused in part by protectionist trade bans by some exporters, including India.

I completely agree with his statement that, “in every crisis is an opportunity and this time it will lead to an evergreen revolution,” and I look forward to reporting more about innovative ideas that will feed millions in this time of need.