INNOVATION THROUGH DIVERSITY LEADERSHIP

#Innovation is not only about great insights, strong products and exemplary execution, it is also about people management as it is people who bring ideas, grow ideas, share ideas and then turn those ideas into innovation success stories.

Here are 9 ways to foster innovation through diversity #leadership that will help you manage your teams, your launches and your innovation pipeline.

FIRST VIDEO CALL

It was just 10 years back when Steve Jobs was on stage and he announced to the world about the possibility of doing a video call on an iphone 4 through FaceTime. 

He then went and demonstrated it by doing a live call. 

Today, 10 years later, a video call just seems like a part of our normal lives and we take it for granted. It has just been here for a decade. That is the power and speed of technology. 

A decade down the line, we might reflect on something else that would become a part of our normal lives. But for now, enjoy this video from the archives that will show you how the vision of a man brought revolution in the lives of all.

Video Credit: CNET

Book Review: Shoe Dog

Just finished reading Shoe Dog, a memoir of Phil Knight, the man behind Nike. It's quite a fascinating read, and Phil has opened his heart and his life to the readers and shared in complete honesty all his mistakes, his fears, his vulnerabilities. This makes you be a part of Phil’s journey rather than reading from a distance about an accomplished person. 

Some interesting facts that you will read in this book are: 

• Phil Knight’s travel to Japan as well as his climb to Mount Fuji.
• How Phil had a shoe selling business for many years before the #Nike brand came into existence. 
• How the name Nike got formed and who was the person behind this name. 
• How the Nike Swoosh logo got made and why Phil decided to go forward with it, despite not liking it much. 
• The way Nike worked on #innovation and how it overtook Adidas and Puma who were giants when Nike was starting out. 
• Phil’s personal life, how he met his wife, his relationship with his parents and his own love for sports. I must say that the last 40 pages of the book are just brilliant and come as the perfect icing on the cake.

SAMSUNG MICROCODES

In the current world of noise and clutter, it's always a challenge for #brands to get the attention of their target audience.

Every marketer keeps thinking of new ways of reaching their consumer through their advertising and #communication. Now what if you start incentivising people to watch your ads across the different platforms? That is exactly the idea behind #Samsung Microcodes.

This is an initiative in Australia where, Samsung Australia has hidden codes in their ads around the country to celebrate the launch of the Galaxy S20. These codes are extremely tiny and could be hidden in their TV ads, posters, online ads, mobile ads or any other #advertisement that they roll out. The first one to find a winning code gets a free Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G!

Such a creative way to engage people, get them to pay attention to every ad on every platform and also build excitement for the new launch!

HAVE A BREAK, HAVE A KITKAT YOGHURT SAKE!

#Japan is known for introducing exotic flavours of KitKat every year and a lot of those flavours may not even be accepted beyond the island, but these innovations drive the brand in Japan in a big way.

Their recent launch is KitKat Yoghurt Sake, which is an extension to the Sake KitKat that was launched in 2016. This new variant is in collaboration with former Japanese soccer star and now accomplished sake connoisseur Hidetoshi Nakata, who is bringing this special sake combination - rice wine made with super rich Jersey yoghurt into the chocolate world.

As a #chocolate lover and a KitKat fan, you may or may not be comfortable with the idea of seeing #KitKat in such a unique flavour, however the Japanese consumer will be paying a premium price for these chocolates coming in an eye-catching sky-blue packaging.

If you are a tourist traveling to Japan anytime soon, these alcoholic Kitkats might be something you want to add to your souvenir list.

If you want to know how KitKat become such a big craze in Japan, then this NY Times article would be the perfect place to start. Be prepared to be surprised and shocked.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/10/24/magazine/candy-kit-kat-japan.html

TOAST IT THE WAY YOU LIKE IT!

Although bread is eaten universally, not everyone likes to have their bread toasted at the same level. Some like it lightly toasted while others like it to be dark.

However, most toasters only have two settings - burnt and not burnt. You can do your own trial and error to get the perfect toast but it is never consistent.

The R180 toaster from Revolution in USA doesn’t have that problem. They turned an insight into an opportunity and it lets you toast your toast exactly how you want it.

To let people know about this toaster, they launched a print ad where they showed all the possible shades of toast that you can achieve and they smartly used a colour swatch card to drive the point by converting it into a toast swatch card.

Innovation in product, creativity in communication - a perfect combination.

DOUBLE OREO BY CHIARA FERRAGNI - AN INFLUENCER MARKETING CASE STUDY

Cookie brand #Oreo has gone ahead and launched a limited edition Double Oreo capsule collection by Chiara Ferragni. This is an example of taking influencer marketing to the next level.

