Innovaro - Europe's Leading Innovation Consulting and Insight Firm - Reviews

Reviewed books: Insight
	Outside Innovation Patricia B. Seybold This new book by the author of Customers.com argues that, as illustrated by the LEGO Mindstorms example in a recent Innovation Briefing, the only way that some organisations can compete in the new consumer marketplace is to open up their businesses to passionate customers and users and include them as part of the innovation teams. Focusing on how to find lead users, how to engage them on co-design activities, enable them to challenge each others’ ideas and modify product concepts and how to provide appropriate toolkits, this is a practical book full of good examples. As well as LEGO which features strongly, other salient case studies include the BBC’s Backstage programme, Zopa’s peer to peer lending, Nike ID product customisation programme, GE’s ColorXpress services and Muji. In addition, the roles being played by a diverse collection of enablers of customer interaction such as Google, Wikipedia, Firefox and FlickR are all illustrated well. All in all a good addition to the growing co-design catalogue.
	The Future of Technology Tom Standage Many of the best recent articles from The Economist’s Technology Quarterly and sector surveys have been collated together in this excellent book. As technology continues to be a major driver of business change and economic growth, this provides a good view of which direction we are heading in. It is split into three core sections with part one looking at information technology, how it is being developed, applied and made more secure and less complex. The second section looks at the specific field of consumer electronics – especially mobile phones, video games and the fast realising concept of the digital home. The final section then takes a broader of view of three areas of technology that have grown quickly to be the potential leaders of the next big technological revolution – namely biotechnology, energy technology and nanotechnology. For anyone seeking an informed view on these are other arenas of technological impact and change, this book provides an excellent, objective and insightful starting point.
	The Outside-In Corporation Barbara Bund This new book by Barbara Bund of the MIT Sloan School of Management is based on the premise that too many organisations continue to look at the world from the inside-out where internal operations are more important that customers. By shifting to more ‘outside-in’ approaches, it is logically argued that companies can better understand and predict customer needs and thus align internal processes around customers. Using a wide range of examples the text examines why inside-out thinking is so prevalent, how the likes of Dell, eBay, FedEx and GE have changed and built customer-centric organisations and which specific approaches, tools and strategies have been found to be most successful. The theory and examples are largely relevant to any public or private sector organisation that is in need of a fresh approach to improving customer centred innovation - be it around consumers, other businesses, patients or citizens
	What Customers Want Anthony W. Ulwick This is a good book that packs some punches. Author, Anthony Ulwick, challenges everything you have ever learned about customer driven innovation through an approach termed as ‘outcome-driven’ innovation. Single-mindedness should be a key trait of innovation and that is the best thing about the book. It is unashamedly focused on new product and service development (to ultimately give customers what they want) and does not pretend nor advocate that the system can be stretched to all other areas of strategic marketing. Specificity and common sense guide the reader through an eight-step approach to improve every aspect of the innovation process from segmenting markets and identifying opportunities to creating, evaluating and positioning breakthrough concepts. This is all helped using case studies including Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson and Bosch, and the generous sharing of some valuable methodological details that it has to be said, most would have kept to themselves.
	Democratizing Innovation Eric von Hippel Eric Von Hippel’s book latest is described as important for innovation. And it is. Democratising Innovation tackles conventional innovation thinking head-on through a close and careful look at the rapidly spreading system of user-centred innovation – a trend that has been creeping up on us all and has rapidly become reality. As well as describing the nature of innovation democracy through numerous illuminating examples from surgical equipment to surfboards, von Hippel actually tells us how to do it, not least advising on the best ways to find the elusive lead users who will only ever make up about 2% of our customer bases and then applying their learnings to innovation strategy. Read this book. The subject really matters because as it becomes more widely adopted it will significantly change how business innovates.
