Tom Donaldson, Head of the Creative Play Lab at the LEGO Group, discusses the company’s culture; his belief in the importance of prototyping and “silent demos”; and how the company measures innovation.
SharkNinja CEO Mark Barrocas explains how he fosters innovation at the company — and how they leverage social media as part of their marketing.
Tthe shift toward compostable and bio-based solutions is already underway, writes Bob Meers, CEO of Better for All. Those who fail to adapt risk losing relevance and market share in an increasingly eco-conscious world. Read more…
We talked with Doug Munk, the Senior Director of New Business Ventures for Nestlé USA, about his insights about his time navigating the complexities of building and sustaining new ventures within large organizations.
We talk with Colgate-Palmolive’s Ann Tracy about the making the recyclable tube happen; the company’s three “ambition pillars”; and how the company tracks progress toward its sustinability goals.
Adam Melonas, CEO and Founder of Chew Innovation in Boston, shares his insights on communication around innovation; working with large CPG companies; scalability of products for the largest total addressable market; and more.
Ann Tracy, Chief Sustainability Officer at Colgate-Palmolive, shares her insights on developing a strategic plan; identifying what initiatives an organization should be a leader in; and using external partnerships to bolster R&D efforts in an interview from our recent report, Benchmarking Innovation Impact.
Robert Long, Kimberly-Clark’s first-ever Chief R&D Officer, shared his insights on the importance of diversity of thought; the biggest challenges in R&D today; and external scouting in an interview for our recent benchmarking research.
Mauro Porcini, Chief Design Officer of PepsiCo, is releasing a new book, The Human Side of Innovation: The Power of People in Love with People, in October. We caught up with Porcini to talk about the book, what he calls “unicorns,” and the importance of integrating breakthrough innovation into organizations.
Jeff George is the Senior Vice President of Research and Development for Hain Celestial Group, a natural food and personal care company consisting of over fifty brands with worldwide distribution. In his role, George oversees R&D, quality, food safety, and regulation. We spoke with him as part of our IL Member Spotlight Series.
In early 2020, 3M decentralized its operating model to give the presidents of its four business groups more autonomy over R&D. We talk to SVP Cordell Hardy about how it started, and how it’s going.
Paul Earle, Contributing Columnist As a lifelong student, teacher and practitioner of innovation, I have always been fascinated by the quest to understand how. To find signal through the noise. What does John Lennon have in common with Bach and Banksy? What behaviors do Thomas Edison, Ben Franklin, and Tim Berners-Lee share? What does Magic […]
Over the past five years, a full-scale revolution has fomented in the consumer products world. Rules are being rewritten. What up-and-coming brands are changing the game and reinvigorating the shopping experience? Contributing Columnist Paul Earle dives into the 12 brands you need to know for the future.
Mars President of Innovation, Science, Technology, and Mars Edge Jean-Christophe Flatin discusses connecting with candy (and pet care!) consumers, and “myth busts” the top misconceptions he sees within innovation teams.
Jos Harrison, Global Head of Brand Experience and Design at the consumer packaged goods firm Reckitt, outlines how brands can leverage building positive relationships with the everyday consumer to grow a strong brand recognition and experience.
The Global SVP and Head of PepsioCo’s Demand Accelerator program discussed the efficacy of the Demand Accelerator, the specific data PepsiCo uses, consumer trends in the food and beverage industry, and more.
When Leigh Radford started the venture creation unit inside Proctor & Gamble, she was tasked with creating the next billion-dollar business for the personal care company. “I’m a very big believer…[in] learnings ahead of investment, and that has really treated us well to make sure we’re not over-invested in things where the learnings aren’t solidified.” More insights from Radford inside….
Bringing designers in early can help companies execute on big ideas and create smoother customer experiences. But how do you get that right, especially if design isn’t baked into the culture, or if other functions tend to dominate the innovation process? This episode of Innovation Answered explores…
Diapers, baby wipes, and toilet paper are essential household products that millions of families can’t live without. But how can these products be reimagined after spending decades on store shelves? Justin Sparks, Global Design Director, Kimberly-Clark Design — both of packaging and the products themselves — plays a key role in keeping these decades-old staples fresh, […]
Audrey Smith, Director of Visual Equity and Design for Campbell’s Snacks, shares details about her design process, the power of the designer’s mindset, and more.
Why do we trust Mr. Clean, outfitted in a white t-shirt with one hoop earring, to clean our homes, or the family of blue Charmin bears to sell us toilet paper? We speak to Procter & Gamble’s Global Design Officer Phil Duncan to learn more.
Over the course of the past year, people have spent more time perusing the pantry for favorite snack options. But as the world begins to reopen, companies in the snack foods industry may need to tune back in to pre-pandemic trends, says Shannan Redcay of Utz.
Mauro Porcini, PepsiCo’s first-ever Chief Design Officer, offers insight on the intersections of innovation and design, methods for getting to the root of customer needs.
Because food distribution was labeled an essential business, Tyson Foods never shut down any of its plants. Right at the start of the pandemic — as early as January — Scott Spradley and his team began analyzing data to predict how infection might spread within them.
Hostess Brands’ new Vice President of Growth and Innovation, Tina Lambert, shares five trends in snacking and how Hostess measures success…
Richard Dickson, President and COO of toy company Mattel, offers insights on speeding new products to market, sourcing ideas from employees, presenting ideas to leadership, and more.
In our “Accelerating Innovation During Times of Disruption” Master Class, Tim Bernstein and Stella Peace share insights on how to capitalize on 2020’s challenges to drive innovation.
In this Master Class, Ashish Basuray of PreScouter discusses five megatrends, including digital twins, third-wave AI, smart materials, and more.
In this Master Class, Samuel Gibbon of Patsnap discusses where VCs are investing in the food industry right now, what consumer trends have emerged as a result of the lockdown, and more.
Ocean Spray is pivoting to health and wellness. Chief Innovation Officer Rizal Hamdallah explains how they launched three new brands amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
In this episode, we wanted to find out: “How is the CPG industry innovating to meet consumer demands?” Ranjani Varadan, VP of R&D at Impossible Foods, discusses how her team gets consumers to buy in to their future-forward vision. Jodi Benson explains why her team had customers write break-up letters to Yoplait. Jeff George from Hain […]
Jodi Benson shares how General Mills puts consumer needs first, and how a 150+ year old company is evolving the way it innovates to better meet those needs.
Thought leaders with experience at Amazon, Ahold Delhaize, Roche Brothers, and L.L. Bean share industry trends discussed at Revolution Retail, a food retail pop-up.
Sam’s Club Now is an incubator store made to test out ideas like AR experiences with products, cashierless checkout, a Sam’s Club app, and more.
The inside story how how a skunkworks team of Coca-Cola engineers created the Freestyle soda fountain back in 2007 — and what they’re working on and imporving for the second iteration.
Most think of American Greetings as a purveyor of greeting cards. But VP of Innovation Carol Miller says the company is in the “meaningful connections” business.
Can a big, slow company really move fast? And is faster necessarily better? To find out, we talked to Rachael Schwartz, formerly of Keurig. This episode also features Trip Advisor CEO Steve Kaufer.
Kathy Fish, P&G’s Chief Research, Development, and Innovation Officer, discusses lean innovation, data science, and measuring productivity. Our exclusive interview is inside…
Are millennials really killing established brands? We sat down with Nondini Naqui, a millennial engagement consultant and former CEO of Society of Grownups, to find out.
Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner shares how the company navigates the changing retail landscape; how they managing Wall Street’s expectations; and more. Part two of three…
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