Synthetic data has been posed as the solution to many of the challenges faced by market researchers. It is claimed that artificially generated data can mimic real-world responses, significantly changing the outlook for traditional market research data collection methods.

On the other hand, sceptics caution that the benefits of AI-generated data are overstated and outweighed by its potential drawbacks – put simply, this group argues that you are better off with smaller sample sizes with responses from real people rather than augmenting datasets with artificially-generated data. For now, at least.

As a specialist B2B agency, we wanted to put synthetic data to the test to objectively evaluate its potential applications in B2B market research today and in the future.

This article walks you through our experiment, the results, and shares our overall thoughts on the role synthetic data plays in B2B market research now and in the future.

Download PDF >

Readers of this article also viewed:

• B2B Insights Podcast #67: AI Is The New Fire; Don’t Get Burned
• AI in Market Research: The Challenges and Limitations of Synthetic Data
• Unlocking Deeper Insights with AI Probing in Online Surveys
• Transforming Tradition: Embracing Innovation in B2B Research

The post The Role of Synthetic Data in B2B Market Research appeared first on B2B International.

What is a G-Zero World?

Obtaining reliable, high-value insights from decision-makers worldwide is not easy. This makes a well-executed B2B market research project crucial.

As we move deeper into 2025 and beyond, we may witness a shift in the global order where no single country or group of countries holds the political and economic leverage to drive an international agenda or provide global public goods. This scenario is known as a G-Zero world.

In a G-Zero world, the absence of global leadership and increased geopolitical instability could significantly impact B2B businesses and, consequently, B2B market research. In this article, I will explore some potential effects on various research methods and survey types, offering solutions and considerations for each.

Further Reading

Navigating Market Research Interviews in the APAC Region

Read now

Implications for the Market Research Industry

1. Increased Data Privacy Concerns

Challenge: With varying regulations across regions, research could face challenges in data collection and compliance. Researchers will need to navigate different privacy laws, making it crucial to stay updated on regional regulations.

Solution: Invest in robust data security measures such as encryption and secure data storage. Stay informed about GDPR, CCPA, and other regional privacy regulations. B2B International, as part of dentsu, provides expert-level oversight and peace of mind by ensuring compliance with global data privacy standards. Being part of a truly global company ensures teams regularly update security protocols, keeping data and insights as secure as possible.

2. Access to Respondents

Challenge: Instability and subsequent effects on markets and business can affect respondent availability in certain regions, potentially skewing data.

Solution: Hone access to diverse sets of respondents using multiple recruitment channels to ensure a steady flow of participants, even in regions facing obstacles. Partnering with agencies with proven experience in reaching hard-to-access respondents will make a significant difference. At B2B International, we leverage global networks to recruit respondents from diverse backgrounds. Our use of innovative survey tools, such as mobile-compatible platforms, ensures we reach participants in areas with limited time and resources.

3. Cultural Diversity

Challenge: Increased geopolitical tensions may heighten cultural sensitivities. Researchers must be more aware of cultural nuances and biases when conducting interviews or focus groups, and surveys need to be tailored to capture these diverse perspectives accurately.

Solution: Train researchers on cultural nuances and biases. The use of moderators who understand the cultural context to conduct interviews and focus groups can significantly boost engagement and rapport, resulting in richer insights. Consider customized surveys to reflect regional differences in respondent expectations and experiences. B2B International employs experienced moderators and conducts cultural sensitivity workshops for our team. We also leverage adaptive survey techniques, such as AI probing, to tailor questions based on respondent demographics.

4. Brand Perception

Challenge: In a G-Zero world, brands may be perceived differently based on their geopolitical stance or origin. Branding surveys need to consider these perceptions and their impact on brand equity.

Solution: Monitor brand perception continuously. Analyzing and developing strategies to address negative perceptions and maintain positive perceptions can make a remarkable difference. Tracking brand mentions and sentiment across different regions empowers companies and clients to act, responding promptly to feedback to manage brand reputation. The team at B2B International helps clients develop proactive strategies to manage their brand reputation effectively.

