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FuturistU > Tactics > Innovating Through Ritual > Module 4 / 4

Stories

Instructor: Jonathon Brown
Co-Creation & Customization
Download the Co-Creation & Customization Trend Report
For the final module, Jonathon reveals one of the most applicable innovation techniques he's discovered. This technique has consistently proven useful in selling-in ideas at Lowe's Innovation Lab. In the past, the equation for selling anything was need + solution = sale. If you could understand a buyer's needs and clearly map the benefits of your product or idea to those needs, you had a solution and could make a sale. Today, we need to think about our internal customers differently. The equation is now need + solution x narrative = sale. We need to think carefully about how we tell the story around our idea and which vehicles we use.

Following interviews with several executives at Lowe's Innovation Lab, Jonathon reveals the story-telling vehicle and approach that led to a green light on an exoskeleton project they dreamed up. Again, though an idea may seem logical when presented directly, the reality of the business climate on any given day can mean significant roadblocks need to be overcome. In order to get past any potential nitpicking, Lowe's backed up and thought about the bigger picture. They created a story around their exoskeleton idea and hired writers and illustrators to create a comic book.
Related Trend Report: Co-Creation & Customization
Workshop Question:
What is the narrative you're providing?
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Featured Insights

Aided Ideation
The capitalization of creativity ushers in brainstorm-assisting products
Implications - As Millennials begin taking over the workplace, more premium is placed on out-of-the-box thinking and the ability to ideate quickly and efficiently. The response to this is a slew of brainstorm aids. As this youth generation enters adulthood, society's standards of what it means to be an ideal adult citizen will shift to accommodate and reflect Millennials.
Workshop Question - How can you implement internal ideation sessions that will allow your whole team the ability to voice their ideas?
3.8
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends

Insights by Trend Hunter AI

Visual Aid
Brands are designing packaging to be accessible for consumers with visual impairments
Trend - Brands are creating packaging designs with smart solutions for consumers with visual impairments. These solutions include scannable codes or symbols that interact with smart applications to provide either easier-to-read or audio-based information, more effectively supporting shoppers.
Workshop Question - How can we leverage technological solutions to make our products more accessible for a wider range of consumers?
8.5
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Bed Rotting
Gen Z and younger Millennial consumers engage in "bed rotting" as a form of self-care
Trend - "Bed rotting," a new trend sweeping TikTok, involves staying in bed for extended periods to engage in passive activities like eating snacks, watching TV, and scrolling through devices. This trend is particularly popular among Generation Z, who are increasingly turning to this form of self-care to combat burnout.
Workshop Question - How can our brand create value by addressing the Gen Z desire for unconventional self-care and mental well-being practices?
8.7
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
AI Brainstorm
Brands are launching AI tools that foster creativity and collaborative ideation
Trend - Startups are launching artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools that automatically expand on and connect rough ideas. These tools are designed to foster creativity and enhance the value of brainstorming sessions—quickening the process of turning ideas into actionable plans.
Workshop Question - Where could your business implement AI-powered tools to improve its day-to-day operations?
6.5
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
AI Novice
Artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent alongside services teaching the basics
Trend - As AI becomes more prevalent due to well-known apps such as ChatGPT, consumers feel a growing push to both understand and utilize the technology more confidently. New technologies can be intimidating, especially when the technology is one with such magnitude as artificial intelligence. These services aim to lower the barrier to entry.
Workshop Question - How can your brand develop services that demystify artificial intelligence and help consumers feel more confident in utilizing the technology?
5.2
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Mobile Scanner
Brands are creating applications that can scan items into 3D assets
Trend - 3D scanner apps capture and generate three-dimensional models of real-world objects or environments. These apps transform physical objects into digital 3D assets that can be used in various applications and industries, including augmented reality, virtual reality, design, gaming, and health.
Workshop Question - How can your brand make its product/service accessible and affordable for consumers?
4.9
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Planned Microcation
Modern consumers are taking microcations to save time and money
Trend - Travel agencies are offering 'microcation' packages that include short-duration, event-packed getaways. These vacation are more affordable and are easier to plan than vacations, making them fit for customers of all ages. Microcations can also be taken in quick succession for versatility.
Workshop Question - How could your brand adjust its products or services knowing that the modern consumer takes less vacation time each year?
4.8
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Custom Chatbot
Brands are launching services that enable fast creation of personalized chatbots
Trend - Businesses offer tools enabling clients to build fully-functional chatbots quickly. These bots are trained on custom datasets, making them suitable for internal, consumer-facing, or consulting purposes. Businesses across numerous industries can benefit from personalized low-cost chatbots.
Workshop Question - How can your brand leverage personalized chatbot technology to enhance customer service or streamline workflow?
5.9
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Consumer Marketplace
Brands are launching first-party storefronts to connect consumers to others
Trend - Brands across multiple industries are launching consumer-to-business-to-consumer (C2B2C) storefronts. C2B2C offers consumers discounts on products and enables consumers to sell unwanted products while the business handles transactions and verifies the quality of listed items.
Workshop Question - How might your brand benefit from connecting its consumers via an online marketplace or forum?
6.3
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Agile Workplace
As more offices adopt a hybrid model more flexibility is needed
Trend - The post-pandemic workplace demands more flexibility than before. The average office worker knows how to be productive from home, making the idea of being in the office full-time harder to justify. Thus, hybrid workplaces are more common than ever; however, these come with a unique set of challenges that organizations in the industry aim to solve.
Workshop Question - How has your workplace culture changed, and how can you make these changes work to your advantage as an employer?
3.7
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
Dine-In Tech
Technology to improve the dining experience through guest insights is on the rise
Trend - The restaurant and QSR industries are bouncing back from the Pandemic by better gathering insights on what consumers care about. Technologies dedicated to listening to and implementing suggestions for improving the dining experience are increasing in popularity. This can be done by gathering data on ordering platforms, surveys, and more.
Workshop Question - How could you better bridge the gap between your various guests' often opposing needs?
4.5
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends