The Game Changers. Leveraging innovation to revolutionize the category

1. Game Changers
Leveraging innovation to
revolutionize the category
Presented to P&G by

2. Introduction
For some brands, product innovation
goes well beyond functional
improvements or simple extensions
of the existing portfolio.

3. Introduction
ese brands take advantage of the
opportunities presented by innovations to
re-define how their category is perceived
by consumers.
ey quite literally
change the game…

4. e greatest advertisement in history

5. Apple Mac
e game
Before Macintosh, computer
manufacturers spoke the jargon of
‘techies’ or businesspeople, the two
groups they still thought of as
their target audience.

6. Apple Mac
e innovation
Simple interface
Nice design

7. Apple Mac
e greatest advertisement in history
How the game was changed
Not simply a new computer,
but a new way to think
about computers

8. Apple Mac
How the game was changed:
Discovered/Created the lifestyle
tech-user, more interested in
personality and style than hard
features or computing power

9. Apple Mac

10. Apple Mac
iLife How the game was changed:
ipod e “i” nomenclature is both
ownable and representative of this
iDVD focus on the customer and his life/
iphone needs.
iphoto

11. Wii
e game
Videogames have always been the
bogeyman of non-gamers (ie.
Adults) as promoting violence,
causing anti-social behavior, and
contributing to obesity.

12. Wii
e innovation
Motion detection

13. Wii
How the game was changed:
Video games become a social activity
and a fitness tool suitable for whole
families (and even seniors)

14. Wii

15. Wii

16. Orbit
e game
Another bogeyman, this time of
dentists and schoolteachers around
the world, gum had always been
seen as childish, bad for your
teeth, and a bad habit in general.

17. Orbit
e innovation
Sugarfree gum

18. Orbit
e innovation
Wrigley’s did not invent sugarfree
gum, but their Orbit brand best
exemplifies how to capitalize on a
game-changing innovation…

19. Orbit
How the game was changed
By introducing a constant stream of high-tech
innovations, formats, and packaging solutions,
Orbit becomes an essential component of oral
hygiene for an adult audience.

20. Orbit

21. Orbit How the game was changed
Functional, almost medical design cues
and nomenclature. Borrowing heavily
from the language of toothpastes.
American dental association
endorsement
“just enough” high-tech

22. Nike
e Game
Sporting fashion brands (including
market leader Adidas) focused on
performance and features

23. Nike
e innovation
External-sponge sole
A re-think of what performance really
means

24. Nike How the game has changed
Functional innovations have never been more
than RTB for Nike’s real innovation, which was
in communication (and manufacture).
Like Macintosh, Nike pioneered the sneaker as
lifestyle marker for a target demographic of
winners which Nike itself defined.

25. Nike How the game has changed
Products and product lines created based
on lifestyles rather than performance
Unique designs come to the forefront as
personalization becomes a major trend.

26. Colgate Total
e game
e toothpaste category was becoming more and more
specialized and confusing for consumers

27. Colgate Total
e innovation
An all-in-one toothpaste targeting the ‘big 3’; cavities,
tarter, and gingivitis

28. Colgate Total
How the game was changed
It hasn’t. Except that Colgate now markets 2 lines of
accessories/dental hygiene products. Regular Colgate
and the more premium Colgate Total.

29. Simply Smooth
e Game
35-40 million Americans have had
to reduce or eliminate coffee from
their diets because of acidity and
stomach issues

30. Simply Smooth
e innovation
Low-acid instant coffee

31. Simply Smooth
How the game has changed
Stomach-friendly coffee
Color palette gives it the appearance of a
dietary supplement (ie. No dark, rich tones
usually associated with coffee) or tea
brand (associated with healthy digestion)

32. Gillette
e Game
A highly competitive category, disposable razors,
nevertheless, were low involvement and driven purely
on functional benefits or price.

33. Gillette
e innovation
More blades! (among other
things)

34. Gillette
How the game has changed
e introduction of the shaving system with
more blades, the lubraderm strip, non-slip
handle and ergonomic design implied a highly
effective, high-tech shaving apparatus.

35. How the game has changed
Gillette e brand borrows heavily from many
high-tech boy toys…
Jet fighters and sexy women in
communication
Cool, powerful sounding names
Sophisticated-sounding branded
ingredients (lubraderm strip)
Color coding and design cues
Re-launching updates every few years…

36. Gillette
How the game has changed
All combine to make Gillette shaving
systems look like the coolest thing
any 10yr old boy could possibly find
under his Christmas tree

37. Gillette
A formula which has been followed closely by the competition…
…making them play Gillette’s game rather than their own!

38. How not to change the game
e potentially game changing Lite Beer
from Miller was launched with nothing
more than a light sounding name –
which was quickly copied by every single
competitor. (Bud Light, Coors Light,
Michelob Light)
To consumers, Light beer now just
means watered down beer.

39. Who should be game-changing?
Game changing is a tool for new brands to
enter the market or for follower brands to
shake up the market.
It is not generally in the best interest of
market leaders to change the game!
For them, innovation should be co-opted
into the existing game!

40. Wal-mart
e Game
Department stores have long
been using economy of scale to
put forward a value proposition.

41. Wal-mart
e innovation:
Global economy of scale

42. Wal-mart How the game was changed
By incorporating E.O.S on such a
global level, the retail landscape of
America was completely re-shaped

43. Wal-mart
How the game was changed
Unable to compete in Wal-mart’s game, competitors must re-think
and re-define what value means for their businesses

44. Wal-mart
How the game was changed
Now that it is market leader, Wal-mart’s many innovations are
not introduced as game-changers, but as innovations which
strengthen its positioning as the lowest cost alternative.
Preventing other brands from under-cutting
Wal-mart with their own innovations

45. But don’t worry market leaders…
History has shown that many start-ups and
upstarts will try to change the game through
new innovations.
When they fail (which most do) it is the
market leaders that benefit!
(Bud Light surpassed Miller Light in 1992)

46. Conclusion
Changing the game means building a new language (visual
and written) that competitors cannot simply adopt (ie. Lite
beer or diet cola). ey must completely re-frame their own
brand to stay relevant!
Remember
Understanding the audience
Using ownable nomenclature and design
Borrowing from other relevant categories

47. ank you!
“ e true meaning of life is to plant trees under
whose shade you do not expect to sit.”
Nelson Henderson

48. ank you!
Douglas Kaufman
Head of Brand Strategies
d.kaufman@cocoon-agency.com
+420.224.815.985
www.cocoon-agency.com