Strategy, Creative Direction, UX Research, Product

Innovation in Sips

It’s one of the most overused words in business.

And sadly, it’s often how my projects get described: Innovation.

Why sadly? Because too frequently what’s new and futuristic and exciting gets treated like garnish, rather than the main dish.

I’ll use Joseph Schumpeter’s definition. (Who better than a twentieth-century Austrian economist to impart gravitas?) Innovation is the commercialization of an invention.

Developing programs to take inventions into the broader service of commercial and business application requires an appetite for creativity and an uncommon stubbornness.

We author and test hypotheses through prototypes and feedback and setbacks and breakthroughs until we breathe the rare air of product-market fit.

Case Study: Diageo Partnerships Prototyping

Challenge

I led Uncorked Studios’ relationship with Diageo, with the studio serving as the primary strategic research and development partner alongside the Culture & Partnerships group’s programs and investments.

Approach

Our team created a strategic framework for innovation at scale and evaluated pilot programs to determine capabilities, fit and future need inside Diageo’s spirits brands.

Specific methodologies and frameworks included TensorFlow and PyTorch together with large training and live data sets. UX research sprints with key stakeholders and product users accompanied technical evaluations.

Impact

Several pilots used advanced data science to deliver insights at scale, increasing brands’ consumer and category understanding and influencing marketing strategy.