The Disruptive Octopus: Tentacle 4

Rapid Ideation and Alignment

This is part 5 of a multi-part article that details how Seed Strategy leveraged the 8 tentacles of disruptive innovation to help the Ball Corporation launch the Ball Aluminum Cup^®. Please click here if you want to begin at part 1 of the article.

Tentacle 4: Rapid Ideation and Alignment
Challenge: The Ball Aluminum Cup^® team operated within a large corporation, but it would have to act like an agile startup in order to thrive.

Action: Seed and the Ball Aluminum Cup^® team partnered to execute an agile, startup-style work plan. A series of sprints were supported by short, focused weekly meetings where big decisions were made and problems were addressed in real time. Team members collaborated to ideate, plan and identify actions and responsible parties. The group ran pilots to test theories, adjust strategy and get enough information to move onto the next bigger pilot. 

Results: The team’s agile approach empowered the brand to make significant accomplishments in an accelerated timeframe and enabled a critical pivot in strategy when COVID-19 hit.

The commitment to rapid innovation and alignment also allowed the brand to ideate and take advantage of unique, unplanned marketing opportunities, like having a presence at the Big Game, incorporating celebrity endorsement into the product’s ad campaign, leveraging momentum from celebrities and social media influencers who used the cup, and acquiring premium ad placement during the Oscars and the Thanksgiving Day parade. These endeavors helped grow brand awareness from 0.6% to 20% in just a few months.

Key Tools/Processes:
-Innovation Sprints
-Agile Processes and Problem Solving
-Brand Strategy
-Brand and Media Monitoring
-Media Planning

Please click here to continue to the next section of the article about Tentacle 5: Partnership Innovation—or click here to go to the full-length version of the article.

Contact Sean Smyth to learn more about how Seed can help with your next disruptive innovation effort.

Written by Eric Scheer and Adam Siegel.

Eric Scheer is President, Chief Strategy Officer at Seed Strategy where he leverages his rich experience as an entrepreneur, designer and strategist to expertly lead the agency and help clients achieve meaningful growth.

Adam Siegel is the Editor of The Accelerator and VP, Creative at Seed Strategy where he draws upon his diverse experience in advertising, research and innovation to craft breakthrough creative and winning copy.

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