Innovation Applied

Hackbarth named Principal at Innovation Applied

2010-08-05T08:35:00.000-07:00

Scott R. Hackbarth, senior sales management executive, former Vice President of Sales for Vita Foods and VP Sales/Special Markets for Sargento Foods, has been named a Principal in Innovation Applied, LLC.

Hackbarth has been actively engaged as an independent contractor and Innovation Applied Network Partner since late 2009. Scott joins IA Principals, Richard Arent, Jon Rost and Randy Winker in the leadership of the company.

Hackbarth brings 30 years experience in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry, with senior experience in sales management, new business development, and the design of customer specific business strategies. He is past President of International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association (IDDBA) and also Past President of the Milwaukee Chapter of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMR).

In his new role Hackbarth will develop top-to-top relationships with retail food channels, brokers, military commissaries and foodservice chains.
Sheboygan-based Innovation Applied. LLC is a sales and marketing company that helps small to medium companies identify, develop and bring to market their highest value business opportunities. For more information: www.innovation-applied.com.

Are You Smarter than a PhD?

2010-07-13T07:37:00.001-07:00

In a recent blog post, Stephen Shapiro writes about outsourcing innovation for simple and unsolved challenges, but solving the challenges in your 'sweet spot' with your own experts.

Small- to Medium-Size company experts are solving day-to-day business problems. Many organizations don't have resources allocated to solving the challenges to build their business for the future. A partnership between internal experts and innovation consultants can keep the innovation process moving and improve profitability.

Read Shapiro's post at Blogging Innovation » Are You Smarter than a PhD?

Puma Bags Shoes in Effort to Think Green

2010-05-19T07:15:00.000-07:00

Puma thinks their potential customers will take another look at products in greener packaging. Can environmentally friendly innovations improve your bottom line?
Read more at brandchannel.com.

Creativity & Innovation Book Reviews

2010-04-14T07:20:00.000-07:00

Jeff Lindsay reviews Robert's Rules of Innovation, a new book by Innovation Network member Robert Brands.
Read the review at Creativity & Innovation Book Reviews.

Interesting New Products and Inventions: Self-Adjusting Eyeglass Lenses

2010-04-06T08:14:00.000-07:00

In areas where eye care is scarce, these self-correcting glasses can give people optimum vision. What innovations do you need to focus on?
See the glasses in action at Interesting New Products and Inventions: Self-Adjusting Eyeglass Lenses.

The Kombucha Tea Craze Is Catching On

2010-03-29T07:34:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of Kombucha? The latest craze in organic beverages is a fermented tea. You can buy or trade your "starter," and a home brewer has started a commercial sensation.

Read more at: Brandchannel.com.

Cultivating Innovation And Creativity, Not Managing It

2010-03-16T19:08:00.000-07:00

Check out these 12 Innovation Principles from Porsche's head of design.
Read the principles at BusinessWeek.com.

The 5 C's of Sustainability Branding

2010-02-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

Marc Stoiber of the Innovation Engine Community describes five simple points on how to be less harmful to the environment and more attractive to consumers.

Consumer-Facing
Competitive
Core
Conversational
Credible

Wal-Mart Cuts Food Storage Bag Brands

2010-02-11T07:31:00.000-08:00

How far will Wal-Mart go in eliminating national brands?

Wal-Mart reportedly eliminate Glad and Hefty bags from their shelves. Only one national brand, SC Johnson’s Ziploc, and its own Great Value store brand will be available.

Meanwhile Pactiv Corp., Hefty’s parent, has agreed to manufacture all of Great Value’s food storage and trash bag products that were previously produced by smaller unbranded manufacturers.

Read More at Store Brands Decisions and at AdAge.com.

Kashi on a mission

2010-02-08T07:53:00.000-08:00

Kashi backs up it's brand story with actions. Although it's a small company, their sustainability efforts go beyond marketing hype.

Hackbarth Partners with Innovation Applied

2010-02-04T07:26:00.000-08:00

Innovation Applied is pleased to announce that Scott Hackbarth is a new network partner. Hackbarth has over 30 years experience in the consumer products industry with vast experience in sales management, new business development, and design of business and customer specific strategies. He was the Group Vice President of Sales and Vice President of Special Markets at Sargento Foods Inc. Hackbarth was also Past President of both the International Dairy Deli Bakery Association (IDDBA) and the Milwaukee Chapter of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMR).

From Super Bowl To Facebook

2010-02-02T07:23:00.000-08:00

Is this a sign that mass media is gone? A major brand and advertiser is skipping the Super Bowl this year in favor of increased efforts on Facebook and social media. How are you going to continue to talk to your audiences in the new media environment?

