Co-creation has become a prevalent approach taken by innovation leaders to excel in innovation management and complement internal R&D activities. In this article the authors will introduce the co-creation process at Nivea and describe how Nivea co-developed a new deodorant with consumers. The focus will be on two different co-creation tools – the netnography method geared to gain consumer insights from social media and an online co-creation session to evaluate and further enrich ideas.

1. Nivea
Invisible for Black & White Deodorant
The Co-Creation Story Behind
Volker Bilgram. HYVE AG

2. A deodorant co-created by consumers and Nivea
Nivea’s new
Invisible for
Black & White
Deodorant

3. Nivea‘s co-creation program for deodorant innovations
A co-creation program
helped Nivea to
continuously involve
consumers throughout
the innovation process.

4. Nivea‘s co-creation program leading to the new deodorant
Consumers Nivea
1
Consumer needs and 2
user solutions Nivea research
and cooperation
with partners
Generation of ideas 3
4
Selection & enrichment 5
of ideas
Realization of idea
by Nivea R&D

5. What do consumers want in the field of deodorants

6. Thousands of consumers talk about your products in social media…
… an abundant source for
companies to listen in.

7. Listen to what consumers say about deodorants…
I also have a husband who has problems with
My husband‘s white linen and cotton shirts deodorant stains on his shirts. It is hard and
have this yellow deodorant stain. I have tried crusty even after washing the shirt several times. I
several ways to remove it, such as bleaching, have tried several stain removers, but nothing
soaking in the hot soppy water, rubbing with seems to help. Any ideas? Would lemon juice or
biochemical stain-removing stuff– all failed. I baking soda work on these stains?
even sent the shirts to a laundry.
… staining is one of the Today I noticed that the areas under
the armpit, and even some areas
biggest issues. around the chest on the underside,
are completely white, as if they were
How to get deodorant off of black bleached out… Does anyone have any
shirts? I have a nice black tank top, clue as to what caused this? Was it just
but my deodorant, no matter what from sweat? Was it from my
brand I buy, I always manage to get deodorant? Was it some strange
the white stuff under the arms. It chemical reaction of both? Was it a
Don't you hate it when you notice a poorly dyed shirt?
looks bad, so what’s a quick way to
deodorant stain right as you are
remove it if I’m going out?
leaving the house? Use a baby
wipe and its all gone!

8. There was so much information on different types of
deodorant stains…
… that we put together a
stain manual.

9. Highly-involved expert users such as The Undershirt Guy…
… experiment with deodorant
stains and possible remedies.
They helped us understand
the problem.
Source: www.undershirtguy.com

10. Nivea‘s R&D department came up with a lot of deodorant ideas…
… and involved consumers
and R&D partners in various
co-creation sessions.

11. Consumers were invited to participate in an online co-creation study
Source: www.undershirtguy.com

12. Deodorant ideas were evaluated and enriched

13. Ideas addressing the stain issue were rated best by consumers

14. The result:
The co-created Nivea Invisible for Black & White
Source: www.nivea.de

15. For more information…
Marketing Review St. Gallen
http://www5.marketing-review.meds-in.de/
Nivea.de
http://www.nivea.de/Produkte/deo/black-and-
white?nvem=/modules-components/ext/de-DE/expertise-
modules/NDO%20BEAP&nvemt=2
The Undershirt Guy
http://www.undershirtguy.com/nivea-turns-to-undershirtguy-
com-for-help/
15

16. Volker Bilgram
volker.bilgram@hyve.de
hyve.de
twitter.com/HYVE_CoCreation
xing.com/profile/Volker_Bilgram
value-co-creation.blogspot.com