10 Deadly Sins
Based on our research, here are the top 10 barriers to innovation in big companies. Most companies are committing at least 7 of these 10 Deadly Sins. If you’re serious about innovation at your company, address these 10 things, and you will dramatically improve your innovation team’s output.
- No external thinking
- Spend too much too fast
- Inflexible development process
- Too many decision layers
- Risk aversion incentivized
- Slow to kill weak ideas
- No portfolio management
- Idea pipeline narrowed too quickly
- Emerging needs, trends, technologies undervalued
- Over-reliance on consumer research
It is much easier and safer to do innovation wrong than to do it right. We will show you how to change your processes to avoid these pitfalls.
It is not enough anymore to “outspend” everyone else. Thinly-funded start-ups with better ideas and “grass roots” marketing are quickly gaining traction. Method Cleaners. Burt’s Bees. Glaceau Vitamin Water… the list goes on.
If you want to win the innovation game today, you’ve got to learn from these entrepreneurs and help your organization operate more like them.
We have worked with and studied the best of these entrepreneurs, and for the past 6 years we have been helping big companies adopt their skills. Here are some of the specific areas where we can help you and your team:
Early Experimentation – Get smarter, faster
Flexible Development – Learn as you Build
External Eyes – Bring in the best outside ideas for your category
Low Cost Failure – Do more for less and increase your opportunities
for a free consultation or call 510-521-7985.
Here are some of the services we provide:
Open Search™
Find the Next Big New Product – Now!
Do you need to find growth – fast? Let us help you find the next big idea for your brand/category. We will have it ready to launch within months, not years. We will tap into our network of entrepreneurs and scientists to help you find innovations that can transform your category.
Media Makeover™
New Tools that deliver better ROI
Looking for more ways to get beyond the :30 ad? We’ll help you find the best, most innovative marketing ideas to get more bang for your buck. We won’t try to sell you a specific service. We will help you navigate through many of the lesser-known options and suppliers, like infomercials and other direct response tactics that can deliver high return for your marketing dollar.
ENTRE-Launch™
Reduce the Risk in New Product Launches
Got a great new product? Most big innovations are also big risks - because they’re different. So how do you reduce the risk? We can execute a small-scale launch for you for as little as $100K to “test the waters.” See if your product has what it takes before you invest millions.
REAL-ity™ Testing
Get to Know Your Consumers – for real
Don’t be a slave to slow, expensive and often inaccurate market research. Get feedback on your new product ideas faster and more accurately with our proven, real-life techniques. Girlfriend Groups. Consumer shows. “Road Show” Store Tests. Get out from behind the one-way mirror and see how consumers really "vote with their wallets."
Capability Installation™
Increase your innovation by 2-10X.
Learn all of the GameChanger tools to become a world-class innovation machine. We will work with your team, train them and help them fill your innovation pipeline with strong new products. We promise fast results.
for a free consultation or call 510-521-7985.
Overcome Common Innovation Pitfalls
Here are some of the ways we can help you overcome many of the common innovation pitfalls.
Fast Failure
Most companies over-invest in individual projects and don’t experiment enough on the front end. If you want more home runs, you’ve got to take more “swings at the plate.” We’ll show you how.
Flexible Development
Most big company processes were made to optimize and protect existing businesses. If you want more innovation, you need to develop fast, flexible approaches, like ours.
Open Innovation
The best new product ideas are not inside your company. They’re being developed by millions of inventors around the globe. We will help you tap into them.
External Thinking
Most companies get blinded by the existing rules of their categories, and have difficulty envisioning disruptive innovations. The only way to breakthrough is to bring in outsiders who have a broad understanding of consumer needs, trends and technologies. We are your outsiders.
Learn by Selling
Most companies take way too long (2-3 years) to begin selling new products. We will help you get real market experience faster in low-risk ways.
Just do it
Too often more money is spent analyzing, managing and presenting new products than actually doing them. We’ll show you how to eliminate the bureaucracy without losing control.
A Case Study
Larry Popelka, President of GameChanger and former VP of New Ventures at Clorox, led the development of Green Works Cleaners for Clorox. Popelka and his 8-member Clorox Venture Team worked outside of the company’s Business Units in an entrepreneurial fashion with the backing of Clorox CEO Jerry Johnston to create this opportunity. Popelka and his team identified this as a major emerging opportunity in 2005. The team also identified technology from Europe capable of meeting the products’ requirements. Popelka’s ventures team formed a relationship with the technology source and within a few months the team had developed a complete business concept, product positioning and product formulas.
Today Green Works might seem like a “no-brainer,” but when it was originally conceived, “green products” had not yet gained momentum, and there were many who doubted Green Works viability. Green Works was successful because, it was developed based on a solid foundation of:
- Emerging needs
- New global technologies
- Consumer Trends
As a result of Popelka’s Ventures team’s success, Clorox has been able to bring this innovation to market well in advance of competitors – SC Johnson, Reckitt/ Benckiser and P&G – giving it a strong first-mover advantage and considerable growth.
Based on publicly-available market shares, many analysts are projecting Green Works to be a $300+ million U.S. brand in its first year. The launch of Green Works has transformed Clorox into a leader in the “green” movement. The product was recently featured in Fast Company magazine.
Let us help you find and launch the next “Green Works” for your company.
Our Successes
During the past several years, members of the GameChanger team have been responsible for many successful products. See more examples of our work.
Open Consulting
We are an “Open” consulting firm. Unlike other firms, we not only solve your problems, but we teach you everything we know at the same time.
Our goal is not to make you dependent on us, but to give you the skills you need to win in the marketplace.
For more information on our team
Read the GameChanger Manifesto
Read excerpts from Larry Popelka’s upcoming new book, the “GameChanger Manifesto.” Learn how successful start-ups like Glaceau Vitamin Water, Burt’s Bees, ProActiv Solution, Jones Soda and others have successfully employed new age innovation and marketing techniques to create successful new brands.