5. Collaboration and Innovation

Challenge: There may be a greater need for collaboration with research partners and innovative research methods to overcome the challenges posed by geopolitical instability.

Solution: Partner with experts to leverage innovative research methods to overcome challenges posed by geopolitical instability. Technology-driven methods like AI and machine learning can enhance data analysis. B2B International has over two decades of global B2B research experience. We employ the latest proven technology to continually improve the research process and deliver comprehensive insights in innovative ways.

Further Reading

How To Overcome The Challenge Of Cultural Bias When Conducting Multi-Country B2B Research

Read now

Summary

Overall, the complexity of conducting B2B market research increases in a G-Zero world. Researchers must be adaptable and prepared to handle rapid changes and uncertainties. Using a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, developing multiple research scenarios, and creating flexible research plans with the help of experts can impart stability in an unstable global environment.

To discuss how our tailored insights programs can help solve your specific business challenges, get in touch and one of the team will be happy to help.

The post Navigating B2B Market Research in a G-Zero World: Challenges and Solutions appeared first on B2B International.

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, innovation is not just a buzzword; it’s a necessity for survival and growth. Companies that embrace a culture of innovation are better positioned to adapt to changes, solve complex problems, and meet the evolving needs of their customers.

In this blog post, we’ll explore the key attributes of organizations with strong innovation cultures and introduce a streamlined workflow designed to maximize the effective adoption of innovative ideas.

Attributes of Companies with Innovation Cultures

1. Strategic Understanding of Innovation: Employees recognize the business reasons for innovation, viewing it as a strategic process rather than a mere activity. This understanding fosters a collective commitment to innovation across all levels of an organization.

2. Continuous Communication: Keeping employees informed about innovation developments is crucial. Regular updates ensure that everyone is aligned and aware of the latest trends and initiatives.

3. Measurement and Tracking: Successful innovation processes are tracked and measured against business goals. This accountability helps in assessing the effectiveness of innovation efforts and making necessary adjustments.

4. Leadership Engagement: Leaders who stay updated with new information and trends can guide their teams more effectively. Their involvement is vital in fostering an innovative mindset throughout the organization.

5. Safe Environment for Ideas: Employees must feel safe to express their ideas without fear of criticism. A culture that encourages open dialogue fosters creativity and collaboration.

6. Diversity in Teams: Purposefully diverse teams enhance creativity through divergent thinking. Different perspectives lead to more innovative solutions.

7. Structured Innovation Process: A clear understanding of the innovation process helps teams navigate from ideation to implementation effectively.

Further Reading

Transforming Tradition: Embracing Innovation in B2B Research

Read now

The Innovation Workflow: From Ideation to Implementation

To effectively harness innovative ideas, a structured workflow is essential. Here’s a breakdown of B2B International’s Innovation Workflow:

1. Idea Generation: Encourage brainstorming sessions where employees can freely share their ideas. This phase is crucial for tapping into collective creativity.

2. Allocate Responsibilities: Define and allocate tasks based on individual skills, interests, and availability. This ensures that everyone is engaged and accountable for their contributions.

3. Experiment and Assess: Test different processes, methods, or tools to identify potential issues and establish best practices. This iterative approach allows for continuous improvement. Record failures to learn what works and what doesn’t.

4. Implementation: Roll out solutions with the necessary training and resources. Onboarding new tools or processes should be accompanied by comprehensive support to ensure smooth adoption.

5. Monitor and Evaluate: Continuously oversee the effectiveness of implemented processes. Regular evaluations help in adjusting, ensuring the innovation remains aligned with strategic goals.

6. Share Success: Celebrate successes and positive outcomes across the organization. Recognizing achievements fosters a culture of innovation and motivates teams to continue pushing boundaries.

7. Positive Reinforcement: Encourage a culture of feedback and recognition. Positive reinforcement helps sustain momentum and encourages ongoing innovation efforts.

Further Reading

How Design Thinking Can Help Drive B2B Innovation

Read now

Conclusion

Creating a culture of innovation requires intentional effort and a structured approach. By understanding the key attributes of innovative organizations and implementing a robust workflow, companies can maximize the effective adoption of new ideas. This not only enhances creativity but also drives sustainable growth and success in an ever-changing marketplace.