10 Signs of Failure

2010-01-20T07:21:00.000-08:00

10 Signs That Innovation Will Fail

What are the signs that innovation in a company is set up to fail? It would be great to have a check-list on this, but according to Stefan Lindegaard, innovation is too complicated and company-specific to just apply a standard one for this. Stefan lists some red flags to look for when evaluating innovation. Do you have others from your experience?

Read more at 10 Signs That Innovation Will Fail | Stefan Lindegaard: Leadership+Innovation.

Predicting the Next Innovation

2010-01-12T07:40:00.000-08:00

Are you using innovation to predict what your competitors or the marketplace will do next?

Read more at Blogging Innovation: Predicting the Next Innovation - Innovation blog articles, videos, and insights.

Allocate Time

2009-12-09T07:57:00.000-08:00

One of the commonest barriers to innovation is lack of time.

Read how employees at Google take one day a week to focus on innovation in
Allocate Time for Innovation « BQF Innovation.

Outside resources like Innovation Applied can help with the time crunch.

Great Value Terra

2009-11-20T08:13:00.001-08:00

Walmart Premiers the New Private Brand -- Great Value Terra.

According to the MY private brand blog, Walmart Mexico presented a subrand of Great Value: Great Value Terra as part of the international exhibits in the Idea Supermarket. We wonder if this is a sign of things to come in the U.S. Keep an eye out for earth-friendly private branding.

See photos at Walmart Premiers the New Private Brand – Great Value Terra. :: MY private brand.

Innovation Stories

2009-11-16T08:26:00.000-08:00

Does your Innovation have a story?

Stories are a great way to impart knowledge and build a brand. Too often, we try to communicate facts, features and benefits. Great leaders know that storytelling teaches and persuades. A new book by Michael Margolis, "Believe Me," identifies 15 storytelling axioms and notes that storytelling is especially important to innovators.

Read a summary at Blogging Innovation.

IdeaAid

2009-11-11T08:30:00.001-08:00

Starting on Saturday, IdeaAid starts the world's first brainstorming benefit. Instead of sending your money, send your ideas to help solve the world's toughest problems. On Saturday, the first challenge is to find novel, easy ways of raising $1 billion annually to help eradicate global poverty.

IdeaAid is attempting to use the same social networking phenomenon that spreads the news of celebrity breakups to solve real social problems. If you've been wondering what all this linking, friending and tweeting is really good for, this is your chance to find out.

Find out how you can participate on the IdeaAid.com website.

Sustainable Language

2009-11-06T10:05:00.000-08:00

Every so often the vocabulary of business adopts new words that filter into the mainstream business psyche. For example, the language of brands and branding is now commonly used and understood across a range of sectors- from universities to social enterprises to small businesses. Over the past year or two, the new vocabulary has brought in "sustainability," whether it is to talk about the environment or general business operations, about communities or the future. Google the term and you'll see that "sustainability" has 28 million definitions-only a few million short of the 34 million entries for "branding."

Read the entire article at brandchannel.com.

Sinnovation

2009-11-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

The seven deadly sins of the innovator-and how you can stop yourself from committing them. Just for fun, let's take a look at seven of the most common and deadly sins of the innovator. We've seen all of these cause failures of Biblical proportions.

Read them at BusinessWeek.com.

New Brand Taglines

2009-11-06T07:39:00.000-08:00

Do you think you can name some of the top ten words used in brand taglines? Tagline Guru, an agency dedicated to taglines and slogans, has released its analysis of more than 150 corporate taglines debuting in 2009.

Check your guesses against the top ten at Brandchannel.com.

More than Ideas

2009-11-04T09:16:00.000-08:00

Nothing against ideas. They are very important, but it takes more than ideas to create real change.

Blizzard Saved ATM

2009-11-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

Creating convenience is not a good enough reason for consumers to embrace change. It often takes 'pain.' Banks weren't open during a blizzard in 1978. Previously unpopular ATMs made it possible to get cash. Does your latest innovation solve a 'pain?'

Optimizing Innovation

2009-10-28T08:10:00.000-07:00

Optimizing Innovation - Dr. Stephen K. Goers of Kraft Foods

According to Dr. Steven K. Goers, VP, Open Innovation and Investment Strategy at Kraft Foods, Kraft Foods needs to innovate because they are in the fast-moving CPG industry, maintain a breadth of categories, and need to continue to maintain an edge over private label products. Goers spoke at the Optimizing Innovation Conference, which was held October 21-22, 2009 in New York City.

Read the summary of the presentation at Blogging Innovation, or read an interview with Dr. Goers at IdeaConnection.com.

Upside of Turbulence

2009-10-21T10:25:00.000-07:00

How Innovation Saved Nokia

Don Sull teaches “International and Strategic Management” at the London Business School. His new book is The Upside of Turbulence: Seizing Opportunities in an Uncertain World. He discusses how Nokia and others have survived turbulent times through a willingness to reconsider even their core business.