Posts Tagged ‘innovation’

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Sterling Buzz…

Tuesday, May 7th, 2013
Check out the Buzz from Innovation this week, as DeeDee Gordon shares her insights on how to innovate for the future.
How do we innovate for the future? It is a driving question for many businesses, but many of them are looking into too short-term of a future.  DeeDee Gordon provided a case study with insights into how to innovate not just for tomorrow, but for the decades to come.

Check out the buzz for Sterling Innovation this week, as DeeDee Gordon shares her insights on how to innovate for the future.

deedee

How do we innovate for the future? It is a driving question for many businesses, but many of them are looking into too short-term of a future.  DeeDee Gordon provided a case study with insights into how to innovate not just for tomorrow, but for the decades to come.

For the answers, click to read more.

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Get amp’d

Friday, January 18th, 2013

In December, Audyssey launched a new media app that maximizes the listening experience on mobile devices: amp (Audyssey Media Player). Sterling Innovation partnered with Audyssey to manage the strategy, design, and frontend development of the app. Bart Haney, SVP of Innovation at Sterling, led the project.

Audyssey is known for its innovative audio technologies. With roots in R&D, Audyssey solves audio problems across a range of platforms (from IMAX theaters to home sound systems to car stereos) so the listener hears an accurate reproduction of the music or movie to which he/she is listening.

amp takes this offering one step further and delivers Audyssey’s technology in a mobile setting. The app provides headphone-specific optimization and innovative sound controls for the user’s iTunes music library.

How does it work? Audyssey tests and tunes headphones using its proprietary technology and then creates a profile that, when downloaded from the cloud and chosen in amp, provides optimal playback. All you have to do is download the app, choose your headphones, and start listening!

We had an awesome time working on this mobile app and adding yet another cred to the Innovation Group’s digital portfolio.

Visit the App Store to download amp today or the microsite to learn more about how it works!

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SB Innovation Welcomes Bart Haney

Tuesday, July 17th, 2012

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Bart Haney is the newest addition to the Innovation Group at Sterling, having joined the team as SVP – Innovation in May 2012. Bart has years of experience in entrepreneurial endeavors, education, and project management with clients ranging from nimble startups to Fortune 500 companies and huge global brands. Most recently, Bart hails from fuseproject, where he ran the New York studio and brought communication, coordination, and direction to fuseproject’s creative engagements.

“We’re so pleased to have Bart on the team. His expertise in product and structure design has really pushed our innovation offering to new levels. His energy and enthusiasm for what we do is infectious.”

- DeeDee Gordon, President, Innovation

At two months in, we thought it was about time to introduce Bart to the greater Sterling family right here on the 3rd Button. Here’s what Bart has to say for himself…

Q: So, Bart, you’ve taken an interesting path. Not everyone starts their own company immediately upon graduating Art Center College of Design. Tell us a little bit about what led you to where you are today.

A: It’s been a path of curiosity, exploration, and evolution.  My first company, Superhappybunny was formed at a time when micro-manufacturing was just starting to be within the grasp of well-trained designers. When my partners and I graduated from Art Center, we believed it was our responsibility to explore and guide where this would go. In order for our products to see the light of day, we needed to not only learn how to promote them out in the world, but also develop a business structure to sustain this endeavor.

Moving forward to fuseproject, I was able to hone the interaction of a design-centric vision with an evolving studio scale and philosophy. Building from the amazing vision of Yves, we were able to craft great design at the highest level for years, across an incredibly wide spectrum of challenges and brands.

All of this has led me to Sterling, where the approach to innovation and design, specifically DeeDee’s integration of articulate and well-vetted consumer engagement and co-creation, represents the next step forward for the process of product development. In a world where every consumer has a voice, we need to be amazing listeners, but even better filters to find the insights that will drive true and valuable innovation.

Q: You definitely seem passionate about what you do. What is it about Innovation that gets you so excited?

A: I am ecstatic about the idea of watching the ways of the world and finding those moments and opportunities where small focused change can make a huge impact on human behavior.

Q: What is your design philosophy? What do you feel are the building blocks that make or break great product and structure design?

A: Design Philosophy… that’s a hard one to pinpoint. If your job and your passion are to find and capitalize on moments of cultural evolution, your philosophy also needs to always be growing and adapting.

To me, great design done well is almost invisible. It’s evident when the first time you try something/interact with something new, something about it already feels familiar and instinctual. It is the result of an immense amount of research, exploration, invention and sweat, but to the user, it feels so effortless…THAT’S good design.

