3 secrets to innovation

The term "innovation" is often used in marketing, as brands seek to surprise and delight consumers with their products as well as unique experiences. According to McKinsey, 86% of the business executives it surveyed in 2021 said innovation is a top three priority. While companies seek to innovate, Kimberly Clark is going a step further by ensuring that its innovation makes a difference in the lives of consumers.

Aparna Dubey (pictured), APAC head, digital acceleration, media and analytics, adult and feminine care at Kimberly Clark, told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE in an interview that the company adheres to three principles:

1. Put the consumer first: Who is your consumer? What are their problems? How are they currently solving those problems? Can we solve them better?

2. Build a culture of innovation: At Kimberly Clark, we use design thinking as an integral part of our innovation thinking and actively build capability and culture around this

3. Innovation for today and tomorrow: As we build innovation to sustain and accelerate our growth today, we also focused on unlocking disruptive innovation that is scalable and powered by breakthrough technology and consumer-first ideas.

Dubey leads the company's overall innovation strategy, sustainability agenda, and digital consumer engagement in APAC. On the digital acceleration front, in particular, the company focuses on media transformation, consumer experience and advanced analytics. According to Dubey, her roles give her the opportunity to work on disruptive innovations that help Kimberly Clark's brands deliver on both promise and purpose.

Prior to joining Kimberly Clark, Dubey amassed 15 years of experience in P&G working across health and beauty categories. When asked how analytics can help fill the white spaces when it comes to product innovation, she said every successful product innovation delivers strongly against key consumer needs.

"Technology and analytics play a role in identifying these consumer insights, speeding up product design and cutting down on testing time," Dubey, who is speaking at MARKETING-INTERACTIVE's upcoming Digital Marketing Asia 2022 conference, added. Citing the company's team in China as an example, Dubey said the team has set up a system that regularly monitors consumer reviews and feedback online to identify pain points. This has resulted in innovation improving Huggies product design for improved softness and fit.

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In 2017, for example, Huggies rolled out a new diaper for the smallest babies – Huggies Little Snugglers Nano Preemie Diapers. These were made explicitly for babies weighing 900 grams, and the development process included intensive R&D optimisation, as well as interviews with nurses and neonatal therapists to ensure the design provided optimal fit for healthy growth and development.

Kimberly Clark is also piloting a technology that allows it to mine data from all previous product development and testing, and reduce the time taken to design and qualify prototypes. "Analytics and technology open up a world of possibilities for furthering innovation," she said. 

Aside from innovation, brands these days are also looking to build a relationship with consumers and create an experience for them. One challenge they face, however, is standing out in a sea of competition. Not surprisingly, this is also a challenge that Kimberly Clark wrestles with daily. Dubey said:

Brands need to define their ideal consumer experience, one that is tightly linked to business objectives to make it sustainable.

"The next challenge is to define the unique value exchange that your brand will provide to the consumer. And hardest of all is consistency, to bring this ideal consumer experience to life and improve on it every day," she added. According to Dubey, many brands can offer a novel experience that stands out. The real challenge is building brands that stay true to their promise and consistently delight consumers over long periods of time.

"That’s what builds trust and in the categories in which we play in, trust is everything. Brands that can do this and earn their consumers' trust truly stand out," she said. Trust is an important currency in today's world. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer Report 2022, 59% of the 13.7k consumers surveyed globally will stop buying a brand if they don't trust its company.

Dubey believes that creating better consumer experiences starts with innovation. As such, that is "an obsession" for Kimberly Clark. "We need to start thinking about the whole experience including interaction with consumers on multiple levels even after the product is sold. Hence as Kimberly Clark, we are committed to reinventing consumer relationships through consumer-centric innovation and technology to elevate brand experiences," she added.

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