Rethinking the Product Launch
Your customer value proposition is the key to organic growth — for a fast-food chain like Wendy’s, or for any other consumer business.
by Max Cuellar, Leslie Moeller, and Heberto Molina

http://www.strategy-business.com/article/12206?pg=all

Some interesting approaches for ideation. This example was for Wendy’s in the Quick Service Industry but they would work for all businesses

If you could consistently drive organic growth, how much would that be worth? Quite a lot, especially in mature industries where the customer base isn’t growing much and people are habitually loyal to their favorite brands. For many companies interested in growing their markets by launching new products or services, having a framework for organic growth based on a better customer value proposition could make all the difference…. 

….Many companies try to “bottle lightning” when launching new products or services. Either they base their decisions on their own executives’ hunches or they create a disciplined process that siphons the creativity and speed out of the organization. But neither approach leads to sustainable success. Those companies that beat the odds and succeed with multiple new-product launches, time after time, tend to apply a certain type of discipline. This discipline involves three separate practices, combining creative inspiration and analysis. Each of these three practices is both a “thought starter,” raising new concepts about directions for growth, and an “idea filter,” helping a team decide which products and services to launch and how to position them. The three practices are: 

1. Market-back analysis: an approach to gathering consumer insights that pinpoints the value consumers assign to different parts of a product or service, and produces actionable intelligence as a result. Wendy’s, for example, would have to look at its potential customers, the attributes they value in quick-service restaurants, and the needs that are still unmet. 

2. Darwinian competitive review: a close observation of the customer value propositions that have been shown to work across multiple markets, and the competitors who have already established themselves in those spaces. Within the fast-food restaurant landscape, Wendy’s would consider the track record of mainstream and niche contenders around the globe. It would also look for non-QSR models and innovations that might be adjusted for its business. 

3. Capabilities-forward assessment: a dispassionate look at what the company already does well, and which new value propositions its capabilities system could support. If your company has a notable form of prowess, it behooves you to understand what other products or services that capability might help deliver. For instance, if your kitchen setup excels at producing made-to-order hamburgers, might that flexibility also be extended to new entrees, side dishes, beverages, and desserts?