Innovation Challenge Briefing

THE
PROJECT
BRIEFING
The innovation challenge briefing.
Note to all participants
Please read this document in full. It aims to give you a guide and to help you develop
your thinking on the Case Study, ‘The Innovation Challenge’. There are suggestions,
information and inspiration ideas to help you during the first phase.
How to Get started:
You should contact the other members of your team asap to get to know each other
and share ideas around the project. Below are the main things that you will need to
achieve on the project during the first p Phase 1 of the R&D Foundation course -
Seeing the Bbig Ppicture.
This phase is mainly around idea generation for the project. Keep your eyes and ears
open, look around you in shops, supermarkets, the street, internet to help you identify
and define trends, consumptions habits and new needs emerging. Watch what people
are buying, how they are shopping and using the products. Observe friends, family and
people in general. In this phase, you are doing the rewind step of the IPA process.
Use the tools that you have learned during the Information Services e-learning to see
what is being done around the world as well as within Unilever, in terms of innovations.
Another useful source of information from the outside world is the following website:
www.unilever.com. On this website you will find an interesting presentation on
consumer trends which we will also upload on the collaboration space (in the folder
workbook / interesting articles and material / consumer trends full presentation). Have a
look at it – it may give you some ideas!
Collect learning from the innovation identification self assignment during which you will
visit shops and supermarket. Look at the competition. What is new? What is
surprising?
You may want to use tips, advises advice and tools from the IPA rewind step (pages 25
to 30 of the IPA awareness handbook).
What you need to achieve on this phase 1.
At the end of this phase you should have identified ONE of the following which you and
your team wish to work on.
1. Aan idea -(such as an energy drink.),
2. Aa trend - (such as increasing consumption of low fat foods),
3. Aa need - -(such as the need to protect your skin from the harmful sun),
4.or Aan issue that consumers have in a current category, (such as, "when I sweat I
notice dark wet marks under my arms").
You should be able to see the connection between the idea / problem/ issue or need
and the Feel Good Daily platform. You should come up with two ideas one
preferred and one back up.
In the example that we shared with you in the prereading, one of the idea was sleep.
Your idea should be sent to Trevor Ingram / Kate Browning on the 13th of April latest.
On the first day of the residential week you will have the opportunity to do a reconnect
with consumers to discuss these ideas with the consumers and get their input on how
to progress them.se ideas. You may want to have a look at the connect tips on the IPA
handbook to get prepared for that (p 39 to 43). And don’t worry - before the reconnect
somebody will help you to build your discussion guide for your discussion with
consumers. But it would be good for you to have already thought about the main areas
you would like to explore.
Importantly, this exercise is not about ‘proving your idea’, but it is about understanding
the innovation process and how ideas change and develop – which they need to if they
are to accuraletly met real consumer needs.
Supporting the idea with data.
You do not need to spend hours and hours on research, but you should be in a position
to answer 4 basic questions, if asked:
1.What is the size of the market? For example, if you were looking at energy drinks,
find out the size of the energy drink market.
2.Is the market growing or declining and by how much?
3.Who are the main players /competitors
4.What market share do each of the major players have?
Mentors.
Each project team will have a mentor who will be a person with experience on projects.
You will be able to contact this mentor at key stages of your project during time slot that
you will need to book. This is an opportunity for you to share your ideas and get
guidance and advices on your project. You can choose to contact your mentor or not,
the decision is yours.
How to contact your mentor?
You will receive the name of your mentor and his/her contact details. You will also be
asked to book 1 hour meetings with him or her. You will be able to have these
meetings 4 times during the 4 months of the R&D Foundation:
2 times during Phase module 1 -seeing the big picture
2 times during module Phase 3 -journey to implementation
You won’t be able to contact your mentor outside of these 4 slots unless agreed
otherwise with him or her. Therefore you should prepare your discussion with your
mentor (you may want to send him a pre-reading before your meeting) to make the
most out of the 1 hour meeting and be as efficient as possible.
Good luck with your project work. And if you have any questions, do not hesitate to
contact Trevor Ingram at [email protected] or Kate Browning
([email protected]).

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THE

The innovation challenge briefing.

Note to all participants

How to Get started:

What you need to achieve on this phase 1.

How to contact your mentor?

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