The Anatomy of a Successful New Product

The article below appeared in a recent issue of Stagnito Magazine®. It was written by Tim Coffey, The CEO of LaunchForce – the new product development division of WonderGroup.

The anatomy of the body provides a useful analogy to highlight a number of critical factors that can impact new product success. Specifically, we have found that when we systematically consider each of the New Product Anatomy Success Factors, that the results are significantly improved. The New Product Anatomy includes: Head, Eyes, Heart and Hands. Each of these vital body parts represents the critical facets of a new product anatomy that must be carefully considered and defined in order to maximize the probability of success in the marketplace.

The first and perhaps most important part of the anatomy is the Head . We define the Head as Target Audience Mindset. This is the underlying motivation of the buyer that helps to guide brand decisions and/or the underlying motivation of the end user that drives influence on brand decisions. Much of our work has been for clients whose product opportunities involved targeting families, so we consider the motivations of both moms and their children, with mom as the buyer, and often, the child as end user and influencer. Our notion of this pair of consumers is that they actually act as one single buying unit, thus we refer to them as the “Four-Eyed, Four-Legged Consumer™.” The model shown below highlights the basic motivations of both mom and child, and illustrates the feedback between them that ultimately guides behavior. We know that any new product targeting families must in some way address the basic motivations of both mom and child.

As an example of the Head or Target Audience Mindset, we recently helped Johnson & Johnson develop and launch Johnson's Buddies line of personal-care products for toddlers. By utilizing in-home observational research guided by our Four-Eyed, Four-Legged Consumer ™ Motivations Model, we discovered that moms desired products that could specifically help them make bath time and grooming of their toddler easier (simplify) and that would help them teach their toddler basic hygiene habits (nurture). From the toddler's point of view, we identified a strong need for greater control (power) over the bath-time experience, and a number of opportunities to improve the overall enjoyment (fun) of the process.

The next component of the anatomy is the Eyes. The Eyes refer to the frame of reference of a product concept which is the overarching benefit stated in the context of the category of focus or occasion. In the case of Johnson's Buddies, this would be stated as Johnson's Buddies makes bath time easier and more enjoyable for moms and their toddlers. In a sense, the Eyes statement becomes a strategic mission for the new brand that will provide the guardrails for future development of line extensions and product improvements.

Next, the Heart of a new product is the determining factor that will differentiate a success from a failure. We refer to it as the Emotional Point of Difference, which is an ownable, defendable point of difference that carves out a distinct place in the mind of the consumer on an emotional level. When we say emotional, we are referring to how the consumer connects with the product using the emotional half of the brain that processes imagery, feelings, and sensory information.

For Kellogg, we helped develop new Tiger Power cereal whose Heart or Emotional Point of Difference could be stated as: Tiger Power cereal helps kids grow healthy and strong. Moms can see and feel this emotional point of difference without a lot of explanation. The brand name and identity both strongly support this idea.

Further, the Hands of a new product concept represent the Functional Point of Difference, or the brand's main attribute of focus that directly supports the Frame of Reference and Emotional Point of Difference. In other words, the Hands address the rational side of the brain. In the case of Kellogg's Tiger Power cereal, the Functional Point of Difference is that it is the only cereal to provide protein, calcium and whole grain, the essential building blocks for a child's growth. This attribute is reinforced and made more ownable in the food design, which is a sort of triangle that cleverly resembles the three nutritional components.

In summary, by carefully considering the anatomy of a new product concept--- the head, eyes, heart and hands – we can improve the likelihood of success. This process forces us to consider whether the product satisfies a genuine need, and how our brand will uniquely satisfy that need – both now and into the future.

If you'd like to learn more about how LaunchForce can help you with your new product development needs, please contact Greg Livingston at 513.357.2950 or glivingston@wondergroup.com or asheurer@wondergroup.com.