Most #brands leverage digital influencers by asking them to advertise their brands or products through a post or a picture. That is where they limit themselves. 

Oreo went ahead and collaborated with Chiara to launch a special edition product with #packaging that is associated with Chiara's style. Chiara is also going to be seen in their new ad film for this launch.

That is not it. Oreo is also launching a capsule collection inspired by Chiara Ferragni that #consumers can win as gifts and merchandise by participating in contests.

This product will be priced at the same price as a regular Oreo pack.

So, who is Chiara Ferragni?

• Chiara is an Italian fashion blogger, influencer, designer and entrepreneur who has collaborated with fashion and beauty brands through her blog The Blonde Salad. She started her fashion blog in 2009 and has risen over the years. 

• By 2013, Ferragni's blog had reached more than one million unique visitors and 12 million views per month.

• Her business ventures grossed about $8 million (mostly from her Chiara Ferragni Collection footwear) in 2014.

• In January 2015, Ferragni's blog and shoe line, Chiara Ferragni Collection, became a case study at Harvard Business School.

• In March 2015, Chiara was selected for the cover of the April 2015 Vogue España, making her the first fashion blogger to appear on any Vogue cover. Since then she has appeared on over 50 fashion magazines covers.

• In January 2016, Pantene announced Ferragni as its new global ambassador.

• In 2019, Amazon Prime made a documentary on Chiara Ferragni and her rise to this level.

Personally, I have been following Chiara Ferragni on Instagram for a few years now and she now has 18.5 Million followers globally! That is a huge reach for an influencer. In fact, she is more of a celebrity now than an influencer.

So how does Oreo benefit by collaborating with Chiara?

1. This new launch will lead to incremental sales for Oreo, just like any other innovation.

2. Oreo will potentially get new consumers who are big fans and followers of Chiara and would want to try a product that carries her name.

3. By partnering with a young fashion blogger, Oreo is building its cool imagery with the Millennials and Gen Z.

4. While Oreo would spend its advertising money, but posts and Instagram stories by Chiara Ferragni will get them immense global reach, which will amplify their campaign even further.

What are the advantages for Chiara by collaborating with Oreo?

1. An association with a global brand like Oreo builds her credential and equity even further and gives her a global reach beyond her current base.

2. It increases her market value a notch higher and gives other brands ideas and thoughts of partnering or collaborating with her in the future.

3. Oreo packs have phenomenal distribution and these packs would be available on the shelves of all supermarkets. People who do not know Chiara Ferragni would want to know about her, read about her and this will increase her follower numbers much more.

This is a win-win for both sides and a clear lesson from Mondelez on how to do Influencer Marketing beyond what most companies and brands do. 

I am excited to see this phase of Influencer Marketing grow in the times ahead and how marketing strategies will build this in their annual plans and promotion cycles.

THIRST FOR YOURS

Innovation is one of the biggest reasons for incremental sales and expansion of user base in the FMCG world. 

#Cola companies understand this the best and therefore they keep bringing new launches to the market.

This time, Coca-Cola has gone ahead and launched two new flavours in the US market - Sprite Ginger and Sprite Ginger Zero Sugar. These ginger flavours are a fusion with their lemon-lime base, developed in response to the increasing popularity of ginger-flavoured sparkling drinks.

However, the brand did not just stop there. They went ahead and launched a limited edition line of clothes - Ginger Collection. Sprite got designer Jeff Staple on board, who crowd-sourced creatives on #Instagram and took inspiration from people across art, fashion and photography to come up with the designs.

Cola brands like Coke, Pepsi, #Sprite are part of the youth culture and they go beyond just the products. By giving their consumers the opportunity of wearing their clothes line, Sprite is taking yet another step to become a part of the consumers' lifestyle.

COCA COLA WELCOMES CHERRY BLOSSOM SEASON

#Japan is extremely popular for its cherry blossom (sakura) trees which announce the arrival of spring. These trees bloom for a period of two weeks in different parts of the country and locals as well as foreign tourists flock to those places to witness this magic come to life. 

Since 2017, Coca Cola has been celebrating this season with the launch of specially designed aluminium bottles. Continuing its tradition, this year also, Coca Cola has launched a new set of specially designed, beautifully decorated, limited edition cherry blossom bottles. 

This year’s design and layout shows sakura-tree branches and artfully depicts falling petals as well as cherry blossoms in different stages.

This is yet another example of Coca Cola integrating the local culture into its strategy and seamlessly becoming a part of that culture. 