To discuss how our tailored insights programs can help solve your specific business challenges, get in touch and one of the team will be happy to help.

The post Fostering Innovation: A Streamlined Workflow to Create a Strong Innovation Culture appeared first on B2B International.

What is Kotler’s Five Product Levels Model?

Kotler’s 5 Product Levels model is used to develop new products or services or improve existing products or services and ensure they not only meet but exceed customers’ expectations.

The model developed by Philip Kotler highlights five ways to add value to a product or service. Each additional level adds increased value to your product or service and helps to differentiate it from your competitors.

The five product levels are:

1. The core benefit – The most basic benefit the customer gets from the product or service. For example, when you buy payroll software, the core benefit is that employees will be paid on-time with the correct amount.

2. The basic product – The basic features associated with the product or service that enable it to meet the core benefit. Payroll software needs to ensure employees are paid on-time and with the correct amount every month.

3. The expected product – The set of attributes or features customers anticipate they will receive from buying the product or service. For example, buyers of payroll software might expect it to automatically calculate pay, leave, and pension deductions.

4. The augmented product – The features that add value to the product or service (often intangible). They set the product or service apart from the competition. Payroll software could enable employees to access their pay slips online and make changes to their pension contributions.

5. The potential product – The possible changes the product or service could go through in the future and the features which could be added to improve satisfaction or further differentiate from the competition. For example, a potential add-on to the payroll software could be a platform where employees can submit timesheets or request leave.

Further Reading

Using the Push-Pull Model to Successfully Bring New Products to Market

Read Blog

Use Cases For Kotler’s 5 Product Levels Model In B2B Research

Customer needs research – Kotler’s 5 Product Levels can be applied to customer needs research to help identify which elements of a product or service are considered table stakes and need to be included to meet basic customer needs versus which elements of a product or service add value for the customer and help to differentiate from the competition.

Product development research – When introducing new B2B products or services, Kotler’s 5 Product Levels can provide guidance when building the current product or service offering and thinking ahead to how the product or service could eventually evolve.

Value proposition research – Kotler’s 5 Product Levels can be included in Value Proposition research to ensure that the product or service offered meets and exceeds customer expectations. It can also be a useful tool to highlight which parts of the offering should be emphasized in communication about the product or service to the customer.

Further Reading

How to Meet the Emotional Needs of B2B Buyers

Read Blog

Complementary Frameworks to Kotler’s 5 Product Levels Model

Kotler’s 5 Product Levels Model can be combined with other popular frameworks to enhance customer needs research, product development research, and value proposition research.

KANO – A framework for analyzing which attributes of products or services are valued by customers. The framework focuses on the satisfaction of customers with an attribute and the degree to which the product or service delivers against what is expected.

Three Circles Framework – The framework consists of customer needs, company strengths and competitor strengths. Each of these areas interlink to reveal the points of parity in the market and the points of differentiation you or competitors may have. The Three Circles Framework helps to understand which customer needs are currently being met and by which companies and understand where a company currently sits in the market space against competitors.

Value Proposition Canvas – A framework to help ensure that a product or service is positioned around what the customer values and needs. The Value Proposition Canvas can be used when there is a need to refine an existing product or service offering or where a new offering is being developed from scratch.

SAVE Framework – An alternative to the market mix framework (4 Ps). While the 4 Ps focuses only on the product or service, the SAVE framework broadens the focus to include the needs of the customer. The framework focuses on; Solution, Access, Value and Education.

To discuss how our tailored insights programs can help solve your specific business challenges, get in touch and one of the team will be happy to help.

The post 3 Use Cases for Kotler’s Five Product Levels Framework in B2B Research appeared first on B2B International.

Introducing The Kano Classification Model

It is fairly common when dealing with product development projects to attempt to in some way quantify the importance of certain features or attributes that the product may possess to the appeal of the product as a whole. This is obviously a valuable insight to have but sometimes this overlooks a fundamental difference in the role played by different attributes when it comes to selecting a suitable product. The Kano model attempts to sort features and attributes by these roles to give more context to these insights.

