Why you need to leapfrog to innovate

Darren Morgan at Reckitt argues that playing catch-up won’t get you anywhere in the long-term. Yes, keep an eye on what’s happening, but spot the opportunities to capitalise and leapfrog to create something better

Today’s world is undeniably fast paced, and it can be hard for brands and businesses to keep up. When someone launches an innovative new product, for example, you can feel the pressure to take immediate action; scrambling and rushing to get in line with the competition.  

Playing catch-up, however, won’t get you far in the long-term. The key is to keep an eye on what’s happening and spotting the opportunities to capitalise – leapfrogging to create something better. 

The idea of leapfrogging, however, has also evolved. 

Everyone knows the famous examples of products getting a march on the competition – from digital replacing film, to streaming superseding the VHS, digital payment eclipsing cash, or whole countries totally bypassing fixed phonelines for mobile networks. But at a brand level, leapfrogging has become a much more complex proposition than just looking to ‘invent’ the next product innovation. 

Businesses need to go beyond the traditional notion of innovation – this idea that it comes from within, from pure R&D, your proprietary expertise and insight. If you want to leapfrog, you need to divorce yourself from that inward-looking approach.

Instead, focus on uncovering what any given development or evolution means for your user. What is the behaviour change that a certain innovation represents, and where does the next superior option for our users lie? Look at innovation within wearables, for example. Could Ray-Ban’s Wayfarer Smart Glasses represent a leap over Apple’s Vision Pro by going back to basics – focusing on style and pared down functionality rather than overwhelming users with too much tech?

Understanding your next moves

As with so much relating to brands and businesses, success no longer lies in just your product and improving on its benefits and functionality. It’s about how it impacts users’ lives. Leapfrogging is a bit like chess: you have to understand your next ten moves, the different ramifications of innovation – you almost need to have hindsight about your customer before the insight. 

A key to this is knowing the impact that adjacent factors or third parties can have on your organisation – for example, knowing what direction technology is moving in and what that means for your business.

The NHS and AI is case in point: keeping abreast of developments in artificial intelligence could enable health practitioners to reclaim ‘time to care’ in what could be a significant leap in the democratisation of healthcare. But this can only happen if the organisation understands and knows what the technology could potentially mean for its operating model. 

Collaborating with external partners has become an increasingly important factor in this approach to innovation. A few years ago, at Air Wick we explored how our products could fit with the wider Internet of Things. How would we need to move from a D2C relationship with our users to nurturing relationships with other systems such as power supplies, houses and other devices?

Suddenly, our FMCG expertise was just one part of the equation. We realised the importance of moving from a purely competitive mindset to one of collaboration to nurture relationships with bodies outside our organisation. 

Imagining new models

That’s the ultimate innovation challenge in our fast-paced world – to stretch beyond the status quo, beyond thinking of the next product extension, to exploring whole new business models. One day, Air Wick might not just sell air care products, it might provide a service for delivering the best smelling fragrance experiences in a way that uses its expertise and knowledge. Or in fashion, say, brands might move entirely away from ‘fast’ towards a more mindful model – last month, M&S announced a new clothing repair service for example. 

Leapfrogging is increasingly about imagining new revenue streams, about brands being known for more than just their original product. It’s certainly key for us within FMCG. Which makes it so important to know the strength of our brand equity and how we can stretch as a brand.

In the future there will be a tier of successful brands that are able to reach beyond their original success story. No matter what direction they go in, people will follow – versus others that are consigned to their set lanes of operation. 

Building into the everyday

Crucially, you need to build this mindset into your everyday, safeguarding an area within your business where you incubate and search for ideas even if you don’t come up with something that lands.

Learning has to be a constant endeavour, whether anything comes to fruition or not. Our brand experience design team at Reckitt, has created Reckitt Futures, for example, a programme of exploring new revenue streams and business model transformation aiming to future proof not just our company but ultimately our industry.

At the end of the day, the fundamental question when it comes to innovation is “how big a step change is your business willing to make?”. If a true leapfrog comes from different revenue streams and business models, if the most ground-breaking innovations are down to collaboration and stretching your brand, are you set up to embrace this?

You can start small, find like-minded people that are willing to expand your thinking and influence business. But start somewhere if you don’t want to be left behind. If you don’t, something will invariably come along and force the change from you. 

Darren Morgan is Reckitt’s global brand experience lead

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com and skynesher