We had the pleasure of realizing several innovation projects for the Danish-Swedish dairy group. The research to identify latent consumer needs took us from England to Saudi Arabia. There, we had 30 households keep a "food diary." All of the purchased and consumed foods was photographed and digitally transmitted to us. After that we visited each household and went shopping, did the cooking and ate together over the course of two days. We were thus able to identify 12 areas of need that implies big potential but were not yet addressed. In a different project, we researched in Germany, Denmark, England, and Spain. Based on the identified needs, we developed and prototyped a broad set of solutions. The first products developed on the basis of our results will be launched in England in 2011.

In order to fill the "silly season" in the trade fair calendar of BEA Bern Expo we researched possible themes for new trade fairs and developed new solutions based on the results. The goal was not only to define new themes but also to find entirely new forms for a trade fair that break through the established rules.

For Betty Bossi we dealt, for example, with the "cook book of the future." We researched how Mr. and Ms. Swiss use cook books, why they buy cook books, and what demands they put on them in the digital age. Afterwards, we developed solutions as rapid prototypes. Other projects were situated in the "system and business model innovations" segment or the development of new products for the Betty Bossi shop.

Within the framework of the explorative research for Bodenschatz we quickly found out that worlds lie between the images in the catalogs and reality. The entire industry focuses on the formal aesthetics, while the functions of the accessories were not further developed to ay great extent over the past 20 years. Altogether, we identified 8 areas of potential and showed with rapid prototypes how these needs can be addressed.

We realized a total of 4 projects for the Carlsberg Group ranging from "brand experience" innovations that make the values of the Carlsberg brand tangible, to radical innovations that enable entirely new business models. In the product development segment we mainly dealt with the female target group. Beer is mainly consumed by men in most countries; hence, there is enormous growth potential among women. In order to understand the needs of women we did explorative research in England, Sweden, Russia, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland – among other countries – to developed innovative beverages based on these insights that address the specific needs of women.

The most recent project was about customer retention and frequency intensification. For this purpose, in addition to buying behavior, we primarily investigated the factors that influence the choice of channel and how Coop can influence them. Based on these insights, we developed new promotion concepts and made them tangible with fictitious advertisements and function definitions.

We had already realized half a dozen of projects for Feldschlösschen; thus, we also attracted the attention of the parent group (Carlsberg Group). Based on explorative research, we not only developed new beverages for Feldschlösschen but also conceived new business models for the catering industry or supported the company in the organization of innovation processes.

While glass has made its way into bathrooms, especially for shower cubicles, it has not yet arrived in kitchens to such an extent. In order to advance this development we have researched the needs of home owners in the kitchen segment and how they can be efficiently addressed with glass solutions for Glas Trösch. In addition to the further development of existing possibilities of use, we also developed entirely new approaches for the use and marketing of glass.

For one of the leading paper wholesellers, we conducted exploratory research into the sourcing process of big and specialized printing companies. We went to the printing companies and examined the value chain in detail in order to find out how a paper dealer can create added value and distinguish itself from its competitors. We analyzed the identified potentials together with Inapa to develop concise solutions.

For KWC, one of Switzerland's leading manufacturers of fittings, we investigated by means of exploratory research how people behave in bathrooms, what is important to them, and what the hidden needs are. The results were more than a surprise: altogether, we were able to identify approximately 20 areas that have mass-marketable potential but have not yet been addressed by the market. In a following project we selected the Top 5 potentials together with KWC and developed solutions, which we then made tangible as rapid prototypes. The first products will be launched in 2012. And we are pleased that we are already dedicating ourselves to the next project, this time in the kitchen sector.

We have been able to realize 8 projects for the leading mountain sports outfitter. The support system for hiking backpacks, which we developed and has become an enormous success, started it all. Due to this success we were able to support Mammut with more innovation projects, from new climbing karabiners to new accessories, new sleeping bags and entirely new experiences in the mountains. The climbing wall in our office is therefore more than just fun …

For Mars we examined the purchasing and usage behavior of consumers in two projects. The first project was about snack food. The second was about cat food. While we visited consumers in their homes during the first project in order to get to the bottom of their needs on site, the POS stood in the foreground when it came to cat food. We observed the behavior at the POS. However, since our ability to observe in store behavior was somewhat restricted, we then rebuilt the appropriate shelves at a 1:1 scale in our "Shelf Lab" with the pertaining products. There, we simulated the purchase with the consumers in a way that was as close to reality as possible in order to get to the bottom of the observed behavior in detail in explorative conversations.

In our second project for Switzerland's biggest retailer we worked on three categories. In order to identify the latent needs of consumers in the food segment, a snapshot is not enough. The longer target groups are defined by socio-demographic criteria the less it works. Therefore, it is our opinion that the product development has to be oriented towards the situations of use. We hence asked selected consumers to keep a photo diary. It included the photos of all eaten and purchased foods and it reflected the context (chronological daily routine). Afterwards, we visited these households to research the needs behind the situational behavior. We compiled our insights on about 60 insight cards. They were distributed to 30 decision-makers in the Migros Genossenschaftsbund, which developed new products and improved existing products based on these insights

For Regent, the leading manufacturer of lighting systems, we developed alternatives for the existing office lighting concepts based on explorative research in our first project, and made these alternatives tangible with rapid prototypes. The second project was about developing new forms of light control, especially with regard to the lighting of large spaces as, for example, in the retail sector.

For Roche we have been able to realize two projects to date. In the first project, for Roche Corporate, we examined how social media can be used in a reasonable way and in line with the needs of the most diverse shareholders. The second project was about developing business model innovations for Roche Diagnostics. For this purpose we did research in laboratories and doctor's offices and shed light on the economic backgrounds from the perspective of the users. Based on these insights, we developed various solutions together with the Roche employees that will be gradually realized by 2012.

We have realized a total of 5 projects for Schweizer Fernsehen, the Swiss television broadcaster. They range from format titles to program concepts. In the entertainment segment, for example, we closely cooperated with the editorial teams and also with famous SF announcers in order to jointly develop the principles for new entertainment formats. The concepts were then developed by Schweizer Fernsehen. The goal was to not only develop ideas but search for incentive factors and themes with a special reference to Switzerland in a targeted way in order to distinguish the broadcaster from foreign channels.

SIG Combibloc produces composite carton packages for liquids without carbonic acid (milk, fruit juices, etc.). The goal of the project was to develop new customer and market segments based on the existing materials and systems. For this purpose we analyzed the actual situation in various European markets and then showed with rapid prototypes how viscous content such as soups, but also vegetables, fruit, or convenience foods, can be packaged in cartons.

In order to support Valora Retail with the development of new promotional and advertising containers for the suppliers of k kiosk, we searched for inspirations, trends, and case studies through our trendscout network in London, New York, and Tokyo. We compiled the results in a clearly structured lookbook.