If you think back to a recent purchase you’ve made you will often start with a shortlist of key features or attributes you are looking for which must be present for the product to be considered. These are essential to a product being acceptable, but are not something that will excite the buyer. Examples might include the presence of basic functions or features like a car having 4 wheels or a printer being compatible with your computer. Under the Kano model these sorts of attributes are generally referred to as “Hygiene Factors” or “Threshold Attributes”.

Other features may not be required for a product to be acceptable but make the product more desirable when they are present. These might include things like two-tone paint on a sportscar or a “macro mode” function for your smartphone camera. These are referred to as “Delight Factors” or “Excitement Attributes”.

The third category of interest consists of the key measures by which the performance of a product is judged. This might include things like horsepower for a sports car or maximum lift load for a crane. These are referred to as “Performance Indicators” or “Performance Attributes”.

Some attributes may not show strong importance at all and my be seen as irrelevant to the appeal of the product. These are referred to as “Indifference Attributes”.

It has been observed that these roles can evolve over time, with the delight factors of today sometimes becoming the hygiene factors of tomorrow. An example of this is how the inclusion of a digital camera in a mobile phone has gone from a novelty and a delight factor when it was first introduced, to being a basic expected feature today.

It is important to note that these roles are tied to the needs and wants of the purchaser and so we can expect some segmentation in how this breaks down. A parent buying a car for the school run will have a different set of Hygiene factors, Performance Indicators and Delight Factors than someone buying a car for leisure and prestige.

The Kano Exercise

The traditional way to categorize attributes and features according to the Kano model is to conduct a Kano exercise. This involves asking the following two questions about each feature or attribute being tested:

1. How would you feel if the product did have the following property?

   • I like it
   • I expect it
   • I am neutral
   • I can tolerate it
   • I dislike it

2. How would you feel if the product did not have the following property?

   • I like it
   • I expect it
   • I am neutral
   • I can tolerate it
   • I dislike it

The intent here is to measure the range of possible emotional responses that varying functionality with respect to one aspect of performance can achieve.

Ideally we want to measure the reaction to finding out a product totally fails to fulfil this function and comparing it to their reaction to a product that maximally fulfils this function. This can be a little tricky.

The standard language used for the questions is often not up to the task and may need to be tweaked to make more sense in the context.

For each respondent the attribute is classified based on the pair of responses given.

A – Where responses range from “OK” to “Great” indicate a delight factor
M – Where responses range from “Terrible” to “OK” indicate a hygiene factor
P – Where responses range from “Terrible” to “Great” indicate a performance measure
I – If they don’t really care either way then we can conclude that it’s unimportant
R – Occasionally we will get something that actually hurts the product! The more you deliver, the less satisfied they are. This could be something like bringing “Clippy” back to Microsoft Office…..
Q – Certain response patterns don’t really make sense and can be used as a quality control during the data cleaning process.

This provides us with a classification for all the attributes/features we tested for each respondent. We can use this to identify what role each feature/attribute generally plays as well as to identify any prominent needs segments within the market. These insights are particularly useful when we are attempting to develop a range of products to address the market and want to understand what the basic model should include and if multiple premium extensions would unlock more of the market for us.

It is worth noting that the Kano exercise does not measure the relative importance of these factors. It is focused solely on the nature of the role played by each feature/attribute in selecting a product. If we want to understand the importance each of these has then we need to follow it up with something that measures importance (such as a MaxDiff exercise).

Kano Regression Modelling

Another way to employ the Kano Classification Model is to measure the interaction of delivery on various attributes on overall satisfaction with the product implicitly through regression modelling.

To conduct this analysis we need to have collected a large amount of satisfaction data for all the attributes we want to test along with the overall satisfaction of the respondent with the product.

We can then create a pair of linear regression models each focusing on a different subset of respondents.

1. The low-end model focusses just on respondents giving an overall satisfaction score of 1 to 8.

2. The high-end model focusses instead on all respondents giving an overall satisfaction score of 7 or more.

We can then identify which attributes are important drivers of overall satisfaction at the low-end and high-end of the satisfaction scale and use this to categorize the attributes according to the Kano Classification.

