Approach

To answer these questions globally, we needed to uncover consumer understanding, needs and usage contexts to find the best way to leverage ancient cultures and modern interpretations to drive meaningful innovation. So we went into the wild to gather diverse cultural perspectives on the meaning of botanical ingredients, from fringe to mainstream, through a series of Cultural Innovation Safaris in Tokyo, Seoul, Moscow, Milan, and Portland, Oregon.

We translated the rich insights and 100+ emerging signals of botanical innovation gathered on Safari into five potential botanical platforms for innovation. These platforms served as the foundations for facilitated cross-functional sprints to envision future products.

We then turned the sprint outputs into consumer-ready research concepts, which we put through an iterative, multi-method research program. From the winning platform that generated unprecedented interest, resonance, and appeal within the category, we developed an innovation roadmap and briefs for R&D.

Insight

It pays to explore both the fringes and the mainstream to uncover deep, valuable consumer understanding. This approach lets you build a winning global platform from rich and diverse local insights and perspectives.