A global personal care leader confronted poor product differentiation and stagnant market share

A lab-based diagnostic technology was being converted to generate strong consumer purchase intent, but a new business model was needed to capture value from it

analogy assessed all the relevant innovations in the category as well as in categories with the same “Competitive Fingerprint”. We designed a model to install the new technology in the channel and a system to drive existing skin care product sales

The approach differentiated the brand at point of sale – which is often the toughest hurdle for consumer products

Client accepted that the new model would deliver significantly higher product sales, a far superior consumer buying experience, dramatically stronger product loyalty, and a better focus for future R&D investments, because the process also included a systematic way to gather consumer feedback at point of sale

A multinational desired strong entry into the $5.6B hearing aid market but lacked a sufficiently differentiated product

analogy provided a powerful business strategy by identifying an unique role for the healthcare professional, fortified the plan with 18 patent submissions, and built the business case to acquire a public company to enter the market

The patent portfolio alone was priced at several million dollars and incumbents deemed it capable of transforming the U.S. hearing aid market

A start-up wanted to introduce novel technology based on a strong patent licensed from the U.S. government as a solution for a key learning disorder

The challenge was to win professional and consumer acceptance in this regulated and fragmented market

analogy designed a strategy that repositioned the solution as an adjunct to drug therapy that generated a revenue stream for healthcare professionals

The business model featured a breakthrough OTC device, that could be easily be used by consumers without medical supervision, but that fully complied with healthcare guidelines

We also identified an R&D and manufacturing partner in Asia who designs and manufactures the product

The client believes the new model could transition from the current healthcare category to the more lucrative online gaming category

Regulators initiated a dramatic change that required an OTC brand to be moved from the front of store to behind-the-counter (BTC), and only with the pharmacist’s direct intervention

With several hundred million sales dollars at stake, the client turned to analogy to find a path to regain its prior sales while complying with the new regulations

analogy used its proprietary business model database to identify dozens of highly successful BTC products in other categories and the key “moments of truth” in the consumer purchase decisions

These proven approaches were adapted to suit our client’s brand and channels, and translated into store level plans after testing them with senior management in seven major chain stores in three states

As a result, our client was able to craft a superior consumer buying experience that was not hurt by the new regulations

A start-up using advanced technologies for training and development was enjoying significant success in the military market. The company turned to analogy to help it enter lucrative but underserved adjacent commercial markets

analogy developed a strategy that focused on key attributes prized in the commercial marketplace and eliminated attributes not valued in the private sector

The new business model included an enriched service, consumer-suitable pricing, and a plan to enlist the support of key influencers

The uniquely positioned product had sufficient differentiation to succeed in the commercial market

Our client had a breakthrough business idea inspired by a unique aspect of the internet’s ability to virally promote social interactions

Although the business proposition had tremendous potential to create value, the client was concerned about the challenge of value capture and monetization

analogy developed multiple innovations and recommended a subset of them for implementation. The client is seeking investors based on the recommendations

A Fortune 100 client with one of the world’s top brands needed a plan to enter a new category with a new product, delivering a new consumer benefit, in a country in which it did not have significant presence

Responding to this complex need, analogy quickly designed a go-to-market strategy, after investigating multiple solutions in the launch country

Recommendations included the strategy as well as the details – including in-store product display formats and plans to win key influencers in the media and distribution channels to build brand recognition and influence in-store purchase decisions

A 60 year old global food brand was in a declining category that had a weak health profile. The client’s product suffered from being in this category, although it had always used an ingredient with a powerful health benefit

analogy was hired to reconfigure the brand’s business model to capitalize on this strength

• We developed over two hundred Value Accelerators™ – focusing on product innovations and clinical evidence, helping the healthcare professional see the brand in new ways, and using the channel to underscore the product’s positive health effects
• We designed a balanced scorecard and prioritized the top twenty Value Accelerators™ with the client’s global team for phased implementation

A Fortune 50 client had acquired two small companies to strengthen its position in a service-based health category

Despite having differentiated products with potential to set a new industry standard, dominant incumbents owned the current industry standard, which relied on older technology, and were succeeding in convincing key customers that it was unwise to change

analogy created a series of initiatives that focused on a key weakness for competitors

• We used new technology to drive trial and created a superior first use experience
• To ensure sustainable advantage, analogy also documented over 80 potential inventions, both in services and technology

A Fortune 50 ingredient supplier operated on the extreme left of the value chain and had very limited leverage in the category

The client’s massive R&D investments had delivered breakthroughs in the category that created massive new product segments, but the client’s current business model had captured only a small share of the value they created for their brand-owner customers

The client wished to “move up the value chain”, and hired analogy to help them create a new business model

analogy recommended multiple innovations to strengthen their business model (“Value Accelerators™”)

With a clear ability to occupy a stronger position in the value chain, a new venture was formed, and located abroad to be close to key markets

A Fortune 50 supplier of key ingredients to a global multi-billion consumer electronics industry had invented a breakthrough that would improve their margins and deliver superior products to the end consumer

However, it would also reduce the margins of their customers, the brand owners of electronic devices – and was therefore likely to fail

The client had already announced their breakthrough to the “Street” and was under pressure to make a major investment as a precursor to delivering results

analogy recommended a “no-go” after extensive modeling and attempts to adapt best practices in every cornerstone revealed that it was impossible for the client to achieve its objectives

The client accepted the recommendation, and shut down the business, avoiding significant losses

A strong women’s health brand could not match the brand marketing resources of its bigger competitors. Despite this, the business had to grow sales at category leading rates

analogy developed a breakthrough professional marketing strategy to established the brand as the professional’s preferred partner – a significant advantage in the category, because consumers relied on the professional for diagnosis and recommendations

Our work included using innovations that worked in India, adapting them to conform to the rules of U.S. professional bodies, building the case for allowing the professional to build their own revenues by using the client’s product, and all within the legal guidelines of this regulated category

A multinational wished to make a contribution to the world’s growing need for clean water. The primary objective was not profits

analogy developed a business model around a low cost, highly effective technology

• Installed and monitored, with an arm’s length 3rd party, a proof of principle in Mexico where a village used the clean water for a year
• We then used the lessons to build a “base of the pyramid” business model in India, which developed water entrepreneurs who operated by the company’s ethical rules
• The business model had several elements that rewarded ethical behavior and so required little “supervision”

A 40 year old family-owned company sold and serviced office machines ranging from copiers to complex banking systems. Sales were growing, but margins remained flat – management desired better margins so they could invest in new ventures

The company set the gold standard for service because they made large investments in training their service technicians

We analyzed several Value Accelerators™ and made one recommendation – with only a limited added training investment, service technicians could become sales ambassadors. After all, they visited customers on a regular service calendar, they knew when old machines needed replacement and when customers expanded their offices (potentially needing new equipment), and the customer liked and trusted them

analogy’s simple recommendation achieved the client’s objectives and has become a central factor in driving sales up by over 200% in two years

Sales growth for a iconic global food product started slowing and our Fortune 100 client turned to analogy to identify ways to “reinvent” the product. analogy used its proprietary business model database to identify other companies that successfully reframed their product to unlock new uses for their product and developed a go-to-market strategy that added a completely new use for this product. Our client is now test marketing this strategy in one local market