	Brands and Gaming David Nichols, Tom Farrand, Tom Rowley, Matt Avery Written by a ‘quadrat’ of branding, insight and gaming experts, most notably Matt Avery, this book is the first to address the global phenomena of computer gaming and it’s potential as a marketing tool. Brands & Gaming offers a highly insightful perspective into the world of computer gaming, debunking myths and making sense of complexities along the way. Particularly helpful is the smart use of market mapping, the un-clichéd look into the future (of what is already a futuristic area) and the practical advice as to how to successfully marry gaming into strategic brand strategy; Chapter 8 should not be missed in this respect. This is all done with a decent narrative, thus becoming something of a good read – a trick missed by many business publications. The only criticism would be the lack of visual impact, given the highly sensorial nature of subject matter. Lara would definitively have something to say about that.
	10 Lessons from the Future Wolfgang Grulke, Gus Silber Wolfgang Grulke, founder of FutureWorld and previously at IBM, has used his varied consulting insights to bring together a snappy book that looks at a number of potential possibilities for the future that could impact different businesses. Topics addressed range from IT based disruptive technologies, changes in economic values and the explosion of fractal networks through to the changing nature of governments and, most interestingly, future business giants – Nordicsson, formed from merging Nokia and Ericsson, NorCisc, formed from the merger of Nortel and Cisco, MicroGenome – the monopolistic player of the bio-age, and Energen, the single global oil company. The book ends with the 10 key generic lessons that, the author argues, have impact for many businesses, many of which are unfortunately not new – ideas fuel the global economy, biotech is the second information revolution, non-linear behaviour is the norm, eat yourself and it’s a 24 x 7 x 52 world. So, all in all, a few new twists repackaged for the post-internet age.
	Business 2010 Ian Pearson, Michael Lyons Based on the work of Ian Pearson and Michael Lyons in the futurology group at BT, this looks specifically at what is in store for the business world. It examines the interaction between technological and social issues in a down-to-earth way that highlights a range of issues from the emerging technology waves, changing attitudes to technology and some major social trends through to the specific commercial implications for business – from the need to become more flexible and adaptive, interacting with virtual corporations and the impact of cyberspace.
	The Tomorrow People Martin Raymond Subtitled ‘future consumers and how to read them today’ this shares a wealth of cultural and society based insights on how our attitudes and behaviours are changing – and what they will mean for companies seeking to offer us new products and services. It covers a wide range of topics from the use of networks, ethnography, the challenges for existing brands, key consumer trends and using scenarios to plan for potential alternatives. In addition, a number of techniques to help you read trends, identify real from perceived changes and interpret the insights are explained with numerous examples.
	Dictionary of the Future Faith Popcorn, Adam Hanft Although published two years ago now, this is still a useful compilation of some the key words and trends that we are now experiencing and that are consequently coming into the language mainstream. Covering a number of themes from biology, the internet, health and telecommunications through to new jobs, food and fashion you may well be familiar with some of the topics, but not all: Holistic herding, identity theft, dashboard dining, biofuels, successim, stealth, gap years and crusties may be familiar, but what about buysexuals, extreme scientists, tele-immersion, polyactide, mannies, skin and pharmacogentics? This is an interesting and informative book to dip into.
	The Call of the Mall Paco Underhill The Call of the Mall Paco Underhill has gained a well deserved reputation as one of the world’s leading retail anthropologists. His first book ‘Why we Buy – The Science of Shopping’ was a bestseller looking at the reasons behind our need to shop and why we shop the way we do. His latest book ‘The Call of the Mall’ looks in more depth at how we shop and, as the title suggests, has a major focus on malls. This explores the role that malls have taken in our lives, especially in the US, and looks at not only the layout, type and impact of the stores that anchor and populate the world’s malls, but also looks at the role of food courts, entertainment and the varied magnets for different ages and sexes that are incorporated into today’s mall designs. It also raises questions on how stores will deal with changing consumer tastes and behaviours and how co-location is impacting different retail brands.
	Complicated Lives Michael Willmott, William Nelson Written by two of the team at the Future Foundation, this book provides an overview of many of the issues that are making our lives allegedly more complex. It proposes that although today’s consumers are richer, safer, healthier and have more freedom than any time before, many find it difficult to cope with complexities. Touching such topics as how society itself is changing and the impact of new technologies, it also looks at the gender issues in an increasingly more feminine population, changing family structures, parenting and the demands placed on our time. Peppered with data and insights from the company’s projects with a variety of clients, this contains a number of interest insights that may be useful in understanding how to position new products and services.
