Our very own Giles Lury’s newest book “Inspiring Innovation” has been published this month. To share the inspiration, we’ve been revisiting some of favourite innovations old & new from our Best Thing Since Sliced Bread blog series.
When it comes to innovation, it can be tempting to go after those ideas that feel truly ground-breaking, that throw the rules to the wind and that bring something completely new to your brand. Workshops are full of ideas generated trying to jump on the latest fad, often without much consideration for brand credibility and permissions. “Could we do something with quinoa?” has to be the most commonly heard phrase of all our innovation workshops last year.
But in trying to innovate to keep up with the trends, brands can sometimes lose sight of what it is that makes them so successful. That’s why Mrs Crimble’s new Deeply Dippy Macaroons are this week’s Best Thing Since Sliced Bread. Mrs Crimble’s know what they’re good at: delicious, indulgent, homey cakes and treats which just so happen to be gluten-free, and they know they’ve got a real hero product in their Choc Macaroons.
So although when Mrs Crimble’s came to us for help with their innovation pipeline it would have been all too easy to fall into the trap of creating the next Ancient Grains Smoothie, instead we stayed focussed around their hero product and existing brand equity, using this as a springboard to innovate against the core brand principles which consumers know and love them for.
The result is a refreshing twist on an existing hero, aimed at delighting those loyal Macaroon lovers as well as enticing new customers into the brand and the growing free-from bakery category. In staying true to what works, and heroing their immensely strong brand assets, Mrs Crimble’s have proved that innovation doesn’t always need to be trend-led or throw away the rule book to make a splash.
Key Lesson: We believe growth can come from multiple sources. Sometimes looking closer to home can provide rich inspiration for innovation.