Some attributes may be strong drivers in both models but be more dominant in one than the other. This suggests they play dual role as a Performance Indicator and either a Delight Factor or Hygiene Factor (depending on which model they are stronger in).

Using Shapley Regression or Relative Importance Analysis, we can even plot the importance of each attribute in each model to get a visual expression of this classification.

This approach is a great way to add context to insights about the relative importance that these attributes have but only measures the typical role of each attribute across the sample, rather than for each respondent. As such it is less useful in identifying needs based segments. By quantifying the contribution of each attribute at either end of the satisfaction scale though it does allow us to track the evolution of the roles of these attributes over time and predict when features are transitioning into being hygiene factors (and therefore identifying where existing solutions which lack these features may cease to be suitable for the market).

It can be an excellent addition to a CX study aiming to help focus resources towards customer retention and advocacy. Hygiene factors can be targeted to prevent customers from leaving, while delight factors can be harnessed for messaging in order to effectively drive advocacy.

It is also worth remembering that this method requires relatively large bases to produce reliable results as we need a suitably large base for both the low-end and high-end models.

Parting Thoughts

Kano Classification is a useful tool in enriching the insights we can draw from satisfaction research and supporting product development efforts. It is particularly valuable when attempting to develop or evolve a product range designed to efficiently meet the needs of a segmented market. If you are planning some product development research, a Kano exercise may be a good step to consider including in order to generate more contextualized insight and when conducting CX research, Kano Regression may help provide a clearer picture of what is causing loss of customers or driving advocacy.

The post Using the Kano Classification Model to Quantify the Importance of Product Features and Attributes appeared first on B2B International.

In recent years, the world of market research technology (ResTech) has seen significant advancements. New tools and technologies have revolutionized various aspects of the research process, enhanced data quality, and helped to speed up project timelines.

In the world of B2B research, challenges still exist in accessing decision makers and ensuring they are truly responsible for the products and solutions we seek their views on, as well as in the time it takes to synthesize data and develop actionable conclusions and recommendations. That said, this blog post explores several examples of how B2B International is leveraging innovative solutions to enhance qualitative research projects.

Injecting AI

We have had lots of discussions around where it is appropriate to use AI. We are testing the use of AI through dentsu’s collaboration with Microsoft, we are part of the Microsoft Copilot Early Access Program which gives us access to advanced Azure OpenAI technologies in a secure manner.

One notable application is the use of AI-generated transcripts. This has significantly reduced the turnaround time between interview completion and access to the interview write-ups. This has enabled us to run pilot stages at pace, ensuring that interviews are addressing the research objectives and swiftly identify emerging themes and insights to share with our clients.

Video interviewing platforms

Whilst in-person research is beginning to reemerge following the pandemic, we have embraced video interviewing platforms to give our clients the opportunity to observe interviews firsthand.

However, finding a solution that is intuitive, compliant and can handle multiple languages has not been an easy task. Since introducing the platform, it has been invaluable in engaging client teams in the research process, particularly for exploratory research and research where we have been seeking feedback on the customer experience.

Interactive online qualitative research

The demand for online diaries and activity-based research has increased, perhaps driven by the success of these methods in consumer research. Through partnerships with leading online qualitative platforms, we can design custom online activities.

These are particularly helpful when we have stimuli to review or looking for participants to ideate around a problem or challenge. We can use activities such as video/image reviews, card sorting and fill-in-the-blank exercises. This allows for deeper engagement with participants and richer insights into their attitudes and preferences.

By adding these new tools to our toolbox, we are not only overcoming challenges that we have faced but also setting new standards for project efficiency and the quality of the outputs that we can deliver to our clients.

To discuss how our innovative B2B research studies can help solve your specific business challenges, get in touch and one of the team will be happy to help.

The post Transforming Tradition: Embracing Innovation in B2B Research appeared first on B2B International.

In today’s business environment, there is mounting pressure for B2B marketers to do more with less. The pace of business is fast, teams are lean, competition is fierce, and the need to remain innovative is higher than ever.

