The document outlines a 5-step methodology for developing innovative ideas for major companies: 1) Start by understanding the company's strategic goals and criteria for new ideas. 2) Work closely with customers to understand needs and problems. 3) Gather external inspirations from other industries and countries. 4) Generate new ideas by thinking creatively within the company's limitations. 5) Develop the most promising ideas into clear execution concepts including implementation plans. The methodology draws on examples from companies like Kodak, Hymer, and Persil to illustrate how following these steps can lead to successfully implemented innovations.

1. HOW TO COME UP WITH GREAT IDEAS
A PEEK INSIDE OUR 5C-METHODOLOGY FOR DEVELOPING EFFICIENT
INNOVATIONS WITH MAJOR COMPANIES

2. THIS DECK SHOWS
WHAT WE DO.
BUT WE GOT MORE
IN THESE
PRESENTATIONS:
HOW TO WIN THE
RACE AGAINST
DISRUPTIVE
STARTUPS
#GOODJOB: BETTER
WORK FOR BETTER
IDEAS

3. THE DESTINATION IS THE JOURNEY
OUR GOAL:
MAKE COMPANIES
GREAT AGAIN!
THAT MEANS:
DEVELOPING GREAT
IDEAS TO POWER
THE FUTURE OF
MAJOR COMPANIES
THIS IS HOW WE DO
IT:

4. THAT’S US.
CAN WE TELL YOU A
SECRET?
WE ARE NOT EVEN
VERY CREATIVE.
WE ARE NOT
ARTISTS OR
DESIGNERS.
JUST BORING
BUSINESS GUYS.

5. BUT STILL, ALL
THESE (AND MANY
MORE) COMPANIES
COME TO US TO GET
NEW IDEAS &
INNOVATIONS.
(WE DID 60
INNOVATION
PROJECTS IN 20
INDUSTRIES).
WHY DO THEY COME
TO US IF WE ARE
NOT CREATIVE?

6. IT’S SIMPLE: GREAT
IDEAS ARE NOT SO
MUCH ABOUT THE
STRIKE OF GENIUS.
LOOK AT DARWIN:
HE THOUGHT THAT
HE ‚GOT THE IDEA‘
FOR NATURAL
SELECTION ON
09/29/1838.
IN REALITY, IT WAS
ALL ALREADY IN HIS
BOOKS FOR YEARS

7. = +
MEANING:
THERE IS A
PROCESS LEADING
TO GREAT IDEAS.
AND THAT IS WHAT
WE DO: DEVELOP
AND DEPLOY A
SYSTEMATIC
PROCESS FOR
GREAT IDEAS*.
(*IDEAS THAT FIT
THE CUSTOMER AND
THE COMPANY!)

8. AND IF WE CAN DO
THAT, YOU CAN DO
IT, TOO!
IF YOU SPEAK
GERMAN, YOU CAN
READ THE DETAILS
IN OUR BOOK.
BUT IN ANY CASE,
HERE ARE THE MAIN
POINTS:
www.das-comeback-der-konzerne.de

9. 1. STARTING THE IDEATION PROCESS
YOU PROBABLY KNOW THE KODAK STORY: THEY MISSED DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY AND ONLINE PHOTO STORAGE AND
WENT BANKRUPT. THIS IS THE CLASSIC STORY OF DISRUPTION. IT’S EVEN CALLED ‚THE KODAK MOMENT‘.
BUT DID YOU KNOW, THAT KODAK INVENTED THE FIRST DIGITAL CAMERA? AND ONE OF THE FIRST PHOTO-WEBSITES?
THEY JUST DID NOT BRING THESE IDEAS TO THE MARKET SUCCESSFULLY BECAUSE THEY DID NOT FIT THEIR STRATEGY!

10. LESSON 1: THE GOAL LEADS THE WAY!
KODAK CAN TEACH US A THING: YOU CAN HAVE THE BEST IDEAS, BUT IF YOU CAN’T SHOW HOW THEY MATCH YOUR
COMPANY’S STRATEGIC GOALS, THEY WON’T BE EXECUTED SUCCESSFULLY.
THAT IS WHY WE ALWAYS ASK FOR THE GOALS AND CRITERIA FIRST.
THAT WAY, WE CAN MAKE SURE TO FULFIL THEM WHEN CREATING NEW IDEAS & INNOVATIONS!