Q: What was it about Sterling that lured you from NYC to the West Coast to run the studio for the Innovation Group? What’s your vision for the Innovation Group moving forward?

A: It’s about coming back to my roots in design to harvest something fresh. That and the opportunity to work with DeeDee. She and I worked on a project many, many years ago. Her laser sharp vision on the inner workings of people and culture, as well as her “tell it like she sees it” attitude always stuck with me. I believe that this, mixed with my love of process and product, are going to have amazing results.

Q: And now for a serious question. After spending time in NY, San Fran, and LA, is the West coast really the best coast?

Two words : Avocados and sunshine.

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DeeDee Gordon on Co-Creation in Design

Thursday, June 28th, 2012

On June 24th, DeeDee spoke at the 2012 Dieline Package Design Conference about a topic near and dear to our hearts—co-creation with consumers.

What is co-creation?

We define co-creation as the process in which consumers and experts collaborate in a meaningful way with brands and product developers. At Sterling, we believe that co-creation is about establishing an open transmission of ideas, and an honest exchange between a brand, our team, category and topic experts, and consumers. The result? Big, actionable ideas that resonate with consumers and address specific needs and motivations.

Why is co-creation so important in design?

While we believe co-creation is appropriate for any branding challenge that involves a human being as the end user, we’ve seen a growing need for co-creation specifically in package and structure design. This is due to the evolution of today’s consumers to become increasingly conscious of design, and as demanding about the presentation of a product as they are about the product itself.

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Today’s consumers are inundated with beautiful design across all categories. They have come to expect nothing but the best when it comes to design.

The package is very often the first touchpoint of a brand with which a consumer interacts. To this end, it’s incredibly important that structure and package design speaks to consumers, piques their interest, and encourages trial and usage. Co-creation helps us to ensure that it does.

Co-creating with the-Collaboratory:

In almost all of our work with clients, we engage the-Collaboratory, our proprietary database of brand enthusiasts from around the world, to gather insights and to work with us to develop new products, services, and designs. We seed hypotheses into the-Collaboratory and then we receive feedback, builds, and even blue-sky ideas in response.

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Sterling’s co-creation process involves a number of unique inputs and an open feedback loop with consumers and experts.

Keeping this feedback loop open with consumers is incredibly important and a task that we put a great deal of time and energy into. To this end, DeeDee rounded out her presentation at the Dieline Conference with some design assertions that we’ve heard first-hand from members of the-Collaboratory. What entices consumers? Gets them excited to try a new product? Keeps them coming back for more?  Here are some thoughts, straight from the mouths of members of the-Collaboratory:

Refined Simplicity

“Excess is out. I want understated, clean designs that let the product shine.“

Some examples:

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Unico Musk perfume designed by Lavernia and Cienfuegos; Voda Vodka designed by Mass Design; Sifteo Cubes designed by New Deal Design

Global Influence

“I see inspiration from around the globe in everything I do. Packaging should be no different.”

Some examples:

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Taiwan Centennial Blessing Tea designed by Bonho Inc.; Brickhouse Soaps designed by The Soap and Paper Factory; Ojon Hair Oil designed by designpackaging

Craftsmanship

“Hand-crafted packaging and structure is a key indicator of a high quality product…and I’m not one to settle.”

Some examples:

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Bar Gelato by Naia, designed by Mette Hornung Rankin of Bureau of Betterment; Wahl’sche Schnapsbirne by Stahlemuhle

Tactile Curiosity

“There’s something about haptic packaging. If it makes me want to touch it, I’ll likely also want to buy it.”

Some examples:

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Coop’s Hot Fudge designed by Marc Cooper; Seedbom by Kabloom, handmade in the UK; Ten over Six Unisex Perfumes designed by Henrik Vibskov

Sustainability and Substance

“These days, I want a package that’s more than just green. It needs to stand for something.”

Some examples:

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Boxed Water designed by Kevin Hockin and Benjamin Gott; Guactruck Mobile Eatery packaging is designed by Michealle Lee (owner of the truck) and encourages consumers to bring their packaging back in order to receive a free meal; The Replenish cleaner bottle reduces materials usage by 90%, designed by Jason Foster

Display-Worthy Design Objects

“I try to surround myself with beautiful design objects. Why should packaging and structure be any different?”

