INNOVATION

Innovation Workshop 2019-02-24T11:06:59+00:00

Pearl’s Innovation Workshops

Our innovation workshops are designed to solve your specific business challenges.

Contact: Susan Weaver, Managing Director at susanweaver@pearl-strategy.ca or call 416.908.2446

Our Client Projects

TIM HORTONS: Created a product strategy to accelerate growth and strengthen its leadership in the breakfast occasion.

Business Challenge

Tim Hortons wanted to protect and expand its share leadership in breakfast by increasing consumer preference for its breakfast sandwich.

Solution

We identified product, positioning and experience drivers for the breakfast occasion. We assessed Tim Hortons breakfast sandwich performance versus the competitive set. We evaluated new breakfast sandwich products to understand overall appeal and optimization opportunities. We identified new innovation platforms to scale up the preferred breakfast sandwich product.

Results

Optimized the breakfast sandwich product which lead to increased sales at breakfast. Developed new innovation platforms which drove increased frequency in the breakfast occasion.

LOBLAWS: Created an innovation strategy, priority innovation platforms and new product pipeline to drive growth for Loblaws brands.

Business Challenge

Loblaws was interested in creating sustainable innovation that could have application across multiple Loblaws brands and categories.

Solution

In several cross functional workshops, we identified consumer opportunity areas and innovation platforms where Loblaws could source growth. In the final workshop, the team generated new product ideas for the priority innovation platforms.

Results

Together we generated over 200+ ideas to support the Loblaws innovation pipeline, enough to support a 3 year rolling calendar of innovation.

BOSTON PIZZA: Optimized a product recipe and its positioning for a key menu platform.

Business Challenge

Boston Pizza was interested to understand how better to deliver on their customers nacho experience.

Solution

In a quantitative central location test, gathered product feedback on new nacho products and gained customer feedback in qualitative groups on positioning, product and in restaurant experience opportunities.

Results

Boston Pizza launched an improved “Fully Loaded” nacho platform with stronger sales revenue than the original product.

Contact: Susan Weaver, Managing Director at susanweaver@pearl-strategy.ca or call 416.908.2446

TESTIMONIALS

My team recently had the opportunity to work with Pearl Strategy on an innovation project using the Facilitation for Innovation framework. We brought together 20 cross-functional team members for an intense session with the objective of generating brand new innovative ideas. To say the session was a success would be an understatement! Under Susan and Donya’s skillful leadership and complete understanding of the business issues, the team developed an array of platforms and positionings that could potentially make a strong impact on our category.

Following the session, the team’s feedback was overwhelmingly positive. We are looking forward to working with you again.

Senior Insights Manager
Working with Pearl was a pleasure as they brought a disciplined approach to uncovering consumer centric trends and insights, a strategic process and an integrated innovation plan that was new to the organization. Their experience in connecting consumer insights to platform opportunities was valuable in providing a roadmap to the innovation pipeline for the future. Not only did they lead the team in the process, they coached the team to replicate the process. I highly recommend them.
Vice President Innovation
We recently worked with Pearl Strategy on an innovation and positioning project, which was an absolute pleasure. We initially came to Pearl with a business problem and purpose, to reignite an existing category, but with little direction on how to best involve the customer in testing the innovation and positioning areas to explore. Pearl brought a level of strategic leadership to the project and immediately recommended a workshop and online qualitative approach that worked within our tight timelines.

Throughout the workshop, Pearl helped us refine our innovation platforms and develop positioning areas with alignment from key stakeholders. The outcome was a clear consumer insight driven recommendation on how to proceed with specific innovations, recipes and positioning territories. Further to the planned outcome, the project identified a new framework for the team to use for future innovation work. Boston Pizza would highly recommend Pearl Strategy for any innovation or strategy work where consumer insights are integral.

Senior Insights Manager

Pearl Strategy is a trusted innovation research partner for our company as we focus on bringing the right consumer products to market for Canadians.  Pearl’s strategic, consumer-centric approach enabled us to uncover key insights and opportunities that directly address our specific objectives, while their business perspective and experience gives us the assurance that they can work within our timelines and that they have our best interests in mind.   That we are able to leverage Pearl for both concept development and validation allows us to move quickly and confidently in our rapidly changing market.

Innovation Director
In the development of new product innovation platforms, Pearl Strategy and Innovation Design helped us align our retail brand strategy with overarching business objectives, ensuring that our innovation and marketing investments would generate the highest returns and reinforce the corporate brand positioning. Pearl led the project through opportunity development, concept development, idea validation process and strategic recommendations.

This work helped the team navigate a new retail landscape and created a framework for prioritizing volume-driving initiatives. Their work helped establish a path for consumer-led product development to ensure our innovation is differentiated and meets customer and category needs. We were pleased with the client service and engagement in our business Pearl acting as an extension of our team. I look forward to working with them again in the future.

Executive Vice President-Retail

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