Yet, what many should remember is that innovation doesn’t necessarily mean creating “the next best thing”. Innovation is a continual process of improvement and seeking to better understand new and different ways of satisfying the needs of customers.

There is a lot that B2B marketers can borrow from consumer-oriented businesses to rev up their innovation efforts. One effective way is leveraging the principles of design thinking and applying it to product development / innovation initiatives.

The AMA defines the 5 steps in design thinking as:

1. Empathize – gain a deep understanding of your customers / end-users’ behaviors and needs
2. Define – clearly frame the problem to solve
3. Ideate – cross-functional brainstorming
4. Prototype – rapidly bringing ideas to life
5. Test – experimenting and capturing quick feedback from customers / end-users

In this article, we will look at each of the 5 steps in the design thinking process and how B2B organizations could apply them to their businesses – specifically for product development so that as new products are developed, they are desirable (customers want it), feasible (the company can do it), and viable (the business can scale it).

View The Interactive PDF >

Empathize – Understanding the Customer’s Needs

Design thinking is often associated with terms such as “human-centered design” or “user-centered design”. This underscores the clear link between the business and people – after all, businesses serve people.

The first step in the design thinking process is to bring a deep understanding of the customer or more importantly, the end-user, into the process. Oftentimes, B2B organizations rely on internal customer-facing functions such as the sales teams or customer service to act as the voice of the customer. While helpful, this provides a limited view of the true customer experience.

It is therefore crucial to capture the customer’s point of view in an unbiased way and to step into their shoes to better understand their goals, motivations, behaviors, challenges and unmet needs. Leveraging primary research such as ethnographies, focus groups, or in-depth interviews with customers and developing decision making eco-systems, buyer personas, and customer journey maps are excellent tools for building foundational knowledge about B2B customers.

Define – Identify the Problem to Solve and Develop a Clear Brief

Famous inventor, Charles Kettering, once said “A problem well-stated is half-solved.”. Truer words have not been spoken when it comes to innovation. To inspire creative ideas, there needs to be a clear problem to solve. By gathering customer insights from the empathy stage (and other resources) and looking for common trends or themes, teams may start to identify certain opportunity areas to plan to innovate around. It’s not uncommon for several opportunity areas or unmet needs to exist.

However, it’s important for organizations to prioritize which to attack first. This step could also help to build a pipeline of opportunities to explore over the near, mid, and long term. The output from the ‘Defining’ stage is typically a well-crafted brief with a strategic focus, clear objectives, and inspiration that can guide both design and research later in the process.

Ideate – Unleash Creativity and Generate Potential Solutions

Armed with a strong foundation of customer knowledge and a clear direction on what problem to solve, it’s time to bring together a cross-functional team to collaborate and generate ideas for solutions. The purpose of these sessions is to focus on the main problem to solve – per the brief coming out of the Defining stage – and to generate as many possible solutions as possible. During these collaborative brainstorming sessions, it’s critical to create an environment that encourages divergent thinking – where everything from mild to wild is acceptable. Once all ideas are on the table, the goal will be to begin converging on a few high potential ideas worth pursuing.

The converging process is often where the blue-sky thinking gets a dose of reality and constraints are applied. Using tools such as a SWOT, customer value proposition, or impact/feasibility frameworks can be helpful in prioritizing which opportunities to pursue first. By the end of the Ideation stage there should be several potential concepts (and alternatives) as well as hypothesis about benefits to further explore.

Prototype – Rapidly Bringing Ideas To Life

Quickly bringing new product concepts to life in a way that customers / end-users can engage and interact with is a critical component for how B2B organizations can leverage design thinking in their innovation process. This step is mostly led by the product design team who take inspiration from the ideation stage and think of ways that the company could feasibly bring a new product to market. Depending on the subject, prototypes could take the form of 3D printed models, renderings, concept statements, wireframes, etc.

The intent of the prototyping stage is to quickly design stimuli for testing that customers / end-users can understand, react to, and provide feedback on how it may / may not work for them or their organization. Often there are several concepts and alternatives developed that each represent a unique benefit. The purpose of this is to isolate variables and build upon what is working.

