In a recent article on mrweb.com our very own Dr Nick Coates and co-author of our new book Brand Together and brand consultant Nicholas Ind discuss, amongst other things (including what makes Nick’s “skin crawl”), how co-creation is being used primarily as an innovation technique. Since we have come to an end of our series on why you might want to reconsider your approach to innovation this feels like a good time to look at some of the best examples of co-created innovation;
Slices of co-created innovation excellence
Mozilla – of course, right at the front of the co-creation classroom with an apple for Ramaswamy is Mozilla, pioneers of actual-openness (note: this is very different from talking-about-openness) showing just how successful including the end user right from the off can be.
Barclays – not everyone would have been brave enough to let a bunch of students co-create a bank account with them, but Barlcays did and they won the MoneyFacts award for Best New Product for it last year.
McDonalds – long gone are the shiny red seats and limited menus, McDonalds have even launched a concept store in Milton Keynes so that the co-creation can continue.
But what do you think? Who is paving the way for co-creation of the future?
Innovation is quickly becoming the word of the moment, with everyone searching for the next big idea…whether it’s an invention or a way to enhance experience – companies are looking for big ideas to draw customers in.
For the first time in what feels like years, people are trying to look past the recession and survival strategies, and thinking about the future.
But how do you predict an ever changing, already complex market?
One significant movement in development is to move away from the static boardroom environment and use methods that utilise the consumers input from the word go – co-creation.
By putting a task directly to your consumer you are far more likely to get a direct insight – from someone who actually uses the product or service!
The world is now very much that of a younger generation; with an explosion of new technology, we are a population of digital natives. As a result of the internet and the broadening range of equipment that can access it, the world is more connected than ever before – we are the children of the information age.
However, we are not under the pretence that all advancements are positive – or rather that advancements are always utilised in a positive way. On the one hand you have a phenomenon such as Facebook, which has allowed people to connect all over the globe in an ever growing network. On the flipside, you cannot ignore events such as the London riots, which one can speculate would not have become so out of hand without the networking on sites such as Twitter, or Blackberry’s bbm service. But, nevertheless, technology is part of our world and although it is not necessarily easy to control, it is also, undeniably, an invaluable resource.
But how do you tap into this ‘Generation I’ (Source: Promise Top Trends 2012)?
One notable trait of this tech savvy population is that people are more entrepreneurial – rather than searching for jobs in the increasingly difficult and cut throat job market, people are opting to create them. In short, they are innovating!
Services are also cropping up to support this trend. Central Working, based in London’s West end, is a space that will rent out desks, meeting rooms and any other office requirement on a pay as you go basis, eliminating the need for a person or start up company to have to purchase or rent in the high property market, and simply pay for what they need.
But how successful is innovation in the work place? The Harvard business review speculates it is a mere 17%, companies more often than not opting to pursue things with immediate results. Companies therefore, need to start allowing more time for creativity if they expect and indeed want ‘light bulb moments’. With such entrepreneurial and knowledgeable workforces, and consumers at hand, it is time to exploit it.
What can ultimately be deduced is that we are not only a generation of information but of innovation, and this in itself is the greatest resource. People are starting to acknowledge that ground breaking ideas are not going to be conjured up out of thin air by some ‘suits’ sat around a table for hours on end. It is time to not only listen to the customer but to engage with them…and it is important to have the tools and the skills to both encourage and harness this information.
We have recently posted a blog series on ’10 reasons to think again about the way you innovate!’, which you can find here.
If you would like to find out more about Promise and our innovation process, please contact Bethan (bhaycock@promisecorp.com).
And finally, consumers keep it real!
Keeping consumers involved at every stage of the process means an idea won’t lose its DNA. It will stay as relevant, fresh and exciting as when it was first conceived.
If consumers don’t stay involved, the idea can end up so diluted that it comes out of the innovation process looking nothing like it was originally intended.
“Keeping it real” is essential. It helps to de-risk the innovation process so we don’t invest a whole lot of time and money in trying to flog a non-starter to the business.
We believe: Keep consumers involved; keep an open mind; build better ideas
If you would like to find out more about Promise and our innovation process, please contact Bethan (bhaycock@promisecorp.com).
Co-creation gets to more stretching ideas through play
Who are the most creative people in the world?
It’s kids of course! We have learned from kids and built many of our processes on the principles of play.
Play helps people bond, lose their inhibitions and ultimately helps them push boundaries to develop bigger, better ideas. We believe in everybody’s ability to be creative and it’s part of our job to help them unlock their creativity.
As well as inspiring people to come up with ideas, play is also a great leveller. Giving a group of people consisting of a board member, staff and consumers, the challenge of inventing a game that has never been played before (in two minutes!) means that hierarchies are broken and relationships develop around ideas rather than status.
Play is also a great way to get to interesting insights. People often give away far more in a game or inconsequential exercise than when being asked a direct question.
We believe: Great innovations often start with silly ideas!
If you would like to find out more about Promise and our innovation process, please contact Bethan (bhaycock@promisecorp.com).
Co-creation uses diverse groups to stimulate thinking 
It’s a myth that recruiting “creative types” leads to a more creative output, or that innovation should be “left to the experts”.
From our experience the most creative innovation processes are the ones that include the most diverse set of people. Inviting people from different backgrounds, with different opinions and areas of expertise, helps us solve innovation challenges, as the more creativity people bring to the process the more new thinking and ideas there are.
We work hard to “upskill” participants to think about the future, by using a number of creative techniques. We value expertise, but we don’t worship experts.
We believe: Diversity drives creativity
If you would like to find out more about Promise and our innovation process, please contact Bethan (bhaycock@promisecorp.com).
Co-creation extends your workforce
Consumers are not invited to the process as respondents.
They are invited as co-creators: an elite group of creatives and innovators, with the power to influence the future of some of the world’s most famous brands.
The size of the invitation means consumers are more invested in the problem solving and motivated to work hard for your brand. You will be amazed at how hard consumers will work on your behalf – if they believe they can truly make a difference and bring about change.
We believe: However brilliant you are, there are more smart people outside your organisation than in it
If you would like to find out more about Promise and our innovation process, please contact Bethan (bhaycock@promisecorp.com).
Co-creation is implementation focused
Internal belief and momentum are critical to delivery. The more people who are touched by the process, the more likely the idea is to succeed.
We know that an idea’s profile won’t raise itself. Our innovation process includes a programme that continually brings the innovation to life within the organisation – The Fame Agenda. This encourages the right behaviours from our key internal stakeholders, as the programme will ensure we actively promote the idea within your business.
The fame agenda is supported by a plan to deliver the idea to market. Promise has a team of brand strategy and marketing specialists to help plan for and deliver successful launches. Our mission is to see our innovations in the market and there is nothing we celebrate more than a launch!
We believe: Successful implementation is 10% great idea, 40% great plan and 50% internal buy-in
If you would like to find out more about Promise and our innovation process, please contact Bethan (bhaycock@promisecorp.com).
