Sample Case Studies

Two Recent New Product Successes

1. Smirnoff Twist

A huge success, with a current flavor line of approximately 10 SKUs. We developed the original concepts, names, and label designs. The rest is in the liquor store.

2. The First Upright MRI

The maker of this revolutionary medical device needed to communicate its benefits to consumers and the medical profession. We named it Upright Multi-Position MRI and positioned the company as “The Inventor of MR Scanning.” We also created introductory advertising in all media. The MRI has since become the most successful new product in the company's history.

Six Ongoing New Product Successes

1. Post Waffle Crisp Cereal

We created the original product, concept board, name, and flavor system for it. Development was initiated when Post when the marketing people invited us “to think about the things people have for breakfast and create new cereals based on them.”

Result: $100MM business in year one and still a leading Post cereal over ten years later.

2. Snickers and 3Musketeers Ice-Cream Bars

We created the original concept board and name for these highly successful new products. Our strategy was to target the millions of consumers who like the regular candy bars and created the headline, "The taste more than lives up to the name."

Consumers went for the idea so much that the client printed the headline and copy we created on the final package. We also suggested the simple descriptor “Ice Cream Bars,” because we felt it highlighted the brand names, instead of distracting attention from them.

3. Lipton Recipe Secrets

We were invited by new product marketing people at Lipton to help develop a line of dry-mix seasonings consumers would use to help them with meal preparation.

We did our proprietary Creative Exploratory and presented concepts and working names. In focus groups, the word "secrets" interested people the most. We created the final name by combing it with the frame of reference consumers would be shopping for, “recipe.”

The concept and name scored in quantitative testing and the product went on to continuing national success.

4. Lifetime, The Women's Television Network

Today Lifetime is the #1 cable network in Prime Time. Yet it may never have existed – if we weren't invited to do creative development.

Two advertising agencies had concluded that, since the proposed channel claimed to be for women, men wouldn't watch it, so their wives wouldn't.

We were referred to the chairman by a vice president at the parent company, Viacom, who knew of our work. We created a position that scored with consumers and were invited to create all the introductory print and television advertising.

5. Just for Men Haircolor

We successfully repositioned the brand and created the advertising to launch the position. The product was positioned for many years with the claim "gray makes you look old." Penetration remained at about 5%.

We did a strategic exploratory and discovered that the most appealing claim is "a natural look.” The client invited us to create a commercial to introduce the claim. We created two the client chose to produce. They turned out to be the two highest-scoring commercials in the history of the brand. When they ran, market penetration increased significantly.

6. The Glenlivet French Oak Finish

The marketing people at Seagram invited us to development an appropriate line extension for The Glenlivet Single Malt Scotch. We did a strategic and creative exploratory, which included looking at various woods the whiskey might be aged in, including cherry, maple, and French oak.

French Oak transferred the prestige of French wine heritage in an original, stylish, and appetizing way.

The scotch was successfully launched in the UK and is now availabe across America, too.