The image below shows the different packaging of Coca Cola over the years. 

COFFEE COLA

In line with their strategy to diversify and keeping innovating #Pepsi has just announced the launch of their Pepsi Cafe range. 

This special combination of #cola with #coffee will be a limited edition that would be launched in the US market in April 2020 and would be available in two flavors - original and vanilla.

What is interesting is that Coca Cola has a similar product called Coke Plus Coffee, which is available in a few markets but still not available in USA. 

Will we see Coca Cola moving fast and bringing their product in the US markets before the debut of Pepsi Cafe? It's a wait and watch game. 

However, this also will eat into the share of the cold coffee market, so we will see lot of action from the coffee players as well to protect their share.

13 MONTH CALENDAR

As we reach the end of the first month of 2020, which is also a leap year, it is time to revisit the proposed standard calendar that has 13 months of 28 days each, and every date falls on the same day irrespective of the month or the year. Each month has exactly four weeks and every year continues to have 52 weeks divided in 13 months.

This International Fixed Calendar is a solar calendar proposal, designed by Moses B. Cotsworth. It was presented way back in 1902. Though it was never officially adopted in any country, entrepreneur George Eastman adopted it for use in his Eastman Kodak Company, where it was used from 1928 to 1989.

Such a calendar comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages, but who knows, it might just be something that gets adopted in the future.

WILL THIS BE THE MOST INSTAGRAMMED PRODUCT?

#Ikea has launched a unique product that you may have never seen before: the Müpolash.

What is it and how did it come into existence? 

Their consumer data analytics showed them two things:

1. Out of all their products that consumers put up on #Instagram, these four products are Instagrammed the most: a mug, pot, lamp and shelf. 

2. White is the most Instagrammed colour. 

Combining all of this analysis, they created the Müpolash (a combination of the four products mentioned above) made of 100% biodegradable materials, and crafted through 3D printing. 

The idea behind this new object is that if IKEA’s mugs, pots, lamps and shelves are getting a lot of traction, then the MÜPOLASH should be the “most Instagrammable thing ever made.

Müpolash is currently on display at the Design Museum of Gent, Belgium. There are only four other Müpolashes in the world. To win one, you need to use the #Müpolash AR Instagram filter and capture a nice shot of the product in your home.

It will be interesting to see the digital traction that an idea like this gets, which comes at a very marginal cost.

TAKE AN OATH

Healthy and conscious eating is rising with every passing year, every new research and every new study. 

Companies - big and small are taking lot of efforts to not only innovate with, but also educate about healthy eating and wholesome ingredients.

Here is another example from a new brand Oath that has launched a range of functional oat milk-based beverages in USA. 

These Oath Organic Milk products come with plant protein in flavours that have strong health associations and good taste - matcha chai, turmeric, Indian rose.

These #beverages also include nutritious ingredients like almonds, pumpkin seeds, apple fibre, spices like saffron, ginger, and cardamom to offer various health benefits. All the products are #organic, riding on all the key trends that matter to the consumers in that market.

I believe that the milk segment will continue to see many such innovations and launches as awareness and income rises in more and more economies.

INNOVATION: SAMSUNG SERO

The thing with breakthrough #innovation is that you have to be the first one to come up with something that the consumer hasn't asked for. Then you have to create the demand and desire for such an innovation through the story that you tell. In such instances, there will be lot of failures and you have to be ready to embrace them to unearth that one gem that the world will talk about.

The #CES or Consumer Electronics Show that is held in Las Vegas every year is a Mecca of innovation where each company and brand tries to outdo others by showcasing ideas, concepts and ready to launch products.

This year is the 50th edition of the show and there are lots of exciting launches coming into the market soon. One of them that I found quite interesting is #Samsung Sero.

The #Sero is a rotating television so that you can watch content in the traditional way and also enjoy your social media feed and mobile content in a vertical format. Priced at £1,240, this 43-inch TV comes with a 4.1-channel, 60W speakers.

Will this become mainstream and would other brands follow suit is something only time will tell. However, it is worth applauding the ingenuity and bravery of Samsung to venture into this new space. 

SMART BOTTLE CAP

As the world is moving to personalized #nutrition, how can personalized hydration be behind?

Danone has introduced smart bottle cap Coach2o that can easily fit on their Spanish mineral water brand Font Vella and track water intake and coach consumers towards adequate hydration.

Once the cap has been placed on the bottle, the user can pair it with the Coach2o app, that will then automatically measure the user’s water consumption. 

