Innovation is the Key to Success – Evergreen Consulting

Posted on June 13, 2020 by Design in Design Innovation | 0 Comments

In a rapidly changing world, innovation is critical. These days, people around the globe have been finding new and unique ways to reach their customers.

Some of these address serious needs, such as manufacturing personal protective equipment, while others present innovation with humor to simultaneously lift people’s spirits while marketing a product.

Although the term innovation is synonymous with technology, technology isn’t always a necessity. Innovation can be a new product, an improved service or method, or a new business model. Changing marketing processes or the way something is designed, packaged, promoted or priced can also be effective.

While some innovations are truly remarkable, many are incremental.

Regardless of your approach, it’s very important to be empathetic to the varied challenges that people are facing. Some of these are due to challenging economic conditions, illness, or fear of the unknown. Understanding what the consumer is feeling can also help to ascertain their wants and desires.

Examine ideas from other industries, cultures, or parts of the world to inspire innovation and power growth.

Burger King in Germany created branded hats that enforce social distancing in a playful way. Their customers receive folded, flat versions of the hat to then build themselves.

Café Rothe, a sidewalk café in Schwerin, Germany, handed out hats with pool noodles affixed to them so their customers would get the same don’t-get-too-close message.

Russian company Shishki Collective created a virtual bar and lounge to encourage people to stay at home. During the first week, more than 120,000 people visited 15 different themed video conferencing bars. The concept spans international borders and offers a space where people can meet, have a drink, and support each other. They’ve even collaborated with world renowned DJs and organized specific events.

Boston Stoker Coffee Co., a chain based in Dayton, Ohio, created a “Donate a Cup of Coffee to a First Responder” menu item. This program, which started as a partnership with a local realtor, has done exceptionally well for them, growing into an initiative that delivers coffee daily to five different hospitals – one each day of the week, Monday to Friday. They’ve served around 7,000 cups of coffee to frontline workers in the past two months.

Creating a philanthropic message is a way to empathize with customers and create a continued relationship that will last well beyond the current crisis.

Some companies are finding increases in sales due to changes in perception of existing products. For instance, copper is naturally anti-viral and companies selling copper products – from water bottles to cookware to hospital equipment – are seeing large increases in sales. Others, such as Bluebird Grain Farms, Big Island Coffee Roasters, and Creston, BC based Treasure Life Flour Mills, are seeing large increases in product sales as consumers shift to staying at home.

Whether the result of increased natural demand or a shift in your marketing, capturing and sustaining revenue increases are key. Continuing to nurture and maintain these customers will be crucial to long-term revenue sustainability.

This large shift in consumer behavior doesn’t happen very often; seize this opportunity to innovate.

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