To launch Twist, a new men’s fragrance in its global Axe brand, Unilever turned to a preapproved crowd of eager young amateurs for help.
In July 2008, Unilever executives convened 16 regular young men and women from around the world at a meeting in New York. Why? To tap them for ideas for a new global fragrance for Axe, a brand of men’s body spray, antiperspirant, and shower gel. The company had previously experimented with consumer-driven product development for local launches, but never for one on such a large scale.
The young adults had been assembled by Face, a London-based firm that helps companies innovate through co-creation. Face runs two online communities: Headbox, for young adults, and Mindbubble, for women. Each group has about 7,000 members, all eager to opine on what brands should do next. For each commercial project, Face invites a small number of members to work as paid collaborators, with compensation levels depending on the project. It’s a new way to answer the question of how to harness an unwieldy crowd to a business’ advantage.
By Vanessa Wong, April 1 2010