brand driven innovation 
ProductTank Amsterdam | October 2nd 2014 
! 
Erik Roscam Abbing | Zilver Innovation 
!
branding 
! 
! 
what is it and why is it important?
branding 
! 
! 
???
you build a brand not by what you 
promise, but by doing what you 
promise 
! 
Photo: www.mirrabikeco.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvx92hf6nl8
now what? 
as a product manager, designer, UX specialist or 
R&D lead, 
what would you do?
innovation 
& 
what branding has to do with it
:-) 
the aesthetics of innovation
WTF?
…so seriously… 
What organizations need is not more ideas. 
What they need is better ideas.
abundance of ideas
…but… 
what funnels don’t tell you is where alle these 
ideas come from…
where good ideas come from 
steven johnson 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NugRZGDbPFU
the fuzzy front end
jan buijs
http://www.strategyand.pwc.com/media/file/Strategyand-Global-Innovation-1000-2011-Culture-Key.pdf
“Spending more on R&D won’t drive results. The most crucial factors for successful innovation are strategic alignment and a 
culture that supports innovation..” 
“Companies with both highly aligned innovation cultures and highly aligned innovation strategies have 30 percent higher 
enterprise value growth and 17 percent higher profit growth than companies with lower degrees of alignment.”
innovation culture?
…but… 
innovation takes place where 
knowledge domains meet
innovation challenges 
are often: 
! 
open 
! 
they have fuzzy or no boundaries 
! 
complex 
! 
many elements that are related to each other 
! 
dynamic 
! 
constantly changing 
! 
networked 
! 
many interdependencies between stakeholders 
after Kees Dorst 2013
you don’t solve these kinds of challenges 
with yet another friday afternoon 
brainstorm session
…instead… 
What organizations need is the rigor, focus and 
structure that helps them 
kill the bad ideas and grow the good ones
abundance of ideas 
only good ideas 
abundance of ideas
yes! 
What organizations need is 
coherence
coherence 
= 
the enterprise brand
definition 
branding = 
building a coherent vision on the relationship an 
organization aspires to have with its stakeholders
the inside world the outside world
design 
the inside world the outside world 
implement 
research 
sense making 
sense making 
focus
design 
the inside world the outside world 
implement 
research 
sense making 
sense making 
focus
internal drivers for change the customer
the enterprise external drivers for change
the enterprise the customer
desirability 
viability feasibility
will they 
want it? 
viability feasibility
will they 
want it? 
feasibility 
will we make 
money?
will they 
want it? 
will we make 
money? 
can we 
make it?
what’s missing?
will they 
want it? 
will we make 
money? 
can we 
make it? 
should we do it?
will they 
want it? 
will we make 
money? 
can we 
make it? 
does it match 
our brand?
building brands as 
foundation for 
experience design
Roscam Abbing & Smulders, Advanced design methods for successful innovation, Design United, September 2013
Roscam Abbing & Smulders, Advanced design methods for successful innovation, Design United, September 2013
brand 
promise 
fulfilling 
brand 
promise
you build a brand not by what you 
promise, but by doing what you 
promise 
! 
Photo: www.mirrabikeco.com
“Maakt rijden geweldig” 
“The ultimate driving machine” 
“Freude am fahren”
brand touch points
brand 
promise 
fulfilling 
brand 
promise
marketing 
communication 
innovation 
design 
HR
How do you build a brand 
that is suitable for 
innovation ?
remember the brand touch points?
brand touch 
points 
they’re only the tip 
of the brand iceberg
brand touch points 
“if you want to innovate 
you have to go deep!!”
from ‘brand driven innovation, 2010, based on Guido Stompff 
levels of culture 
according to 
Schein 
corresponding 
concepts 
in branding
from ‘brand driven innovation, 2010
phase 4: touchpoint orchestration 
Phase 4: design strategy 
Phase 3: innovationstrategy 
what: 
behaviour 
how: 
mission 
why: 
vision 
who: 
identity 
what: 
behaviour 
how: 
mission 
why: 
vision 
who: 
identity 
brand promise 
phase 1: 
the internal brand: 
the organisation 
phase 2: 
the external brand: 
the customer
conclusions 
brand = the product 
brand = the bridge between organization and customer 
brand = the shared vision that fuels innovation 
brand = coherence, efficiency, focus 
brand = dynamic, co-created, usable
www.zilverinnovation.com 
www.branddriveninnovation.com 
www.7daysinmylife.com 
www.designthenewbusiness.com 
erik@zilverinnovation.com 
@roscamabbing
www.zilverinnovation.com 
www.branddriveninnovation.com 
www.7daysinmylife.com 
www.designthenewbusiness.com 
erik@zilverinnovation.com 
@roscamabbing

Brand driven innovation, why culture is key for breakthrough innovations