Blogs & Resources

I had the pleasure of chairing the FMCG stage and here are five things I took away from the day.

Drawing on a conversation with Sally Kemkers, Sharon Powell explores why the most valuable consumer insights often sit beyond what people can readily articulate and how finding them gives R&D better problems to solve.

Untapped Claims & Demos™ builds on the Untapped Product Story™ Arc, helping R&D teams translate user insights and technical breakthroughs into claims and demonstrations that are distinctive, credible and commercially meaningful.

The most successful innovations are those whose value is understood by the people they are designed to serve. By combining technical excellence with compelling storytelling, R&D teams can build stronger propositions, uncover new opportunities and create lasting commercial impact.

It’s healthy to be curious about what’s happening in adjacent categories because consumers don’t think in categories. Consumers don’t wake up and separate their lives into food, beauty, fashion and technology. They’re experiencing all of it, and expectations transfer between…

A clear Product Story provides the thread that holds the innovation together. It helps R&D, Marketing and commercial teams understand the user problem being solved, the role the technology plays in solving it and the experience the product is ultimately…

The conversation around innovation has become increasingly dominated by speed. Every organisation is looking for ways to shorten development timelines, reduce time to market and increase the return on every pound invested in innovation. Consumer expectations continue to evolve, retailers…

Dr. Chad McAllister and I do not come from the same world. He has spent his career in software and product management, and hosts the Product Mastery Now podcast. I have spent mine in FMCG, working inside R&D teams developing…

The beverage industry is being fundamentally reshaped. Consumers no longer expect drinks simply to refresh them. They increasingly expect beverages to hydrate, energise, calm, support digestion, provide protein, replace alcohol or fit a healthier lifestyle. Taste remains essential, but function…

After two inspiring days at ISPIM and the Innovation Conference Board in Granada, I returned with fresh ideas, new connections and renewed confidence in the future of innovation. A clear theme emerged: innovation isn’t just about technology. It’s about understanding people,…

Reformulation is one of the most constant and commercially loaded challenges in CPG R&D. Raw material costs shift, regulations evolve, packaging components are discontinued, and through all of it the expectation remains the same: consumers must continue to love the product and the business…

It was great to spend time at the Quirk’s Media Event in London this week, immersing in the latest thinking and case studies from the research and insights industry. There was only really one topic of conversation …. AI and…