M&Ms have been around forever, right? They cost a couple quarters to a couple dollars at the local store–depending on package size. You would never think of ordering them online, would you? So how did Mars, Inc. increase their online sales of M&Ms by 400% while charging a minimum of $40/order? They innovated by making an old product new again.
What did they do? Well, go to www.shop.mms.com and you will find that not only can you buy your M&Ms in 17 different colors but you can place a two line message on each individual piece of melts-in-your-mouth, not-in-your-hand chocolate goodness. Business is so brisk that Valentine deliveries were pushed into March since so many customers wanted to say I love you with a personalized package of the candy.
Now granted, M&Ms may have a bit more brand awareness than your average product but consider, what can you do to innovate? What can you do that adds just that little bit extra that takes your offering from the ordinary to the extraordinary?
My advice: capture the extraordinary moments in your life. Whether it’s exceptional, and unexpected service or a clever reworking of a familiar product design (see the new, potentially life-saving pill bottles that Target is using in their pharmacies), take note. Make each sighting a lesson with the objective being to identify the extraordinary element of your encounter and extrapolate it to your product or service offerings.
I might also recommend a book that a client, and friend, of mine-Mark Sanborn-has written called The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary into the Extraordinary
