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It is not new that it is said that the best companies launch changes and dictate trends, that the “only” good ones react quickly to them in order to keep up with the leaders and the rest strive not to be far behind the first ones.
Dictating the direction of a market through changes, trends and innovation can often be decisive in defining the place that companies occupy in terms of leadership, brand image, among other equally important factors.
That’s why in today’s post we’ll address the main points that need attention when it comes to innovation and promoting changes in products and/or services.
Why is it important to lead change and set trends?
The first reason for a company to take the lead in the race for change and dictate trends in the segment in which it operates is implicit in the statement that opens this text – to be seen as the besteither by consumers or by your competitors!
When change has the expected effect, it is normal for the market and especially consumers to see it as the best company in its niche.
In terms of the competition, at the very least it’s to be expected that your moves will be carefully and closely watched and likely copied.
But there are other associated consequences:
- Technology – especially in the case of products, but sometimes also in services, giving the idea that there is built-in technology is usually well regarded by consumers;
- Top of Mind – when the innovation, the change made, becomes a reference and/or an important factor in their choice by the consumer, whoever instituted the innovation is usually the first brand to be remembered and, therefore, contributes to the Top of Mind. This character is so much more intense, the more trends the brand dictates;
- Authority – pioneering innovations is also accompanied by authority. The brand that introduces the change is generally seen as a reference in the matter;
- Quality – the consequences produce others, such as the idea that the product / service has good quality.
- Competitiveness – while the competition rushes to offer the same change, whoever promoted it reigns alone and absolute;
- Sales – being the most remembered, having embedded technology, being an authority on the subject, with good quality and with a huge established competitive advantage, translates into more sales.
When does change not bring benefits?
But not always instituting a change or including an innovation in a product or service will result in the positive consequences seen above.
Examples of companies that tried to innovate or create trends abound. Even a quick Google search reveals lists of famous cases, most of which are well-known companies and references in their fields of activity.
This is the case of Microsoft’s Windows Phone, which, among other things, intended to offer smartphones with the same operating system already enshrined in desktops and notebooks, Windows.
Early versions of mobile devices made use of Windows CE, which was not exactly the same as the leading operating system. But when Microsoft bought Nokia to receive its operating system on its devices, the plans were that soon the user would be able to have the same Windows running on a smartphone and on his notebook, and therefore, have the same way of working, the same apps and great integration between devices.
It wasn’t a great innovation, if we think that devices with Android and iOS had already more or less consolidated the operating system paradigm for smartphones. It was just representing an alternative, but that’s another matter.
Another well-known example, which has another exponent of the technology behind it, was Google Glass. What the search giant’s invention promised, was daring and in fact brought with it a series of new concepts, although some have already been explored by science fiction.
Fears about the effectiveness of use, the questionable practical benefits, threats to privacy and hefty price, made the sophisticated and futuristic launch join the list of resounding technological failures.
What these and other examples have in common are some flaws or issues that are no longer considered and that are essential for the success of a project that intends to innovate.
How to lead changes or dictate trends successfully?
Anyone who has never stopped to think a lot about the brands and companies that stand out as innovative and that dictate the direction of the market, usually think that their development team, their engineers and designers, are highly creative minds.
In fact, a little creativity helps a lot. But there is no point in creativity without method. The failures in several areas attest to this.
For a company, a brand or a line of products / services to be successful with the changes instituted in the market, it is necessary to take care of several aspects until it is effectively in the market.
Search
Research is undoubtedly the beginning of everything and the most important step in the process.
Creating and conducting extensive consumer market research to identify needs and desires associated with potential innovation is essential to make sure the change is in line with potential customers’ expectations.
It is highly desirable that the research is also capable of detecting any caveats or even solutions that differ from what was initially envisioned by those who imagined the change and, if applicable, adopt a redirection in relation to the original idea.
And that’s not all. Before launch, there must be a testing phase on prototypes, when a new survey aims to assess whether the expectations initially manifested are met.
Post-sales surveys and follow-up are also essential to identify possible failures, desirable improvements and even other novelties or evolutions of the first.
Planning
Another fundamental step, it can be said that it is a step that comprises a series of others, which are relevant to the effectiveness of the result:
- Determining the objectives – what are the intended objectives with the innovation, such as, for example, associating it with a new product, conquering a niche, adding value to an existing product, etc.;
- Allocation of resources – which resources are needed to make the project viable and which include the necessary technologies and know-how, infrastructure (space, machinery, etc.), labor, suppliers and raw materials, as well as any necessary investments arising from the previous;
- Sustainability – not just from the point of view of eventual production processes being sustainable, but everything that will be necessary to keep it in the product line, such as the need for spare parts, technical assistance and support, etc. Incidentally, this was one of the points responsible for the failure of Windows Phone, which did not have apps in the quantity and quality of those available in the Android universe and which represents an important attraction for users;
- Actions – what needs to be done to implement innovation, in all areas involved;
- People – who are involved in all stages, from the operational, managers, controllers and respective departments;
- Deadlines – determine the deadlines for completing each stage of the next phase (development);
- Indicators – indicators and metrics in order to monitor the evolution of the project, determine whether the intermediate objectives are being achieved, the level of efficiency of the actions carried out and the fulfillment of deadlines.
Development
The development phase, despite appearing here after planning, is the longest of all, as it usually starts before the project, particularly in the case of a change in products and is when engineers, designers and technicians already make sketches, drawings , sometimes even experimental models that serve as a basis for idealizing what the final product will be.
The team responsible for development also participates in planning, when, for example, it informs which technologies will be used, the need for certain raw materials and everything that is required for the manufacture of the product. But also in the case of a service that may also need auxiliary resources, such as a system or even hardware.
It is also the development’s responsibility to deliver the final product and accompany it throughout its life cycle, as it is not uncommon for improvements, corrections and evolutions to be made.
marketing and advertising
A considerable part of the success is the responsibility of the work of Advertising and Marketing. This can be seen in many examples, such as the aforementioned Windows Phone, in which Microsoft bet more on the position already conquered by Windows and only started to invest when the project was already doomed to failure.
Perhaps the most striking example comes from a successful launch that for many was the first mobile phone with a flexible and foldable screen, the Samsung Galaxy Fold. However, it wasn’t. The pioneer was FlexPai, from the Chinese company Royole, launched at CES 2019.
As Royole did not do its homework and still had the global presence and visibility of the Samsung brand against it, for many, the position of pioneer in the segment fell to the South Korean company, which has always invested heavily in Marketing and Advertising for the products they represent. innovation and that in this niche, it is crucial.
It’s not enough to be the first, you have to “make a lot of noise” so that everyone knows who you are and why you are.
And don’t be scared, because your small business doesn’t need to make even close to the investment of the Korean electronics giant, nor does it need to be a disruptive innovation, because it doesn’t have to either.
Creating and letting customers know that your pizzeria is the first to offer a menu with vegan options in the neighborhood, can already consist of an important competitive advantage, in a market dominated by “carnivores”, but which projects that in a short time there should be about 30% vegetarian and vegan!
Conclusion
Being a pioneer, innovating and setting trends through your line of products / services, with method and discipline, can lead to success for your company, your brand.
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