Innovation is a passion of mine. From candy to jewelry I have worked on numerous product innovation projects throughout my career. I enjoy the process the most. It can be long; Research → Concept Development → More Research → Refinement → More Research → Test market → Research again?! → Launch. Or even scrappy; instances when we need to be resourceful due to tight deadlines and budgets. Either way, nurturing a project from the conception of an idea and growing it into a marketable product sparks my passion.
Working on Wrigley product innovations was the most fun I've ever had in my career. Proving that when you love what you do, success follows. I was basically Willy Wonka! Not only that, I LOVE candy. I have a sweet tooth that can never be satiated, so you can imagine the giddyness and pure joy I would get from working for a candy company. It was a dream come true.
LifeSavers
LifeSavers have been around for over 100 years and has expanded outside of their original minty flavors of peppermint and spearmint. For this project, innovations expanded outside of just flavors. From hard candy to gummies, from sweet to sour, from one flavor to two flavors in one. It was exciting to push this product outside of its comfort zone. The project I worked on from 2009 - 2011 included pipeline concepts for the LifeSavers brand. Some have officially made it to market (and therefore I am able to discuss, see below), and some I am hoping will get to see the light of day some time in the future.
LifeSavers Collisions - 2 flavors in 1. The debate and testing that goes into which flavors match best together will forever interest me. Also, taste testing was my favorite part of the job! This concept was based on a behavior we identified while observing consumers eat and enjoy LifeSavers flavors. They would "smush" two different flavors together (I do that with skittles!) to "mix up" the flavors. By identifying this behavior of consumption, we were able to create a new product that allows consumers to eat and enjoy two gummy LiveSavers flavors at once.
LifeSavers Sour Gummies - packed with a sour punch. There is something about sour candies that challenge your senses. I'm personally not a fan, but among young consumers tickling senses with sour flavors was intriguing and fun. It tested their tastebud limits and they enjoyed seeing the "sour faces" friends make when they share a bag of sour candies. It was not only flavorful, but experiential as well!
Extra Gum
Extra gum was beginning to take a backseat to other "trendy" gum brands within the category, heck within the Wrigley portfolio! 5 gum was making headway with Millennials and Orbit chewing gum was pumping out new minty flavors almost every month, keeping the fickle gum consumer entertained with flavors like Maui Melon Mint. Extra needed to find the whitespace within this category. Rather than focus on the category of minty and refreshing gum, we expanded our horizons and focused on "sweet" flavor experiences. Flavors that satiate that sweet tooth, that afternoon craving, that unnecessary calorie packed cupcake.
Extra Dessert Delights. This dessert inspired gum was one of the most successful launches in Wrigley history. Inspired by desserts from ice cream to regional cake favorites, we ideated over 50 different flavors, tested them among consumers, tested product and tested concepts. My favorite was Bananas Foster but it never saw the light of day, because, as we learned, Bananas are too polarizing a flavor - boo! In the end we launched with Mint Chocolate Chip and continued to roll-out flavors like Strawberry Shortcake, Key Lime Pie and Root Beer Float.
While working on the creative campaigns for Kentucky Fried Chicken, I also worked on the following product innovations products:
KFC Hot Wings: Spicy wings with a crunch.
When people think of hot wings, they usually assume they are "buffalo style" wings, drenched in sauce. This was a product geared towards wing lovers, who miss that crunch when it comes to spicy wings. This was an exciting project to work on, because it was the first "communal" product launch for KFC that wasn't targeting families. Most of their "bucket" promotions were targeted to families, but in this instance, we went after a new target I identified through research - "The Transitional Family."
The Transitional Family is a family of friends. In life, we have the family you are born into, and the family you create (when you get married and have kids). But there is a period, usually in your 20s (Hello, Millennials!), when you have a family of friends. You eat together, you go out together, you work together. This is the family, after leaving the nest, that makes life and the place you currently live feel like home.
KFC Bowls: A complete meal in one bowl.
KFC bowls proved to be very polarizing in our research -- did you know that many consumers actually HATE their food touching? The concept of all the ingredients in one bowl was "disgusting" to many, and it showed in our research. We decided to preview the product in a few test markets before a national launch and realized that while many wouldn't even bother trying a KFC bowl, those who liked the idea, LOVED the product. We were able to bring in new customers (individuals looking for a more complete meal, and not a bucket) to a brand they had forgotten about. The KFC bowl was one of the most successful launches in KFC history.
Jewelry is such an interesting category. It's one of the rare categories where the purchaser is most likely not the end user. It's an emotionally charged purchase meant to speak for itself. But what is the piece saying?
While love is an unspoken bond between couples, when it comes to gifting jewelry, men give jewelry and assume the piece speaks for itself, hoping their beloved will light-up after receiving the token of love. But the words and the sentiment never come with the gift. While men think their feelings are inspired, women yearn to hear the words the men are feeling but can’t seem to articulate.
The leading principle of innovation for Zales was about creating pieces that represented emotion and meaning. A piece that helped men express the feelings they had inside without having to say a word.
A Heart Within: When two hearts embrace, love grows stronger. For this particular product, there was already a design element - a heart of diamonds surrounded by plated gold. The narrative had to harken back to the design - two hearts. What can that possibly say? After conducting consumer research with couples, one of the insights into relationships that we uncovered was the concept of being "stronger together." Combining this consumer belief with the design element of the product, we were able to establish a narrative that speaks to the consumer truth of relationships, but also encapsulate the symbolism of the design.
