Case Study: Crunch Time (Hybrid Snack Foods)
The Problem
The product innovation team at a major food and beverage company recognized an opportunity to capitalize on the growing trend towards hybrid snack foods which fuse two traditional snack products together (i.e. pop chips, pretzel chips, etc.). The company was evaluating the revenue potential of this promising new product trend and how it could affect their internal product development efforts, but had no previous experience with hybrid snack foods.
Critical Issues
New Product Category Lack of In-House Expertise
The Solution
The product innovation team contacted their Maven Community Manager who recommended using the Maven platform to identify and engage with individuals with experience in hybrid snack foods product development. Within a few days the customer was presented with over a dozen qualified candidates, including a new employee at their own company who had recently worked for a company manufacturing hybrid snack foods. The customer actually knew this individual but didn’t realize that they had relevant expertise until the Maven system highlighted it! After a short introductory Telephone Consultation, their colleague joined their team to assist with the remainder of the project, which included additional Consultations with three outside experts from Maven’s Global Knowledge Marketplace. At the conclusion of the project, the customer presented their findings to their executive management, who funded an initiative to begin development of a new hybrid snack foods product.
“We had no idea where to begin, but our Maven contact took charge and knew exactly how to get us the insights we needed. We couldn’t believe it when she told us that what we were looking for was sitting right down the hall from us! The insights we gained gave us confidence to move forward with our new line of products.”
– Senior Manager, New Product Development
