Merck Consumer Health: Vitamins & Minerals

We were asked to think big.  As people live longer and strive to live happier, healthier lives, how can they do more to help themselves? Diet is crucially important. Nutritional supplements already play a useful role in some people’s lives. The global team responsible for Vitamin & Mineral supplement brands such as Seven Seas, Femibion, Bion 3 and Vigantol posed a challenge.  How can we think more radically about ways to protect and support people nutritionally at every stage of life?

We worked disruptively.  We challenged senior stakeholders to articulate their personal vision for the future. Their response was often surprising. We used that to inspire us further. We scanned horizons for trends in science, technology and consumer behaviour.  We then explored new technologies and dug deeper into the underlying consumer motivations. Over several months, we worked closely with R&D, Marketing, Nutrition and Packaging experts, always looking for the real game-changers.

We created an innovation roadmap with 4 big strategic platforms that will feed the innovation pipeline for 5 -10 years ahead. This contains rich fuel for new technology development for R&D as well as some stand-out ideas that the leadership team are keen to start work on immediately.

“I chose to work with Innovation Kinetics because, put simply, they always deliver.

The result exceeded even my expectations. We now have a clear innovation roadmap with exciting potential that will inform our thinking for years to come.  Mary is excellent at getting the best out of a wide mix of people. She engaged different stakeholders and got their buy-in.  Despite an unusually high level of organisational change, she was flexible and resilient. The Innovation Kinetics team led the programme with a great mix of energy and creativity, but always kept the original aims in mind and navigated everything to a clear and impressive finish.

I recommend working with Mary as she ensures she understands the business and the needs of the stakeholders, then becomes an equal partner in the innovation journey. Mary is equally supportive and challenging, never rests and knows how to cut through the hurdles that ‘corporate thinking’ often throws up!”

Andrew Middleton, Global Brand Franchise Director, R&D, Merck Consumer Health