Great innovators today are well-informed yet are also willing to take risks. They leverage new digital tools, but don’t rely solely on them. They invest wisely in great insights and move faster to test products in more authentic settings. They consider the competitive set—then look outside their categories for inspiration. They know their target’s demographics—yet spend more time on their future need states. Finally, great innovators study culture to not just develop next “new thing,” but create real transformation and movements.

It’s a tall task. And at SRG, it’s a task we keep taking on and evolving. With more than 40 years in the agency business, we’ve had the great fortune of working with some of the greatest US and global CPG brands and foodservice companies—from big players to emerging entrepreneurs.

In the end, our goal is to help our clients create products and brands that are not just differentiated but customers will pull out their wallets for. Here are a few things I’ve learned from my SRG colleagues and clients, from remembering some basic tenets around purpose to diving deeper into the real human, emotional needs of consumers.

The Importance of Purpose + Real Team Collaboration

Some of the most successful brands we’ve helped develop and launch have one thing in common: a clear purpose and mission. They are clear, definitive and passionate about the problem to solve.

Importantly, the mission and purpose need to be the rallying cry for the entire team, including agencies, consultants, co-mans and all of the partners. It’s something repeated in every conversation, not a few words on page at the start of a project. We’ve seen exceptional companies with good intent fail, and good companies with real purpose and passion win.

During the past few years, we’ve learned a lot as we’ve partnered with Jason Roche, vice president, marketing at Bob Evan’s Farms Portfolio. Jason is all about purpose, collaboration and transparency.

On each weekly call with internal and external innovation team members, Jason spent time reviewing the mission and purpose behind the strategic initiative. He also took valuable time to allow the group to freely share their moods, which at times ranged from inspired and confident, to nervous and agitated. All of this comes with the territory. However, this open and supportive environment kept the team motivated along the whole journey.

Investing in Better Insights

I’ve also learned quite a bit as I’ve worked with several major Japanese brands during the past few years. I admire my Japanese comrades’ rigorous intellectual curiosity and desire to immerse and learn.

As a result, we often host robust immersions into spaces around the globe. These events not only help to explore and taste culinary trends but they also help us better understand the impact of culture on the generation we are trying to reach. These “StreetDives” are bespoke real life lab learning sessions that can make a huge difference when looking for unique opportunities you just can’t get at through traditional research.

Care Less About the “What” and More for the “Why”

Trend forecasting is something many companies do, but the fact is we are all usually looking at the same stuff. I’m asked frequently “what’s the next hot thing in food and beverage?”

But what interests me more is the “why” behind a culinary trend or ingredient and this means asking more questions. How do certain trends catch fire? What cultural factors fuel that popularity and what kind of “shelf life” does it have? How do you not just create a new product but a cultural movement?

To get at those matters, SRG’s culinary team created something called Food Forces that empower our teams to uncover what lies beyond convention to spotlight the human connections that show us where we are heading.

The nine unique Food Forces span major macro-shifts in food and culture that tend to impact the way we think, purchase and consume food and beverages both at home or away-from-home. This in-depth process illuminates profound, functional innovation territories for brands looking to grow across the culinary and sensorial landscape. Food Forces are the product of a range of inputs—including some that are relatively constant and others that are quite dynamic.

Trends that encompass more than one Food Force are likely to manifest greater impact from the outset and exhibit more longevity than trends that incorporate fewer Food Forces.

Measure the hype, not just the talk

We believe that a person's enthusiasm for a proposition is a key driver of innovation success.

At SRG, our insights methods capture emotional resonance—how ideas make people feel. It’s how we build belief early through a new insight offering developed to tap into the cultural resonance of a product before it hits shelves. These are experiential gatherings used as ways to introduce, optimize, and understand the appeal of new propositions. We focus on casual yet immersive hangouts, a "friends recruit friends" dynamic, as well as a combination of product-related interviews and brand experience elements.

Ultimately, these launch parties allow us to dive deeper and connect crucial elements beyond mere product validation.

Predicting Simulated Impact

One of the critical steps in our innovation process is forecasting success. The SRG proprietary Market Demand Simulator (MDS) identifies product demand and pricing from a sample of consumers, then uses a proprietary statistical model to predict volume and ideal market price.

Specifically, our team inputs data from well-qualified consumers using an online questionnaire. The inputs include product performance measures such as appeal, uniqueness, provide solutions to a problem, and purchase intent along with pricing and purchase volume expectations from consumers.

These inputs are combined with market sales and volume data and then analyzed using a proprietary statistical model that outputs more than 10,000 different volume/pricing simulations. The model then predicts simulations that have the greatest likelihood of occurring in the market.

A Word About AI

We use numerous bespoke tools that leverage the power of AI throughout our process. One of those tools is called SRG Synthetic Personae, AI-powered, dynamic consumer representations designed to simulate real-world reactions, behaviors, and preferences.

They provide instant, always-on insights that bridge the gap between traditional research and real-time consumer feedback. With SRG Synthetic Personae, teams move faster, iterate smarter, and build consumer-first innovations with less risk. By integrating AI-driven, always-on insights into key phases of strategy, design, and innovation, brands can validate, optimize, and create with confidence.

Innovation will always be challenging, but it doesn’t need to be elusive, we try to help clients create ideas with real impact, and from the “next new thing” to the next big thing.