Page 140 - Free the Idea Monkey

I am now tired of writing about this story because I know how
it ends. (And you have already guessed.) The project was a failure.
Why? We did not have a clear understanding of the insight(s) that
would drive moms and kids to buy the product. In fact, we failed in
multiple ways.

1. We thought Enesco had hit on the big idea when
they told us about how kids wanted to build
deeper relationships with these dolls. When we
asked about how much research they had done
to prove the point, they had assured us they had
done “enough.” Unfortunately, they hadn’t. We
should have pushed for a deeper understanding
of the consumers’ needs and wishes.

2. But that could have been okay if our sec-
ond assumption had been right. We thought
Enesco had the clout to drive this new line
through retail partners. If so, we may have been
able to do some learning in market. I have no
idea what happened here. We were not part
of this conversation. Perhaps the buyer didn’t
like the product or maybe the sales were light
at launch.

At the time, we lacked the experience or the authority to demand
more learning at the onset of the project and to drive the proper dia-
logue. Today we would have quickly realized that our assumptions,
and some of their insights, were incomplete, and done something
about it. Ignorance may be bliss. But it’s also expensive.

Insights are the heart of innovation. Without them, you will
not have a clue what your consumers/customers want/need. Without
knowing what they want/need, any idea you come up with will be
just a guess at best.

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