Early in the innovation process these conceptual prototypes don’t necessarily have to be perfect – a term that is often used in this space is Minimally Viable Product (MVP). That means if the prototype is at a high enough fidelity for the general idea to be understood, it should be good enough for testing. As the concepts move closer to commercialization, the need for higher fidelity prototypes increases (i.e., close to a final working product).

Test – Agile Feedback from Real Customers

The once conceptual ideas have been brought to life via prototyping and are now ready to be tested with customers / end-users. Although many associate product testing with quantitative benchmarking (which is appropriate at times), a qualitative approach can help product teams dive much deeper into the “why” and “how” of the feedback to truly understand how a potential product idea may be used in real world applications.

One common pitfall at this stage in the process is allowing customers to drive the innovation process. While customer feedback is extremely important, learnings need to be validated with business experts who understand both feasibility and strategy. This is especially true with upstream innovation (i.e., where product concepts are still in their infancy) and learnings are used as building blocks to continue informing the design process.

The key to the testing stage is to go in with a clear set of hypotheses and action standards / success criteria that can help inform go/no-go decisions for winnowing down the number of concept candidates to further pursue.

While there are 5 clear steps in the design thinking process, it is not always linear. In fact, the design and innovation process is meant to be agile and iterative, meaning teams might go back and forth between stages before moving forward (e.g., test, learn, ideate, prototype, test again) as new information may challenge ingoing hypotheses or lead to new ideas. The benefit of following this process is quite rewarding as innovation efforts are closely linked to customer needs and the design of products is strongly informed by customer feedback so products provide added-value, are differentiated, and commercially viable to produce.

B2B International along with its sister agencies across Merkle B2B are uniquely equipped to help clients unlock new innovation opportunities that contribute to an overall more valuable customer and brand experience.

References

https://www.ama.org/marketing-news/the-5-phases-of-design-thinking/

The post How Design Thinking Can Help Drive B2B Innovation appeared first on B2B International.

In these times of uncertainty, we have created a new podcast series to help you understand how businesses like yours are adapting, as well as hearing experts across various industries give their best advice on how you can defend your brand and remain successful during these times.

This week marks the first episode of the series, and I was fortunate enough to catch up with James Gibson; an Insights Manager from Michelin Europe on “The Importance of Innovation to Stay Ahead”. His whole career has been spent working in insights on the client side so he’s a true expert in his field.

Find out how Michelin has remained at the forefront of innovation during this pandemic, how they are operating during the crisis, and how insights have helped them adapt their strategy to become more digital-focused through these times.

Listen to the full episode below for a 45 minute lesson from a true insights expert.

The post Insights Inside #1: The Importance of Innovation to Stay Ahead w/ James Gibson (Michelin) appeared first on B2B International.

The late Steve Jobs once said that it is innovation that distinguishes between leaders and followers. While there are no prizes for guessing on which side of this dichotomy businesses hope to fall, innovation can be a challenge. While we often think of innovation in terms of research and development, product design or a particularly creative marketing campaign, innovation relating to the internal processes of a business can be just as important for maximising efficiency and staying ahead of the competition. But can sociological theory help to explain why this can be so difficult for businesses to achieve?

Isomorphism is a concept that was developed by DiMaggio and Powell to help explain the tendency for organisations within a similar field to adopt similar behaviours, thus reaching equilibrium and becoming increasingly similar to each other – particularly in terms of internal structure and processes. Enrique Dans, a Professor of Innovation, argues strongly that “isomorphism strangles innovation, original thought, and the development of the kinds of initiatives that can often give business a competitive edge”. But how does isomorphism, this state of conformity and habit, come about? And what can be done to fight against it?

DiMaggio and Powell identified three causes of isomorphism: coercive, normative and mimetic. Coercive isomorphism relates to homogeneity that arises across businesses that are subject to the same regulations or political influence. Normative isomorphism describes the pressure to conform to perceived norms and values in the industry – “this is the way we do things”. Finally, mimetic isomorphism occurs when organisations experiencing a period of uncertainty mimic organisations that are perceived as “successful”, and conformity ensues as a result.

