North America
Our Processes
Analytical. Insightful. Rigorous. Inspired. Grounded.
We recognize that successful innovation is hard to come by, so we put in place an Innovation Roadmap™ process that helps clients overcome common obstacles and achieve – and often far exceed – established goals:
- Our work is grounded in cutting-edge consumer research and business/market analysis that provide deep insights
- We elevate the process with proprietary, predictive methodology that identifies category innovation patterns and reveals potential opportunities
- We bring creativity and insight that helps develop, validate, and commercialize the best ideas…ideas that are breakthrough yet truly actionable, and that create real value
Some Innovation Roadmap™ highlights:
Synthesis of Internal Learning
In our work, we conduct a rigorous analysis that utilizes traditional marketing techniques, combined with progressive new ways to look at the business. We take a client's own internal information and cut it in new ways. This learning is combined with our own qualitative consumer research, implemented to gain deep insights into product/consumer segments, market structure and occasions/needs states.
This synthesis of existing and new information creates a model that helps frame and scope the potential opportunity. (more)
Consumer Insight Mining – Consumer Discovery® 720
GfK Strategic Innovation conducts comprehensive traditional and non-traditional qualitative research to gain a deep understanding of the consumer...deep learning that is crucial to generating cutting-edge innovation later in the process. Methodologies may include:
- Market Structure focus groups
- Consumer Experience Mapping
- In-depth observational ethnographies
- Shop-alongs
- At home/in-venue observational interviews
- Web interviews/blog ‘mining'
- Cutting-edge experts, etc.
Click here for more information.
Future Innovation Analysis: The NPW Innovation Tree
Our work starts with a model of how consumer needs evolve. The model shows where a category is in its development and predicts how the next level of consumer needs (benefits) will evolve. We then use the Innovation Tree® analysis to track and decipher innovation patterns, identifying innovation that was "news” to the consumer. This process uncovers potential consumer needs, or "tipping points” where product "news” is poised to emerge within 3-5 years. News around which new innovation may be created.
Future Opportunity Map™ & Strategic Platform Development
Our process includes creating a Future Opportunity Map™ that clearly defines tomorrow’s market opportunity space relevant to the client's business. We synthesize deep internal and external learning in a way that best identifies where to focus the future innovation effort.
We then translate that learning into inspiring, ownable and differentiating Strategic Innovation Platforms that will further focus the innovation effort and inspire a range of strong concepts an organization can uniquely exploit.
Concept Development, Evaluation & Refinement
(Idea Lab™ & Rapid-Refinement™ Groups)
GfK Strategic Innovation’s multi-day Idea Lab™ ideation sessions bring big ideas to life through our own unique brand of "inspired creativity". We set the stage for an interactive, uniquely creative ideation experience for your team; you'll develop a broad range of seed ideas/concept skeletons...ideas that ultimately lead to breakthrough product concepts.
Once innovation concepts have been developed, evaluation and refinement is done via our iterative Rapid-Refinement™ process. We use this qualitative research technique to talk to the right consumers, whose input helps assess, enhance, and prioritize new business, product, service, program, or positioning concepts. (more)
The GfK Strategic Innovation Difference
VP, Marketing/R&D
Household Products