	The Soul of the New Consumer David Lewis, Darren Bridger First published in 2000 but recently updated, this explores what we buy and why. Sharing some commonalities with Paco Underhill’s areas of focus, this looks at areas such as the quest for more time, stressful shopping, real and pseudo loyalty and trust, the changing role, structure and format of TV commercials and the use of advances in data mining to better segment customers and understand niche behaviours. In addition, it includes two chapters that look more at using consumers in innovation. One addresses options for increasing engagement and involvement of consumers in new product development activities and the other looks more into understanding the ‘soul’ of the consumer and using this to build a clearer picture to inform innovation.
	Consumer Centric Product Definition Sheila Mello This draws on a mix of academic perspectives and industry examples from to create a framework for market-driven product definition. The techniques included highlight some options for determining different customers’ needs, understanding the value relationship, defining which are the key ‘must have’ requirements and which are the ‘like to have’ ones and playing the inevitable trade off between value, price and delivery. Examples include Cisco, Abbot Labs, Compaq and Lockheed.
	A New Brand World Scott Bedbury Going against the grain of Naomi Klein’s No Logo, this is an interesting book that profiles the marketing strategies behind the success of Nike and Starbucks that can be applied to any growth business. From the ‘Just Do It’ campaign to the reinvention of a 900 year old product to change some of our drinking, working and even socialising habits, issues such as how to make products relevant, how to grow a brand intelligently and how to present a brand in a number of different environments are all highlighted in a wry accessible style.
	After Image John Grant Have you ever wondered what will be next after the glitz and hype of advertising and branding? This will give you some of the answers as you are taken on a marketing and branding journey, moving from fantasy images to mind-altering marketing. Insightful with genuinely new thinking especially in the area of marketing communications, it uses a model which draws on the latest research in fields such as neuroscience to show how mental propositions and sensory maps can be used to change perceptions.
	Build Your Own Garage Bernd Schmitt and Laura Brown Built around the fabled garage concept associated with the birth of HP and rekindled as part of the ‘invent’ initiative to reignite innovation in the firm, this book takes the principle through to technology and brand management. It looks at the inter-relationship between what is termed as ‘the bizz, the buzz and the stuff’ of building creative capability in the organisation, and supports the idea that innovation in such service arenas has most tangible benefit when the desire and delivery are linked to a clearly understood distinctive positioning in the mind of the customer.
	How Customers Think Gerald Zaltman This provides some in-depth views into how and why we behave the way we do when encountering new ideas, products and services. Bringing together business theory, cognitive science and human nature, it argues that 95% of thinking happens in our unconscious - and not the 5% open to the conventional information, influence and insight gained from traditional tools like questionnaires and focus groups. Examples include Avis, Coca-Cola, GM and IBM.
	Priceless Diana LaSalle and Terry Britton Seeking to explain how you can take the steps into fulfilling the advertising hype and making something priceless by 'turning ordinary products into extraordinary experiences', this provides some useful perspectives. It argues that too many organisations still remain in a 'features and benefit' mentality - focused on what a product or service does rather than what it offers and how it affects customer's lives. Examples include Apple, BP and Pepsi.
	Welcome to the Creative Age Mark Earls Many of us have felt that marketing is in transition. This eloquently articulates these feelings and takes them beyond - provocatively proposing that marketing is now essentially out of date, an interesting museum piece at best, and that it is time to start a new kind of description. The whole narrative of the Age of Marketing is over and it is time for us to begin that of the Age of Creativity. Overall, a compelling, refreshing, learning experience for all – be you at the heart of marketing or on the cynical fringes.
	Scoring Points Clive Humby, Terry Hunt and Tim Philips This is the story of how Tesco has emerged as one of the world’s most successful internet providers and one of Europe’s fastest growing financial services companies. This is the dramatic tale of how the Tesco Clubcard – the world’s most successful retail loyalty scheme - was conceived, launched and developed and shows how the company made customer loyalty marketing work – generating more than £100m incremental sales, captivating 10m members and paying out more than £1bn to customers.