In a room filled with Innovation, Insight, Marketing, and Capability experts, Shafik Saba busted some myths about disruption and transformation at our summer party. As Global Lead of Front End Innovation at Haleon, Shafik explained that, when it comes to over-the-counter (OTC) healthcare, though major breakthroughs like bionic limbs and brain-computer interfaces capture headlines, the real impact often lies in subtler changes that touch not 1000’s but millions of everyday lives. For example, developing daily topical pain-relief that allows millions of arthritis sufferers to manage their pain.
As the manufacturer of leading brands such as Sensodyne, Haleon’s transformation of the oral care category starts with the courage his organisation has taken to make the most of emerging technologies, underpinned by consumer intelligence, to maximise innovation.
Using brilliant examples from fashion, sport and automotive, Shafik gave us four learnings for disruption and transformation:
- Harness big data – Look to the TRIZ methodology to leverage pattern and trend analysis from over 100 million patent filings, it might just predict the next evolution in your category. This gives brands the all-important North Star to work towards – an end point that will result in true disruption & competitive differentiation.
- Experts change behaviour – In the OTC industry specifically, trusted experts, such as dentists and pharmacists, play a pivotal role in driving consumers to their products.
- Anticipate environmental change – shifts in the environment can naturally speed up adoption. COVID, for example, made us more aware of our immune systems and the need to take our health into our own hand. Keeping an eye on such trends is vital for innovation.
- AI accelerates ideation – Without discounting the importance of people along the way, AI is an invaluable tool for Design Thinking. Effective AI prompting can give both simplify huge amounts of data fast, and inspire through generative creative ideas to accelerate and enhance your ideation process.
We constantly learn and are challenged by our clients, and it is a privilege to work with leading edge methodologies and visionary innovators like Shafik.