It is important to note that homogeneity brought about by isomorphism is not the same as the homogeneity that results from competitors mimicking new innovations and practices from each other – an example of the latter being the recent widespread rise of Account-Based Marketing in the B2B world, which began as a real innovation but over the past year has become increasingly mainstream. It can be argued, relating back to the earlier quote from Enrique Dans, that isomorphism is what prevents these new and innovate ideas from arising in businesses in the first instance.

What can be done to resist this and continue on a path of innovation? While coercive isomorphism has a certain inevitability, as firms should not be encouraged to break rules and regulations and will thus experience a certain degree of homogeneity there, normative and mimetic isomorphism may be easier to resist by questioning and challenging industry norms and making bold decisions in response to uncertainty.

In his essay responding to DiMaggio and Powell, Koushik Dutta suggested that decision makers wanting to develop “non-isomorphic action” should exhibit three characteristics. The first of these, systems thinking, is something that should be familiar to market researchers! It is the ability to identify patterns, relationships and trends – often in areas of complexity. The second, moral agency – the adoption of standards of right or wrong – we hope would also be familiar. The third desirable characteristic to drive innovation and resist isomorphic conformity is self-efficacy – the belief an individual or team has in their ability to successfully execute innovative ideas, which are often seen as risky purely because they have never been done before.

Like any sociological theory, isomorphism is open for debate. However, it can be seen as a useful framework to understand why we sometimes stall with innovation. This understanding can in turn empower decision makers to be mindful of and fight against the pressures of conformity that want to make us all followers.

The post Innovation and Isomorphism appeared first on B2B International.

New products breathe life into a product portfolio. “New” is one of the most powerful words in the marketing vocabulary and every company needs to see a significant proportion of its product lineup graced with this adjective. This is something we all know. What is more difficult to determine is where ideas for new products come from.

New ideas can arise randomly or they can be forced in a more systematic way.

Random ideas may appear as such, but it is more likely that they are drawn magnetically to the crucible of design. A company’s existing products will inevitably draw comments and conceptions from within the company and from customers. The skill is being able to harness these seemingly random suggestions and vet them to see if they can be turned into a viable opportunity.

However, we haven’t time to hang around waiting for random ideas which may not arise when we need them. It is worthwhile therefore understanding how to force the generation of new product ideas. Here are 8 possibilities:

1. Look to the competition. Visit exhibitions, look on the Internet, walk around distributors premises. Despite what people say, there can be money to be made out of being second into the market. Think BookStacks which was founded in 1992 and paved the way for Amazon who didn’t start in business until a couple of years later and made a better fist of it.

2. Look at market sectors. Look at the indirect competition – companies making products that perform a similar function to yours but which are made in a different way. A manufacturer of cardboard boxes wanted to extend its range and looked at companies using plastics in packaging where it found targets which were interested in a more sustainable packaging product.

3. Look at patent applications. Where patents are registered and what they are for can be highly illuminating. In addition, there could be mileage in looking at patent applications which have remained dormant but which could present good licensing opportunities today.

4. Look inside your own company. Ask the sales teams, look back through old reports, check the archives. There could be something that was not appropriate for launch a few years ago which could make it to the market today.

5. Look to customers. Customers use your products and sometimes they modify them to make them more user-friendly without mentioning what they have done to you. Walk round your customers’ factories and offices and see how your products (and your competitors’ products) are being used. Ask your customers what they would wish for if they had a magic wand.

6. Look at the pressures influencing a market. The traditional forces that shape a market are political, economic, social and technological. Which of these are having most effect on your market? A company selling mail-order products could see that its customer base was ageing rapidly. Instead of trying to diversify and find younger customers, it extended its products for older people and tapped into a very wealthy and profitable seam.

7. Look to the academics. Universities and academics have time on their hands to think about new products. Sometimes their lack of commercialization means that they ignore opportunities which are sat on their benches.

8. Look to foreign sources. It used to be said that products launched in America would find their way into other countries five years later. America isn’t the only cradle of new product development today. Asia could be a fertile source of new ideas.

The post 8 Ways to Generate New Product Ideas appeared first on B2B International.