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If you watched NBC’s “The Apprentice” this past
season, you may remember that every time teams Magna or Net Worth
won the task, they had gotten the consumer’s input through
informal focus groups before launching their campaigns.
The objective in Episode 13 was the creation of a marketable product
for Staples, the world’s leading seller of office products.
The teams had 24 hours to design a product that would reduce office
clutter and improve organization. The working prototype would be
evaluated the next day by Staples executives and a focus group of
professional office managers.
After meeting with Staples executives, Magna observed shoppers
at a Staples store. They noticed that many customers were purchasing
desk organizers and asked about the customer’s office space
needs and why they had chosen a particular product.
Net Worth, on the other hand, conceived their idea without input
from Staples executives, or from observing or interviewing shoppers.
Instead, they relied entirely on their own concept of the office
product.
Their inventions:
Magna: A desktop organizer made of four "stackables"
arranged in a rotating square. Each side of the square has slots
for files, while the empty center allows storage of larger office
supplies.
Net Worth: A “mini-desk” that was built to contain
day-to-day clutter and alleviate the overcrowding on a normal
desk.
The winner:
Because their creation was based on what the end user wanted,
it satisfied both the Staples executives and office managers.
Magna won the challenge.
Lesson learned:
Understanding the particulars of a campaign and talking with
consumers is vital in product development for any organization!
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The
Apprentice - The importance of consumer input in product development