Chronicles of death that could be foretold
The Times, February 2008
It appears the end is nigh for patio heaters. The European parliament backs an outright ban of the gas guzzling devices described as ‘ecological evil’ by Friends of the Earth. Leading garden centres such as B&Q and Wyvedale have taken pre-emptive action and will stop selling the heaters in the face of the environmental backlash. A product that promised so much – who needs a continental climate to have a continental culture? – seems set to deliver little.
The demise of the patio heater makes a compelling cautionary tale. For it demonstrates the clear and present danger of conducting new product development in a social and environmental vacuum.
We have now reached a time when the social and environmental impact of a product can act to curtail its market growth. Any realistic assessment of the product’s potential therefore needs to include an analysis of these impacts and the market’s sensitivity to them and weigh these against the other benefits it offers. The net effect needs to swing positive.
The best way to do this is to bring a social or environmental dimension into the innovation process in the first place. Think enlightened product development (En-PD) rather than standard New Product Development. This means trading the consumer research that kicks off most NPD processes for research with a wide range of stakeholders, including those who may have strong views against the company and its products. The insights generated from the pan stakeholder research will bring the relevant ethical issues into play right from the start. This means the manufacturer will be able to make a holistic assessment of the market potential and likely lifecycle of the product.
However it also opens the door for it to go much further and develop products that actively help address the relevant impacts and issues. This sort of thinking will help companies identify truly progressive market opportunities: products that help secure the future (and are therefore far more likely to endure into it). A food company delivering added health benefits to those that need it most perhaps, or a financial product that rewards sound financial management. As for that garden heater, how about one that is fuelled by garden waste...?
