Innovation, the continuing story
On August 15 Debbie Phillips of Petfood Industry Magazine published a very interesting article about the diminishing number of innovative product-launches in our industry.
The article led me to some observations. One being that the Mintel definition of true innovation – which is mentioned in the article – looks insufficient to me because there is no relation with the Umfeld. How does it compare to the market-offer? How genuinely unique is the innovation? And how long does it take before the innovation is surpassed by yet another one? Which justifies the question: “was it really an innovation?”
We are living in an age in which more, better, bigger are our guiding principles. Isn’t it about time that we start to realize that we may have reached near maximalization of more, better, bigger? That more more doesn’t exist. That we have exhausted our options. Even with a diluted definition of innovation!
My years in pet food tell me that we have gone through 3 development stages. In the first stage I noticed a lot of genuine newness in products; never done before, opening a new segment or even a category, sometimes leading to behavioural change. The 2nd stage was about significant improvements of what was there; but not necessarily revolutionary change. We stopped experimenting and increasingly paid attention to science. The 3rd stage – at the end of which we may be now – is about tweaking. Nothing fundamental, just changes in the fringes; or – as I call these – mild variations on existing themes. Mostly concepts that become stale within a short while. It feels as if the industry collectively has said “let’s not rock the boat!”
Of course we face regulatory boundaries that limit our desired possibilities. Of course we face increasingly critical or even sceptical end-buyers. But must that stop us from at least trying to come up with something that really makes sense, finds broad acceptance and isn’t copied overnight? Which is more than having a new use for an ingredient, the umpteenth flavour or further improved palatability!
If nothing is being done to truly innovate in our industry, we may end up with price being the only discriminating factor, because all other variables look the same. Maybe this is not what we want.
Let’s bring back guts and creativity in our thinking about product. Challenge our current axioms, do not see our current processes as sacred, have a fresh look at shelf-life. Let’s be open to genuine change and take initiatives to achieve that.