The Disruptive Octopus: Tentacle 5

Partnership Innovation

This is part 6 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 5: Partnership Innovation
Challenge: The team needed to boost awareness and acquire important learning in advance of a full-scale launch, but compressed timelines required innovative methods (tapping into the power of partnership) to do so.

Action: Seed helped identify potential new external partnerships as well as existing corporate partnerships that the Ball Aluminum Cup^® team could leverage to boost awareness and create a transactional launch-and-learn program. The Seed team then crafted a strategic plan evaluating the ROI, benefit structure and strategic fit of specific partnerships, culminating in recommendations and creative ideas to promote the cup within the context of each partnership.

The team also worked with groups across the Ball organization to strategically assess the potential purchase of naming rights for a professional sports arena.

Results: Seed’s work provided the foundation Ball needed to form strategic partnerships that would enable a customized pilot testing program. The Seed team also facilitated successful partnerships with several key social media influencers to help build awareness and a social media following in advance of the product launch. Finally, Seed supported the Ball Corporation endeavor to pursue the arena naming rights deal, resulting in a significant visibility/awareness boost for the company and the Ball Aluminum Cup^®.

Key Tools/Processes:
-Strategic Consulting
-Partnership Innovation
-Rapid Ideation
-Strategic Narration and Storytelling

Please click here to continue to the next section of the article about Tentacle 6: Infusion of Entrepreneurial Passion—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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