Consumer Insights Community

With our 360-degree approach, based on Design Thinking, we help clients to translate the insights from needs research into concrete innovations. This may involve refining the positioning, developing a new campaign, optimising or expanding the portfolio or developing a shelf vision.

From our experience, we have learned that successful innovation journeys follow a fixed pattern. Based on this, we have developed a 360-innovation model that helps us determine which type of research is most appropriate for the issue. This is because each phase involves different challenges and therefore different research solutions. The common denominator is that the customer's needs are central. The success of the model therefore lies in the target group that we involve in the right way at every stage.

The model is inspired by Design Thinking. In Design Thinking, the customer's needs are central. It's not about how you solve a problem, it's about solving it. And as well as possible. In Design Thinking, you alternate between free thinking (extrapolation) and finding focus (divergence). This is how you stimulate creativity and a focus on results.

Our model has three phases: exploration, concepting and execution. Each of the phases has two more steps: free thinking and finding focus. The three phases can be gone through in a linear fashion, but this is not necessary. Design Thinking is characterised by having the courage to take a step back. For example, when you have come up with a new idea, but don't really know what need you are fulfilling with it.

• You empathise with the target group. We use needs research to explore the context in which your products are bought and used, and which needs they meet.
• We summarise the exploration in a specific prioritisation of opportunities and threats for the short and long terms. So you know what to do first.
• With a problem in mind, we find as many solutions as possible together with the target group.
• The best solution is further developed and optimised on the basis of feedback from the target group until it meets their needs.
• The solution we have developed is then introduced. Even if it isn't quite perfect yet. Feedback is collected again in the practical implementation.
• You then make specific improvements based on the feedback.