Discover Benefits

Sometimes an invention or an insight may fail to gain traction because it appears to lack major benefits, or because its intended benefits may not be very relevant or credible. The challenge for such initiatives lies in discovering new benefits that resonate better with consumers, possibly in a different context. The following are some examples:

Exhibit 9.11   Post It – an accidental invention.

• Back in 1968, Dr Spencer Silver, a scientist at 3M inadvertently created a “low-tack”, reusable, adhesive which did not appear to serve a useful purpose. Later in 1974, Art Fry, another 3M associate came up with the idea of using the adhesive to anchor his bookmark in his hymnbook. The idea was subsequently broadened into the concept that we now know as Post It Notes (Exhibit 9.11).

Exhibit 9.12   Viagra – a failed angina drug turns into one of Pfizer’s most successful products.

• In 1992, conducting clinical trial in a small Welsh town called Merthyr Tydfil, researchers from Pfizer realized that their new drug was not very effective for treating angina, its intended purpose. Moreover, it had many side effects in men: back pain, stomach trouble, and long-lasting erections. What seemed like a failure to begin with turned into one of the firm’s most successful drugs. Shifting focus to the side effect, Pfizer eventually developed Viagra (Exhibit 9.12).