The smart bottle cap tracks how much water the individual has had and emits a blinking light, reminding him/her to hydrate again. This has been made possible by the technology developed by Danone’s partner, water.io.

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#Danone says that this is the first device to track water intake and it is being test marketed in Spain before being scaled up. 

Quite an effective and cool #innovation. Let's see how it delivers on business. 

                                   #kunalviews #water #solution #idea

EDIBLE COFFEE CUPS

Every year, millions of plastic cups are used across airlines and then dumped into the growing pile of plastic that lies in the world.

New Zealand airline Air NZ knew that they had to do something about it, as they serve 8 million cups of coffee on their planes annually. 

So, they have just introduced edible coffee cups in their lounges and all their flights as a test. Made in partnership with the NZ company Twiice, these plant-based edible cups are vanilla flavoured and can withstand the heat from the coffee without melting. 

Some time back, they had already started serving #coffee in biodegradable cups, but this is definitely a step further. Having edible cups on board will also reduce the weight that they carry and further help in reducing the greenhouse gas that planes release. It is a great step forward towards a #sustainable planet.

GREEN TEA IN A GUMMY

If you are in a rush and have no time to wait for that warm cup of green tea, but still want to enjoy the benefits, then the answer is here. 

Three New York entrepreneurs have come together and launched gluten-free gummies that come infused with #Matcha, giving you the fix of a green tea in a quick and convenient way. This is a good combination of functionality and fun. 

Currently available in a few select retail channels in USA (online and offline), the product will be scaled up, depending on the response. 

Matcha in a solid format is not something new. Chocolate brand KITKAT has been selling KITKAT Matcha for a few years now in the markets of Japan and Malaysia, and earlier this year, they had also done a Green Tea Matcha launch in Europe. There are other chocolate players also that have been selling a green tea flavour in their portfolio. 

With the acceptance of #greentea and matcha becoming more mainstream worldwide, we will continue to see it evolve into multiple products across different markets. The launch of these gummies is one more indication of that trend. 

What is your preference? A green tea in its pure form or green tea in a product format like this?

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Pic courtesy: Matcha Bears

RAZR HAS ARRIVED!

Once upon a time, there were flip phones in the world. Until, some companies decided to change the game and flip phones became a part of folklore. 

But then, how can you keep the forefather of flip phone, #Motorola away from it? They were the pioneers in the flip phone era, launching their first flip phone model StarTAC way back in 1996. 

Now, more than two decades later, Motorola launches its new model of Motorola Razr that is sleek, modern and stylish. It comes with all the features that you expect in a smart phone and yet retains some of the heritage from the earlier versions of the Razr. 

A launch like this deserves an edgy commercial as well. Motorola does complete justice with their new ad film, which has great visuals accompanied with a strong music track. 

Enjoy this one and swoon over the new Razr.

LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE

The year was 1953. 

It was quite a few decades before pioneers like Nokia or Motorola showed the world the possibility of portable #mobile phones.

Any chance of the Internet pervading the personal and professional lives seemed far-fetched because the #Internet hadn't even been created by then. 

Smart phones, selfies and 4G were not even terms anyone had heard of. 

Despite all of this, Mark Sullivan from The Pacific Telephone and Telegraphy company was able to stick out his neck and make some bold predictions about how the future of #telephones would look like! 

People may or may not have believed him then, but today it seems as if he was able to see and predict the #future. 

That is what innovators and trend-setters also do. They look much ahead, using their foresight and then come up with things,ideas, products, solutions and even predictions that the world has not even thought of!

THE AHA MOMENT!

The #innovation engine at The Coca-Cola Company continues to churn out idea after idea!

Just a few weeks back, we saw Coca Cola venturing into cola flavoured mints and festive drinks to expand their franchise and boost incremental revenues. 

Now, for 2020, Coca Cola is gearing up for a big launch in the flavoured sparkling water market of USA with the launch of #AHA in eight new and exciting flavours in two sizes. 

This launch is yet another step from #Coke to move into healthier space as part of its beverage

#strategy. Mainstream flavoured sparkling #water is the largest and fastest growing part of the water business, and the current U.S. market size of $3.1 billion makes it the perfect playground for Coca Cola to enter.

American #consumers are gravitating toward drinks that have functional elements and nutritional value or a jolt of caffeine. They also want healthy, low-sugar or sugar-free offerings. Sparkling water ticks a lot of those boxes, and American consumers are buying more of it. 

#Pepsico already saw the potential, and in 2018, they had launched a range called Bubly in this segment. Bubly has grown sales by triple digits since then and has taken a 6.2% dollar share of the category this year.

This is a segment to watch closely.