Please upgrade your browser.

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By continuing to browse this website, you agree to our use of cookies. For more information, please refer to our privacy policy.

Innovation Testing

Screen ideas and test the in-market potential of new product concepts.

How do you create winning product innovation?

The 3Cs are the building blocks of new product innovation success and are key to ideas which endure.
The 3cs Framework

Captivate

Arouse people’s curiosity by offering something unique, original, and innovative. Bring the proposition to life in a way which stands out on-shelf, grabs shoppers’ attention, and triggers an emotional response.

Shampoo Bars were a response to growing backlash around the environmental impact
of plastic wastage.
Garnier case study

Connect

Protect equity by ensuring the proposition synergizes with expectations of the masterbrand. Leverage the brand’s distinctive properties so it’s instantly recognizable on-shelf.

Cheetos Mac ‘n Cheese used iconic “Chester” to build fluency, while their cheese heartland remained a constant.
Cheetos case study

Compel

Ensure the proposition is clear and single-minded. Offer something different and better versus competitors. Address a real and (ideally) unmet need/desire. Provide a compelling reason to believe.

Tortilla Pockets solved the common frustration of Mexican-food-at-home being messy and inconvenient.
Old El Paso case study

Learn more
Innovation Playbook3Cs Framework

Select the depth of insight you require

We offer 3 tiers to choose from; each builds incrementally.
1. Evaluate
How does it perform?
2. Diagnose
What is driving performance? 
3. Optimize
How can performance be improved?
Innovation Testing metrics - Performance SummaryInnovation Testing metrics - Attraction DiagnosisInnovation Testing metrics - Branding DiagnosisInnovation Testing metrics - Impressions (prompted)Innovation Testing metrics - Value for moneyInnovation Testing metrics - Variant appealInnovation Testing metrics - Variant appealInnovation Testing metrics - Variant appealInnovation Testing metrics - Variant appealInnovation Testing metrics - Variant appealInnovation Testing metrics - Variant appeal

Performance
⚡️ Activation Potential
What is the concept’s in-market potential? (independent of its recognizability/mental synergy; i.e. its strategic alignment with the brand). This is a composite metric made up of Captivate and Compel.

👀 Captivate
‍Does it disrupt the status quo and induce an emotional response? This is a composite metric made up of Magnetism and Likeability.
‍
🧠 Compel
‍Does it convey ideas that tap into people’s ‘jobs to be done’? This is a composite metric made up of Persuasion and Difference.
‍
🔒 Connect
‍Is it easily recognizable for the brand and synergistic with existing mental structures? This is a composite metric made up of Attribution and Fit.‍
Magnetism
Does it stand out and get people’s attention? Metrics:
  • Unique/Distinctive
  • Annoying/Irritating
  • Nice/Pleasant
  • Dull/Boring
Connect (Branding)
‍Leveraging distinctive properties enhances the ease of identification of the brand/product, while also building credibility and trust. Metrics:
  • Attribution: Transference of associations and feelings unique to the brand.
  • Fit: Alignment with people’s expectations of the brand.
Impressions
Are the desired impressions conveyed about the brand/product? Metrics:
  • ‍5x tailored statements
Value for money & Priced persuasion
We offer two base options for testing price perceptions:
  • Value for money: Does the proposed price represent good value?
  • Priced persuasion: Do people claim they’re likely to consider the brand/product at the nominated price point?
Variant appeal*
How appealing are individual variants? Metrics:
  • ‍Up to 10x variants
Name & Packaging appeal*
How appealing is the name and packaging?
Occasion/Usage suitability*
How suitable is it perceived to be for specific occasions/uses? Metrics:
  • ‍Up to 10x occasions/uses
Incrementality*
Do people claim they’d purchase it in addition to their current repertoire, to replace something else, or would they reject it entirely?
Custom open-ended question*
Diagnosis of an area of interest not otherwise covered by the core metrics.
Van Westendorp*
How much would people be prepared to pay? This identifies an acceptable range of prices using the Van Westendorp Price Sensitivity Meter.
*Additional cost
Innovation Testing metrics - Rational DiagnosisInnovation Testing metrics - Associations

‍Diagnose includes all Evaluate metrics, plus:

Rational
How persuasive is the information conveyed about the brand/product? Metrics:
  • ‍New
  • Different
  • Believable
  • Relevant
  • Clarity
Likes (open-ended)
What aspects are people most positive toward?
Dislikes (open-ended)
What aspects are people most negative toward?
Associations (open-ended)
What 3 words would people use to describe the brand/product?
Innovation Testing metrics - Emotion DiagnosisInnovation Testing metrics - Impressions (spontaneous)Innovation Testing metrics - StandoutInnovation Testing metrics - Assets

Optimize includes all Evaluate & Diagnose metrics, plus:

Emotion
What emotions does it make people feel? Metrics:
  • ‍Diagnosis of both positive and negative emotions (20 in total) across a high to low arousal continuum.
Impressions (open-ended)
What impressions are people left with about the brand/product?
Standout (open-ended)
What are the most memorable elements?
Assets (open-ended)
What distinctive branding properties did people recognize?
Can I see an example report?
Get in touch and we'll share a real-life case study so you can see the exact deliverables you’d receive.
PricingGet in touch

Our latest thinking

Raising a Glass to Paper

Innovation
Alcohol

Can Healthy and Tasty Co-Exist?

Innovation
Food

Turning the Tide on Laundry

Innovation
CPG

Game changers? Gummies and Fast Twitch lead Gatorade’s expansion

Innovation
Beverage

PepsiCo shoots for the stars with Starry

Innovation
Beverage

Burger King vs. Wendy’s: Who ruled the roost?

Innovation
QSR
Read more case studies