By Diane Crispell

Have you ever had the experience that you were thinking about some great new product that would make your life better, and then it suddenly appeared on store shelves? It’s happened to me a number of times. My reaction has typically been one of delight that someone figured it out, tempered by the (totally unrealistic) regret that I wasn’t the one to do it and ‘make millions’.

As a Baby Boomer, I’ve always enjoyed the benefits of being part of the mass market that all businesses wanted to reach. So it’s not really surprising that my wants and needs have been anticipated through different life stages, from teen skin-care products to family-size frozen-food entrées. But we Boomers are getting older, and older has never been a very popular market, so I wonder whether I will see as many new products directed at my generation in the future. Maybe not.

The fact is that Boomers are not as entranced by novelty as they used to be or as much as younger people are. For example, 33% of Boomers strongly agree they “actively seek new ways to do things in everyday life,” compared with 44% of Gen Yers, according to a recent GfK Roper Reports^® US survey. Similar patterns hold for everything from technology to food.

Traditional rice harvesting

On the contrary, Japan’s latest green innovations are right on trend.

By David Crosbie

Suzuki san, an elderly Japanese gentleman of my acquaintance, used to recount the following anecdote. In years of poor harvest, the Japanese government has occasionally, and rather reluctantly, imported some rice from abroad. The country normally prides itself on being self-sufficient in this staple food, and domestic production is staunchly protected. During one such year my friend received a packet of rice from Thailand which, he was proud to say, he threw out uneaten. While some (particularly Thais!) might find this mildly offensive, he felt he was doing his patriotic duty by eschewing non-Japanese rice.

The Lynx Bullet Twist

Using consumer trends to develop fresh ideas

By Anna Clark

Known for its popularity with teenage boys dousing themselves with it, I find myself surprised to be writing how ‘on trend’ the Lynx (Axe) deodorant brand seems to be. However, a couple of their recent innovations provide a perfect example of using consumer trends in NPD.

Last year they launched the Lynx Bullet – the tagline for which was ‘Pocket Pulling Power’ but which was essentially just a pocket sized deodorant, sold in twin packs. There’s nothing hugely new or different about a travel sized deodorant, but marketing it as something to be routinely carried was new. This innovation is just right for today’s metrosexual man, more interested in personal care, and more likely to carry a ‘man bag’. However, the tongue in cheek Pocket Pulling Power tagline might equally appeal to more laddish types, and being pocket sized it doesn’t require the man bag, for those less ‘reconstructed’.

This has been followed up with their latest launch, the Lynx Twist. This variant is a can of deodorant that contains more than one scent, and by twisting the top, consumers can change the scent delivered. The massive convergence of technology in recent years has got consumers used to carrying more things with them, but also led them to expect products to have more than one function or benefit, so the combination of various scents into one can is the logical translation of this into the deodorant world.