11. THE GOAL LEADS THE WAY - AN EXAMPLE
ONCE WE WORKED FOR A MAJOR INSURANCE COMPANY THAT WANTED TO GENERATE MORE REVENUES WITH YOUNG
CUSTOMERS IN THE FOLLOWING YEAR. SO THEY ASKED US TO DEVELOP NEW PRODUCTS FOR YOUNG CUSTOMERS.
WHEN WE ASKED, WE LEARNED: THAT IT TAKES 3 YEARS TO IMPLEMENT NEW INSURANCE PRODUCTS.
THE GOAL WAS NEVER POSSIBLE! (WE THEN FOCUSED ON NEW MARKETING CHANNELS & CAMPAIGNS)

12. 2. WORKING WITH THE CUSTOMER
YOU KNOW THIS QUOTE BY HENRY FORD? IT BASICALLY TELLS US NOT TO ASK THE CUSTOMERS WHAT THEY WANT
BECAUSE THEY WON’T KNOW ANYWAYS.
BUT IT ACTUALLY JUST SHOWS ONE THING: YOU SHOULD NOT ASK FOR A SOLUTION, BUT FOR A PROBLEM.
(THIS IS ALSO CALLED THE ‚JOB-TO-BE-DONE‘)

13. LESSON 2: NO PROBLEM IS NO SOLUTION EITHER
IF YOU DON’T FIND A PROBLEM, YOU DON’T NEED A SOLUTION!
HENRY FORD PROBABLY SAW A NEED FOR A QUICK, CONVENIENT, DRY TRANSPORT FROM A TO B,
AND THE AUTOMOBILE WAS THE SOLUTION.
THAT IS WHY WE ALWAYS ASK, OBSERVE, AND EVALUATE THE CUSTOMER’S NEEDS TO FIND THE BIGGEST POTENTIALS.

14. NO PROBLEM IS NO SOLUTION EITHER - EXAMPLE I
THE DETERGENT BRAND PERSIL IN UK DID A GREAT JOB ON FINDING OUT THE CUSTOMERS NEEDS & BELIEFS:
RESEARCHING PARENTS, THEY UNDERSTOOD THAT THEY DON’T SEE DIRT AS SOMETHING NEGATIVE.
RATHER, IT WAS ASSOCIATED WITH CREATIVE PLAY OF CHILDREN - DIRT WAS A GOOD THING.
WHILE ALL BRANDS FOCUSED ON CLINICAL CLEANNESS, PERSIL WON THE MARKET WITH A „DIRT IS GOOD“ CAMPAIGN.

15. NO PROBLEM IS NO SOLUTION EITHER - EXAMPLE II
WORKING FOR THE CAMPING-CAR COMPANY HYMER, WE GOT THE TASK TO DEVELOP A RADICALLY NEW CAMPER-VAN.
NOT AN EASY TASK WITH HUNDREDS OF MODELS AND A VERY LIMITED SIZE FOR CHANGE INSIDE THE CARS.
BUT LOOKING AT CUSTOMERS WE FOUND ONE THING: MOST OF THEM (80%) TRAVEL AS A COUPLE.
BUT MOST MODELS (>90%) WERE MADE FOR 4 PEOPLE, AND USED UP ALL THE SPACE FOR THAT!

16. NO PROBLEM IS NO SOLUTION EITHER - EXAMPLE II
THAT WAS OUR POTENTIAL: A LOT OF PEOPLE WANTED SPACE FOR 2 BUT GOT SPACE FOR 4.
WE INVENTED THE DUOCAR WITH A COMPLETELY NEW LAYOUT, FOCUSED ONLY ON 2 PEOPLE.
THE RESULT: THE PROTOTYPE ALREADY WON THE EUROPEAN INNOVATION AWARD!

17. Now, think about an idea which is really new

18. 3. GETTING INSPIRATIONS
COMING UP WITH A REALLY NEW IDEA IS NOT EASY. BECAUSE EVERY IDEA CONSISTS OF THINGS THAT ALREADY EXIST.
MAYBE THAT IS WHY PICASSO SAID THAT „GREAT ARTISTS STEAL“:
ARTISTS, WHO NEED TO COME UP WITH NEW IDEAS ALL THE TIME, ALWAYS TAKE EXISTING IDEAS AND DEVELOP THEM
INTO SOMETHING NEW. BASICALLY, THEY STEAL THE CONCEPT (THAT IS WHY WE HAVE STYLES AND EPOCHES IN ART).

19. LESSON 3: GOOD ARTISTS COPY, GREAT ARTISTS STEAL
WE DO THE SAME WHEN DEVELOPING NEW GREAT IDEAS:
WE LOOK WHAT IS EXISTING IN THE MARKET, IN OTHER COUNTRIES AND ESPECIALLY IN SIMILAR „ANALOGUE“ AREAS.
WE THEN „STEAL“ THESE IDEAS TO COMBINE THEM TO NEW SOLUTIONS THAT SOLVE OUR PROBLEM.
BEFORE GOING INTO IDEATION, WE COLLECT AS MANY INSPIRATIONS AS POSSIBLE FROM VARIOUS SOURCES - IT HELPS!

