Rebound Innovation

by Bob Serling

When working with clients to develop new products, services, business strategies and tactics, a common yet subtle problem that I frequently encounter is the client's rigid dedication to achieving a predictable outcome. Unfortunately, this well intentioned approach can blind you to some truly breakthrough solutions.

Would you like a retreaded tire with those eggs?

For years, Charles Goodyear labored to find a way to make rubber commercially useful. Try as he may, he constantly ran into the proverbial brick wall.

Then one day, quite by accident, Goodyear spilled a mixture of rubber and sulfur he was holding on a hot stove. The chemical reaction of heat applied to this mixture resulted in the discovery of the vulcanization process used to manufacture rubber tires. At that instant, an industry was born and all of our lives were changed forever.

A new take on "healthier hair"

When the prostate cancer drug, Proscar, was first being tested, a couple of alert researchers noticed that one of the side effects of the drug was increased growth of hair. Had these researchers been looking only for the results they were intending to produce — proof that Proscar was indeed a safe drug — they would have completely missed a very lucrative, secondary discovery. A smaller dose of an altered version of Proscar is now used to stimulate hair growth. It is commonly known by the trade name Propecia.

Similarly, when the blood pressure drug Minoxidil was being tested, it too stimulated hair growth. It was then put into a liquid solution that could be rubbed on the scalp and is now sold as Rogaine.

A money-saving device results in a new toy

Throughout my career as a product developer, I've seen the process of the search for a defined product lead to the discovery of a completely different product time and time again.

A recent example of my own was attempting to invent a money-saving device that would keep the ends of skateboard decks from chipping. Since the average skateboard deck costs $45 and there are 16 million skateboarders in the US alone, I figured I'd be loved by millions of parents and make a handsome sum at the same time.

Unfortunately, kids HATED my product. They thought it made their skateboards look stupid and ugly, and minced no words in telling me so. Had I stopped there, I would have missed what's shaping up to be one of the most profitable product I've ever developed.

Convinced that I could modify my product to make it acceptable to my strongly opinionated market, I continued to search for a solution. While I never succeeded in discovering that solution, what happened instead is with a relatively minor modification, my protective device evolved into a very hot toy.

As of this writing, we're in negotiations with one of the largest toy manufacturers in the world to have it in every skateboard store, hobby shop, sporting goods store, and drug store chain by Christmas. Had I stuck to my rigid definition of the product's function I had initially set out to create, I would have missed out on a very lucrative new product.

Rebound Innovation

As you can no doubt see, keeping an open mind during the innovation process can lead to important and very profitable discoveries. Allowing yourself to start with a defined goal, stumble if necessary, and discover a breakthrough second choice is another way to keep the innovation process fresh and vibrant.

Sometimes the detours to side roads are far more productive than sticking to the main highway.