How Apple Watch Will Make Utility Cool

Posted by David Deal on Apr 22, 2015 5:35:13 PM

On its best days, Apple shapes consumer behavior. And we are seeing Apple on its best day with the launch of Apple Watch. One of the world's most valuable brands seeks to turn everyday consumer behavior (such as paying for coffee or reading the news) into a more graceful, fluid action by encouraging watch owners to swipe our wrists or merely glance at a fashionable device we wear. In essence, Apple wants to make utility cool. Thanks to the onslaught of branded apps being developed for the device, Apple will likely turn its vision into reality. Following is a glimpse of significant third-party apps that will influence how we manage our lives in five key ways.

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What Apple Watch Means to Brands

Posted by David Deal on Apr 9, 2015 8:46:00 AM

Apple Watch is coming, and it's going to have a big impact on brands.  

The Apple Watch, available on April 24, 2015, has been praised, vilified, and dissected by a wide-ranging audience, including everyday consumers, technology geeks, Apple fans, and fashionistas. The new product has also injected some strong style mojo into the Apple brand. But should businesses care about the Watch? Absolutely. Apple Watch will have far-reaching impacts on several industries, from healthcare to automotive and retail. The Watch, which blurs the line between mobile and wearables, will pressure brands across the board to make mobile experiences more personal and less intrusive. 

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Meet the Digital Companion

Posted by Brent Stewart on Apr 2, 2015 9:48:12 AM

When a sales associate misrepresents your products or services and misinforms your customers, the bad experience can lead to lost sales, inferior customer service, and brand erosion. 

The current situation is dire. Virtually every major manufacturer/retailer relies on third parties to market and sell the majority of their products. But too often, sales people responsible for your brand struggle to keep up with well-informed customers armed with extensive product research conducted online. So how do we solve such a significant business problem? 

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Momentum Matters: Why Momentum is the New Success Metric

Posted by Nikki Barua on Mar 12, 2015 11:50:00 AM


Our culture is rampant with references to momentum: a sports team has “momentum going into the playoffs”; a business has “momentum following a successful IPO”; and an Internet meme or viral video “gains momentum through virtual and real word-of-mouth”. In all of these situations – even physics - momentum is understood to be like riding a wave. Somehow, that team or company has harnessed a kind of power and is being propelled forward beyond the competition. In business, if you have momentum, you will be a market leader. What do companies like Uber, Apple, and GoPro have in common? Aside from being successful brands, they have momentum. Brands with momentum dictate the terms for the market and their competitors and attain powerful and profitable leadership positions. 

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Inside the Design of the Award-Winning Lexus RC App

Posted by Sheila Darcey on Mar 10, 2015 12:19:00 PM

How did Lexus meet the challenge of rolling out training to launch a new vehicle quickly and effectively? 

Lexus, a division of Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), wanted to create a digital tool that could quickly ramp up its sales team on two new models in the highly competitive market for sports sedans and crossover SUVs.

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How Innovation@Speed Helped Lexus Capture Market Opportunity

Posted by Nikki Barua on Nov 14, 2014 12:09:00 PM

How does a major automotive brand empower both its customers and its sales associates with the technology to create a consistent experience online and offline? Lexus, a division of Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), embraced that opportunity by working with BeyondCurious to develop mobile applications that supported the launch of the all-new Lexus 2015 NX and RC models. A key to success was Lexus utilizing a BeyondCurious methodology, Innovation@Speed, that disrupts traditional product development approaches.

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The Future of the Pharmacy: In-Store Digital and American Health

Posted by Carrie Yury on Nov 4, 2014 3:22:00 PM

Changes abound in how Americans are thinking about healthcare. The Affordable Care Act has wrought tremendous changes in the overall healthcare marketplace, as the focus on patients as healthcare consumers—along with the mandate to incorporate digital technology—has led to industry transformation. One sector at the center of the American’s evolving relationship with healthcare is the retail pharmacy. 

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Robert Plant's Rules for Brand Reinvention

Posted by David Deal on Oct 1, 2014 3:50:00 PM

 Robert Plant, master of reinvention 

Brand reinvention sounds like a lofty, even noble concept. But adapting your brand to changing market conditions and customer behaviors is hard. Just ask Blockbuster (dead in the water) or The New York Times (fighting for its future). If you are a company faced with the daunting challenge of brand reinvention, a 66-year-old rock-and-roll singer has a few lessons for you. Robert Plant, once the living symbol of youthful hedonism during his days with Led Zeppelin, has successfully reinvented himself. As his body and voice have aged, his audience has changed, and the music industry has been upended, he is now receiving the best reviews of his career and selling strong as a solo artist. Here is his formula for success:

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Technology & Fashion: A Love Affair

Posted by Gabrielle Woodson on Sep 16, 2014 4:03:00 PM

As New York Fashion Weeks closes its doors, the impact of technology in fashion is opening entirely new ones. The fashion industry is known for pushing boundaries in both aesthetics and design. It pulls inspiration from unconventional sources that are oftentimes off-kilter, explorative, and even futuristic. And depending on whom you ask, technology can be described using similar words. The relationship between fashion and technology isn’t new, but it's certainly evolving and there are many lessons to be learned by big and small brands alike. World famous designers are showcasing their collections through cinematic masterpieces while tech companies are hiring high-profile designers to spearhead product design.  

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Four Big Brands Embracing Innovation

Posted by Gabrielle Woodson on Sep 3, 2014 11:14:00 AM

Image credit to Total Innovation Management Foundation 

Innovation isn’t reserved for small start-ups. More and more big brands are developing Innovation Labs and hiring Innovation Consultancies to create game-changing products and services.  Brands increasingly need to engage consumers in unconventional ways, but only a handful of these brands dedicate in-house resources to systematically understand consumer needs and drive new ideas.   

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