20. LESSON 3: GOOD ARTISTS COPY, GREAT ARTISTS STEAL - AN EXAMPLE
THE SKI BRAND FISCHER TACKLED THE PROBLEM THAT SKI CAN VIBRATE IN HIGH FREQUENCY.
THEY FOUND THAT THIS UNWANTED FREQUENCY PROBLEM WAS ALREADY SOLVED BY STRADIVARI, WHO APPLIED A
SPECIFIC GRID STRUCTURE TO HIS INSTRUMENTS TO AVOID THE UNWANTED FREQUENCIES.
FISCHER COULD APPLY THE SAME STRUCTURE TO THEIR SKI, WHICH IS NOW CALLED „FREQUENCY TUNING“.

21. 4. CREATING NEW IDEAS
DO YOU REMEMBER THIS GUY? IT’S MACGYVER.
THE STAR FROM THE 80’S SERIES ALWAYS HAD TO DEVELOP NEW SOLUTIONS TO GET OUT OF IMPOSSIBLE SITUATIONS.
HIS INVENTIONS BECAME FAMOUS, AS THEY WERE ALWAYS VERY CREATIVE. WHY?
HE ONLY WORKED WITH WHAT HE COULD FIND AROUND, SO HE WORKED WITHIN HIS LIMITATIONS!

22. LESSON 4: THINK INSIDE THE BOX
WHEN WE HAVE TO COME UP WITH NEW SOLUTIONS, WE WORK LIKE MACGYVER: WE THINK INSIDE THE BOX.
THAT MEANS, WE DON’T PHANTASIZE ABOUT A GREENFIELD, THINK FREE OF WHAT WE COULD DO, IF…
RATHER, WE FIND THE BEST SOLUTIONS BASED ON WHAT THE COMPANY CAN ACTUALLY DO:
LOOK AT THE PROBLEM FROM AS MANY DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES AS POSSIBLE, AS SPECIFIC AS POSSIBLE!

23. Ültje Snackmixe
THINK INSIDE THE BOX - AN EXAMPLE
OUR APPROACH HELPS NOT ONLY TO COME UP WITH MORE FEASIBLE IDEAS, BUT ALSO MORE CREATIVE ONES. WHY?
BECAUSE THE LIMITATIONS AVOID LINEAR, NORMATIVE THINKING. WE EXPERIENCED THIS WHEN WORKING FOR ÜLTJE:
IN A BRAINSTORMING „OUTSIDE THE BOX“ WE GOT 90% THE SAME IDEAS AS ANOTHER AGENCY.
ONLY AFTER SETTING THE BOX COULD WE FIND REALLY NEW IDEAS FOR THEM, THAT NOBODY HAD THOUGHT OF BEFORE!

24. When was the first mobile phone invented?

25. LESSON 5: DEVELOPING THE IDEAS FOR EXECUTION
MAYBE YOU KNOW THE FIRST MOBILE PHONES THAT CAME ON THE MARKET IN THE 70’s & 80’s.
BUT THE FIRST PATENT FOR A WIRELESS COMMUNICATOR IS ACTUALLY FROM 1906!
THAT SHOWS THE LARGE GAP BETWEEN AN IDEA AND IT’S ACTUAL EXECUTION.

26. LESSON 5: WHERE IS A WAY, IS A WILL
TO MAKE SURE THAT SOLUTIONS WILL BE EXECUTED, WE MAKE THE IMPLEMENTATION AS CLEAR AS POSSIBLE.
THAT MEANS, A POST-IT IS NEVER ENOUGH! INSTEAD, WE DEVELOP FEASIBLE INNOVATION CONCEPTS WITH CUSTOMER
JOURNEY, ADDED VALUE, BUSINESS MODEL, IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, ETC.
THAT WAY, WE MAKE IT VERY EASY FOR EVERYBODY IN THE COMPANY TO EXECUTE THE IDEA!

27. Edison
WHERE IS A WAY, IS A WILL
THOMAS EDISON NOT ONLY TRIED 10.000 DIFFERENT WAYS FOR HIS LIGHTBULB INVENTION.
HE ALSO DESCRIBED HIS IDEA ON A 40.000 PAGES CONCEPT!
AND WE STILL SEE TODAY THE SUCCESS OF HIS INNOVATION.
LUCKILY, WE DON’T NEED 40.000 PAGES, BUT A CONCEPT WITH A FEW CLEAR PAGES IS THE WAY TO GO!

28. THIS SHOWS WHAT
WE DO.
BUT WE GOT MORE
IN THESE
PRESENTATIONS:
HOW TO WIN THE
RACE AGAINST
DISRUPTIVE
STARTUPS
#GOODJOB: BETTER
WORK FOR BETTER
IDEAS