Brand Relevance: Making Competitors Irrelevant - always yours

FINDING NEW CONCEPTS 185
organization potentially represent huge additions to the creative
efforts of the fi rm. P & G with its Connect and Develop (C & D)
programs, which started in 2001 under the auspices of the
then - new CEO A. J. Lafl ey, provides a model. 18 The objective
of C & D is to make P & G an open organization with broad networks
that will ultimately generate one - half of the fi rm ’ s fl ow
of new products. The program has some seventy - fi ve technology
entrepreneurs around the world who have connected with
a host of innovative sources in universities, think tanks, and
other fi rms. They not only look for products that have evidence
of being worthwhile but also research market needs and suggest
innovation directions. They are supported by innovation centers
simulating home and store environments that can be used
to test ideas. These efforts are supplemented by such Internet -
based engines as the InnoCentive, which links “ seekers ” (companies
with problems) and “ solvers ” (experts with solutions).
and a P & G - supported company, YourEncore.com , that taps the
expertise of retirees from P & G and other fi rms.
After seven years the C & D program was generating some
two product concepts per week and had spawned some two hundred
products. They include the following:
• Olay Regenerist , which reached $ 250 million in annual sales
after four years, which was based on an ingredient for wound
healing developed by Sederma, a small French company.
• Swiffer Duster , which was sourced from Unicharm, a
Japanese fi rm that competes with P & G in the diaper and
feminine - care categories. P & G even used the advertising
and positioning ideas of Unicharm.
• Mr. Clean Magic Eraser . A C & D team noticed a household
sponge product sold in Japan that was very effective as a
spot eraser. The underlying technology was licensed from
the German chemical company BASF and introduced in the
United States under the Mr. Clean brand.