Return on Ideas – A Practical Guide to Making Innovation Pay

Return on Ideas is a practical guide to getting more from the resources you put into your innovation process. David Nichols clearly shows why current innovation funnel models stifle rather than encourage new ideas, and offers a new methodology, rocketing , to tackle the problem. The first book to look in detail at innovation as a business-driving imperative, Return on Ideas provides the tools, techniques and processes to actually upgrade the way you tackle innovation, illustrated with examples from innovative companies such as Yo! Sushi, Apple, Vodafone, Unilever, P&G, Danone, Amex and Ben & Jerry s as well as unconventional sources such as theatre and comedy.

Table of Contents:
About the Author xiii Acknowledgements xv 1. This is getting us nowhere 1 What is the problem? The Funnel 1 2. How to navigate this book 5 Segmenting users 7 PART I: The Case Study 11 3. The Calippo Shots story 13 Headlines 13 The Ice Cream scene 14 Starting with a clear vision 15 Generate lots of high quality ideas 16 Quickly getting down to the best ideas 18 Building the best ideas into winning mixes 19 After launch 20 Key takeouts 20 Handover 21 PART II: The Challenge 23 4. Innovation isn't working 25 Headlines 25 Innovation's the thing 25 Innovation isn't 28 Funnels Don't Work 29 Ten ways funnels stifle innovation 32 A dizzying conclusion 46 Key takeouts 53 Checklist: Is innovation being stifled by your funnel? 53 Handover 54 PART III: The Core Idea 55 5. A new innovation paradigm: The Rocket Motor 57 Headlines 57 Innovation is, in fact, Rocket science 58 Key takeouts 66 Handover 67 6. Rocketing: Destination 69 Headlines 69 Being clear 69 Hamster-wheeling 73 Begin with the end in mind 74 Key takeouts 91 Checklist : Destination 91 Handover 92 7. Rocketing: Combustion 93 Headlines 93 Not enough good ideas 93 7.1 Continuous Insight Fuel 95 From insight to fuel 95 360-degree Insight 96 360-degree Insight Sources 97 7.2 Multiple Ignition In Parallel 110 Igniting the insight fuel 110 Parallel processing 110 Lisa and Mac 114 Practical Ignition Tools 115 7.3 3 Bucket Principle 128 What it is 128 Grave-robbing 131 7.4 Coda: A whole year view of Innovation 134 The 15% rule 134 Your typical year 134 Key takeouts 136 Checklist: Combustion 137 Handover 137 8. Rocketing: Nozzle 139 Headlines 139 From Whittle to 'Wow' 139 Picking winners is a lottery 140 Show business: Theatre Rules 143 Poor external screening 150 Show business: Idea Power 150 Key takeouts 157 Checklist: Nozzle 157 Handover 158 9. Rocketing: Expander 159 Headlines 159 Keeping positive 159 Innovation Antibodies 160 Expand not evaluate 161 Be a builder not a knocker 162 Execution is everything 170 Get real feedback 170 Launch then tweak 176 Key Takeouts 177 Checklist: Combustion 177 Handover 178 PART IV: The Entertainment 179 10. Ten innovations that make it look easy 181 Innovation shortcuts 181 New brands are innovations too 182 The 10 Innovations 183 PART V: The Practicalities 205 11. Doing it faster 207 Headlines 207 It always takes longer than you want it to 208 Case Study: Project Blues for Unilever Foods 209 The Approach 209 Plan in decisions 210 Smaller teams 212 Parallel Ideation 214 Real-time insight 216 Fast agencies 217 Blues: The result 218 Key takeouts 218 Checklist: Doing it faster 218 Handover 219 12. Avoiding the pitfalls 221 Headlines 221 Pitfalls and Pratfalls 222 Nine innovation pitfalls 223 No. 1: Oops, the product is useless 223 No. 2: 'Not invented here' syndrome 226 No. 3: The 'could it be... ?' killer 229 No. 4: Over-testing 231 No. 5: Killing by proxy 233 No. 6: The off-guard boss 235 No. 7: 'Yes, but...' 237 No. 8: Poor casting 238 No. 9: Giving up 240 Handover 242 Appendix: Rocketing toolkit 243 Index 255

About the Author :
David Nichols is a marketing coach who makes us feel like we can achieve everything we want according to one of his global brand director clients. He teamed up with David Taylor in 2006 to become a Managing Partner of the brandgym, a consultancy that coaches teams to create a clear brand vision and the action plan to turn this into growth. He has led brand vision and innovation projects for many global companies and brands including Castrol, Vodafone, Unilever and Cadburys. David is the author of Brands & Gaming: The computer gaming phenomenon and its impact on brands and business published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2005, cataloguing the rise and rise of a new global cultural phenomenon that is going to change the marketing landscape forever. He started his career at OC&C Strategy consultants, moving on to the marketing consultancy Added Value where he spent 11 years rising to be Managing Director of the UK, including stints in Paris and as MD in Australia. David has written and produced three full scale musicals and managed a professional improv troupe, The Impro Musical, working with Tony Slattery, Eddie Izzard and Greg Proops. He has a first class degree in Aerospace Engineering from Bristol University and in his spare time is an aerobatic pilot. Contact David at davidn@thebrandgym.com