What will the World Dairy Innovation Awards 2020 judges be looking out for? (Part 2)

Find out what the second half of our judging panel for the World Dairy Innovation Awards 2020 will be hoping to see from this year’s innovative entries.

The dairy awards, which will be hosted via a special webinar in June, offer brands an exceptional way to enhance the promotion of their latest products on a global level.

The judges’ comments will hopefully offer inspiration and help in crafting the winning entry. The deadline for the awards is 30 April.

Marcelo Pereira de Carvalho
Founder & CEO, AgriPoint

I am mostly interested in the following type of innovation from dairy products:

Products with a strong narrative: products that have a compelling and aspirational story behind them, such as provenance, tradition, fair trade, sustainability, and social responsibility.
Products that can connect with consumers: products that use innovative methods during the difficult times we are facing due to quarantine, uncertainty and fear: brands and products that show solidarity and pro-activeness much beyond its original purpose.
Products with a strong nutrition/health claim: using dairy ingredients as an essential part of the value proposition.
Products that innovate in packaging/portioning: ultimately making dairy more convenient to consumers.
Products and brands that effectively engage a conversation with younger generations: keeping dairy in a relevant position in their choices.
Products that create new opportunities for consumption of dairy goods.
Products that innovate in distribution: (e.g. new channels) and explore effectively e-commerce opportunities.

Tolga Sezer
CEO, Al Safi Danone

Innovation at the time of massive disruption…

As you are aware, we are all facing an unprecedented situation across the world. Our deepest sympathies go out to everyone who is affected and our heartfelt gratitude to all the medical and health staff, government and aid agencies and everyone else out there who are working hard round-the-clock to keep us all informed and save.

Given the impact of COVID-19 crisis over the entire eco-system I would like to focus on the following criteria:

Need for reassurance: Does your innovation stay safe across the supply chain? Does your packaging deliver on the increased safety assurance need of the consumer? For instance, do you have any peel-off instructions to consumers to protect them from any kind of surface contamination?
Shift in consumer behaviour: According to latest market research around the globe consumers are compensating forced reduction of daily activities with eating healthy & supplementing diet with immunity boosters and avoiding junk food. How does your innovation deliver on the increased “good for you” expectations of the consumer? Is there any benefit that you can claim like supporting the immune system etc. How does your innovation help the consumer to satisfy this need?
Change of consumption occasions: With curfew being prevalent, consumers now spend majority of their time, remaining aware of new updates on the pandemic, entertainment and ways to remain occupied. TV, Video-on-Demand / Content Sharing platforms are seeing a huge boost in media consumption. How does your innovation work on these occasions? Does it deliver a sensorial treat a “small happiness” for the consumer? Or does it play a positive role in their new routines?
Shifts in shopper behaviour: People are replacing their hypermarket/supermarket visits with visits to neighborhood mom & pop stores. There is also growth in on-line Shopping. How is your innovation working in terms of packaging, delivery and logistics in this new route to market reality? Do you have an ambient solution?
The global supply chain challenge: How does your innovation work in a challenged supply chain environment? Do you have sustainable ingredients that can be locally sourced? Do you have flexibility in your recipes in case of major disruption?

Raquel Melo
Vice President, Product Innovation, Kemps LLC

There has never been a time when innovation in the dairy industry is more important, with dairy serving as familiarity, comfort, and wholesome nutrition in our tremendously disrupted lives. As consumer needs evolve and change in this global crisis and its aftermath, so too will the role of dairy in our lives, in line with changing consumer attitudes and needs. Innovation is now more important than it’s ever been.

As I review this year’s slate of innovation entries, here are the five key criteria I will consider first:

Does the product have a clear job to do? Is it relevant? Does it deliver against a clear consumer need or “job to be done”?
Is the product well-positioned? So many products deliver on taste, package design, or package ingenuity itself, only to fail at telling their own story. When well positioned, a consumer should be able to understand at a glance the who, what, why, when, and where.
Is the product well-formulated? Regardless of benefits and attributes, how does it taste? For products with health & wellness benefits, how effectively does the product balance formulation ingenuity with great taste and sensorial experience?
Does the product break-through? Is the product differentiated? Does the branding or positioning tell a fresh story? Is there an element of newness in the proposition, formulation, packaging, or sourcing that suggests a “wow”?
Does the product have the potential to drive category growth? Ultimately, every product must prove its worth in the marketplace, and those that are most successful not only advance their own agenda but help to grow the category (or categories) that they belong to as well.

Thomas Morf
Chief Marketing Officer, Emmi Group

It is an honor and a real pleasure to be a judge amongst these great people!

When judging innovation, I will apply the following 4 criteria that I have elaborated on with a few questions each:

Strategy: What financial and strategic role will this innovation play within the company’s existing portfolio? How has the market/consumer whitespace identified that this innovation is aimed at filling (clarity as to the need state, target consumer and occasion for the new product)? What is the source of business? What price point compared to alternatives can be realized?
Concept/consumer-centric: how well does the new product address a real consumer need? Is there an understanding of a deep human tension that is at the core of the need? How well does the innovation address this? And does the innovation provide this benefit at the right value?
Execution: How well does the execution bring the strategy and concept to life? Does it tick the basic boxes on the first moment of truth (shelf standout, clarity of packaging etc.) as well as the second moment of truth (product experience)?
The intangible factor: How genuine is the story behind the innovation? Is the product able to transmit a genuine story? Are there human beings behind it or a “face-less” corporate? Can I see passion, drive, tenacity? Are the people behind the innovation genuinely trying to make to world a better place?

Gersain Soto
R&I Senior Packaging Manager, Danone Mexico

We all talk about innovation but innovation is not only talking about it but doing it.

Great innovation is about embracing a different, unique, authentic walk:

Products for the real consumer: rather than the general consumer. Consumers are unique and often specific and want to be recognized as one. Is your innovation talking to the real consumer?
Products that stand out of the rest: Standing out for its originality in ingredients, trends enhancement, flavor and taste experience that remembers why it was created from the beginning.
Products that set new standards and new trends: Is the launch of your innovation breaking paradigms and setting new trends out there? How does it do this?
Your packaging stands for itself: speaking to and seducing end consumers. Does your packaging have specific technologies that make it stand out? Is it sustainable? Does it promote the optimum use of materials and resources? Does it have a new, rare and intelligent design?
Is your innovation entering or creating new business models: supporting the transformation of the business as usual?