When Hit Products and New Brands Emerge

When a hit product or a new brand is born in the world. Many of them are the result of technological innovations. In the food industry, too, there are various technological innovations and the resulting hit brands. One such brand born from a technological innovation that could be called a revolution is Nissin Foods’ “Cup Noodle. When Momofuku Ando tried to sell Chicken Ramen, the world’s first instant ramen invented by him, to the world by offering a sample in the U.S., there was no bowl, and the famous anecdote is that he poured broken noodles and hot water into a paper cup and ate it. The story is well-known. Since its launch in 1971, it has become a mega brand that has sold over 100 billion servings in half a century. The Cup Noodle brand has not only influenced the world’s food culture, but has also made its way beyond the Earth as space food on board the space shuttle. In the case of food products, we often devise new ways to make the food itself and the container in which it is packaged, but if we can create products that do not yet exist in the world through new technologies and innovations and satisfy consumer demand, it is not impossible to change not only Japan but even outer space.

Processed food manufacturer Company A approached Braavis to speed up the pace of new product development and launches across its entire portfolio.
Company A, which prides itself on its superior technological capabilities, had difficulty sharing detailed information on its food and packaging technologies with its technical development team, which meant that the company was unable to develop products that actively utilize its technologies and appeal to consumers. Therefore, a project was launched to speed up the development of product ideas by sharing technical information and incorporating a marketing perspective in order to develop products based on Company A’s advanced technological capabilities.

The project began with a review of the company’s products and competitive information collected during premium brand development. Priorities for developing new products were set from a marketing perspective for the categorized company’s product groups, and short-, medium-, and long-term solutions were also discussed. In addition, interviews were conducted in advance with Company A’s technical experts at the beginning of the project to gather technical information that would serve as the basis for product development.

at the Core of the Project Joint workshops were held between the technology development team and the marketing team. In the first workshop, the technology development team shared information on their proprietary technologies with all marketing and sales members. In the second workshop, the technical information was combined with marketing information to develop specific product ideas. By having the engineers and product developers work together according to Bravis’ unique workflow, they succeeded in creating a concrete product idea with the appeal that consumers are looking for. After the workshop, BRAVIS redeveloped the ideas based on the creative perspective, and the final planning documents were compiled for Company A’s product development.

Individual product ideas developed based on the innovative technology that Company A is selling are steadily being commercialized according to the respective timelines clarified at the workshop. Furthermore, the technologies possessed and feasible technologies were organized this time, which will be an indicator that will have a positive impact on future product and technology development.