Some examples:

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Evian by Jean Paul Gaultier; 21 Drops designed by Purpose-Built; Lov Organic tea

Mobile Life

“Everything in my life is mobile. I expect packaging to follow suit. I want streamlined, portable options.”

Some examples:

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Help Remedies designed by; GoGo Squeez Applesauce designed by Menage a Trios; Loffle Mich designed by Createam

What does this mean for brands?

In today’s environment, brands must do more to surprise and delight consumers. At Sterling, we believe that co-creation is one important way to do this.

As brand practitioners, we must not only listen to consumers, but also engage them in the creation process. We believe that the best packaging of the future, won’t just be designed for the consumer, it will be designed with the consumer.

DeeDee Gordon, President of Innovation at Sterling

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Check back in for Full coverage of the concurrent, HOW Design Live Conference from the expert lens of Debbie Millman-Coming Soon!

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A Different Way to View Innovation

Wednesday, April 18th, 2012

So often when we think about innovation, we instantly jump to the notion that everything needs to be high tech. Consumers today are looking for rich content and experiences that take their interactions with brands to the next level. Life is no longer about 3D. Now, we’re talking about 5D. At the same time, one growing trend we’ve seen more of lately, is a return to humble materials, a resurgence of real-life experiences, a focus on physicality, and a “back to basics” movement of sorts.

We often work with our clients to think about the impact that technology and the notion of “5D” has on their worlds and their consumers. But it can be just as interesting to look through the lens of the low tech in creating really impactful experiences for audiences. Here are a few examples of ultra-rich “low tech” experiences, recently dug up by Kalyn Ryan, who keeps me honest when it comes to being hip and in the know, here in the Innovation group:

  • Plus One Berlin – A new service where guests can book a stand-alone room in Berlin’s KreuzkĂślln neighborhood, but also can connect with a local resident for advice and personalized experiences. When you book your room, you choose from 28 locals who you can hang out with while in Berlin for a non-touristy view of the city. Forget spending hours on websites and mobile apps trying to plan your trip—instead, talk directly to a person who knows the city inside and out for a completely unique experience.

fodors

(Image from Fodors.com)

  • Pop-up Libraries Take Manhattan – This is a fun, new phenomenon that has hit Manhattan, compliments of architect John Locke. Locke took note of all of the unused payphones around the city and started turning them into pop-up libraries complete with shelves of books for New Yorkers to read. It definitely makes an interesting statement about the speed with which technology takes over our world and how quickly a medium can become obsolete. I guess it was too expensive to line those shelves with E-Readers?

travelettes

(Image from travelettes.net)

  • FabCafe – I love Shibuya in Tokyo and here’s just another reason why. FabCafe is a new cafĂŠ that is keeping its patrons occupied while they wait for their food by letting them use a laser-cutting machine. It’s so completely random but also pretty genius, and really takes the notion of the “coffee shop as the third space” to the next level. Walk in for a coffee. Walk out with a full stomach and a 3-D object you’ve made yourself. Definitely an experience that a consumer will remember, and one that is very targeted towards a specific type of person.

fabcafe(Images from fabcafe.com)

All of these examples have some very strong commonalities. They create powerful experiences for those involved. They are completely unexpected and cause people to view their worlds differently. By all senses of the word, I’d describe all of these examples as very innovative, and yet they don’t rely on technology (for the most part!).  As innovators, I think we can borrow from these examples as we think about what truly creates breakthrough change. I think technology is a huge piece of innovation and progress, but I also think there is a time and a place to remove it from the equation. For this is when we sometimes stretch our thinking, and our experiences, the most, and can really change the game.

Amy Meyer, Sterling Inovation

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Sterling Buzz…

Wednesday, March 28th, 2012

Our head of Innovation, DeeDee Gordon, gets profiled on GraphicDesign.com.

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“ The-Collaboratory is a key element of how we approach innovation at Sterling. 
We believe in innovating in the context of the culture. We look at each innovation challenge as it exists within todayĘźs society and all of the things going on in the world that are impacting the specific opportunity—the brandĘźs truths and business objectives, macro trends, category trends, marketplace dynamics, consumer expectations and needs, etc. 
We use the-Collaboratory to co-create with consumers and develop new products, services, and experiences that truly resonate with a given audience. It provides a constant feedback loop for our own work as well as for the work of our clients, and this direct link to consumers is truly priceless.”

Read on to see how Sterling’s The-Collaboratory, our unique innovation co-creation tool has been redesigned for maximum results, and to learn everything you wanted to know about DeeDee…

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Celebrating Innovation

Monday, March 5th, 2012

deedee

What a difference a year makes.

DeeDee Gordon is celebrating her first anniversary with Sterling Brands! In one year, she has opened the LA offices to serve as the hub of Sterling Innovation and transformed our culture, our deliverable and our business.

“She’s inspired new heights of creativity. Her brilliant work with Disney, P&G, Bayer and many more has changed the way we think about brands, market research and innovation. We are madly in love with her.”

- Debbie Millman

DeeDee brings a fresh perspective to innovation at Sterling- one where consumers and trends play a key role in the innovation process. With over 15 years experience in brand building and trending, along with a number of proprietary tools under her belt, she offers clients an arsenal of innovation expertise and techniques.

The big gun that is kept tightly under wraps is The-Collaboratory, our global online database of consumers available to co-create with our clients. It’s truly one of it’s kind and we use it to tackle innovation challenges, as well as in collaboration with our Design and Strategy projects.

DeeDee will be kicking off her second year with Sterling as a speaker at the FUSE conference. We hope to see you there!

Click here for more info on Sterling Innovation

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Our Big Brand Questions for 2012

Friday, January 6th, 2012

As we all settle back into our work routine at the start of yet another New Year, it seemed like a really appropriate time to reflect back on the dominant themes we heard from the marketplace throughout 2011.

This is not intended to be a list of every brand question out there – more a selection of the most interesting, relevant and even provocative questions that every brand should be thinking about right now.

So in no particular order of importance, here goes:

1.) What is your point of view about the consumer’s appetite for spending in your category in 2012? Are you still in recession mode? Are you taking note of all the latest indicators? Without a point of view, there is no point.

2.) What lessons can the rest of us learn from the surging success of the leading technology brands? And can some of their success factors be applied to your brand?

3.) Given the generally stagnant overall marketplace, growth in 2012 will likely be achieved by winning share. So, if you are to win share, then who is going to lose?

4.) How much should you commit your brand to Facebook, not just in dollar terms but in overall exposure? Is Google + a better bet? Remember what happened to Myspace and they were also seen as indomitable at one time!!

5.) The innovators in the marketplace are talking about new concepts such as “brands of meaning” and “brand generosity”. Where do you stand on these and other emerging ideas? Are they a part of your brand chatter?

6.) Should your brand be doing more to help the national unemployment phenomenon (see Starbucks for inspiration)? With an election year government, shouldn’t this be a time for brands to stand up and be counted?

7.) With data equity becoming as important as brand equity, how good is the data used to make decisions on your brand? Do you really have the best data? And more importantly, do you have the best data decoders? If not, you’re missing out.

8.) What would you do with your brand if you weren’t afraid? Or put another way, If it was your company, what would you be recommending for the way forward? And what would you retain, gain and lose from your current strategy?

9.) Really, how different is your brand vs the competition, and more importantly, how relevant and meaningful is that difference to consumers? Is this the time to be finding the new white space?

10.) For the past 5 years, Steve Jobs and Apple have been the primary point of inspiration for all of us  - will that change now? And if so, which brand takes on that role for you for that daily dose of inspiration?

11.) How unadulterated is the feedback you get from your team? Is it cleansed and filtered? Do you see the whole research report or just the executive summary? And if so, is there a risk that many of your brand decisions could be sub-optimal?

12.) Are you really partnering with consumers to build your brand or is co-creation still a question mark in your mind? Are you the barrier to progress in this area? And what will it take to get you to put your toe in the water?

In summary, I suspect that these questions will resonate with some of you and for others they’ll read like gobbledygook. And that’s fine as well. But please remember that we’re out in the marketplace almost every day of the year working with clients and these twelve topics are just some of the consistent themes and discussions that we’ve heard and if nothing else, aren’t we nice people to just want to share them!

Happy new year to you all.

Simon Williams

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Mitsubishi: Nice Move, but not a Game Changer

Wednesday, October 12th, 2011

If successful brands and their leadership have taught us anything, it’s that being the first to do something (and do it well) can catapult a brand ahead of the competition. Perhaps more than in any other industry, we need a giant leap forward in the realm of transportation, in terms of affordability and accessibility- but are the breakout ideas on alternative fuel really breakout anymore? What can make alternative transportation ‘Go’ already? (more…)

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