Fantastic or Foolish?! Wednesday 1st April 2009

Here are some ‘innovative’ ideas to stimulate your thinking on this mischievous date......

• Is a new idea innovative, or obscure ?

• Are new consumer tastes a trend, or a short term fad ?

• Is that new product a winner, or a ‘loser’ ?

Here’s some new products to get you thinking and stimulate the creative juices...........

Most Explosive Chocolate
Toss chipotle, salt and popping candy into dark chocolate and you’ve got a spicy mouthful of indulgence. These single-serving bars, made with Venezuelan chocolate, have 60 calories and combine the spark of Pop Rocks with the richness of quality cacao.

Funkiest Flower Food
Ever tasted hibiscus? This Australian product packs 11 gorgeous red flowers and a sweet syrup into a little jar. Though the flowers are at their most sultry at the bottom of a champagne flute, they’re edible and make an elegant topping for berry desserts.

Sleekest Liquid Candy
Aside from its health properties as a tropical balm, aloe vera apparently can be tasty, and some say it helps with digestion. This juice, from Thailand, is sweetened and artificially flavoured, so it doesn’t win marks for purity or simplicity. But it’s a fresh idea in a bottle with flair.

Spiciest Time Saver
To simplify the act of spicing meat, fish or poultry, use these paper – like sheets lined with seasoning. Rather than pouring out an uneven mess of herbs, you just place your salmon or chicken on top of the sheet to absorb the spices before cooking. Another time-saver that obviates the need to measure is The Seasoned Palate’s line of single-teaspoon packets of organic spices.

Most Scrumptious Play on Wine
Forget after-dinner coffee. Now you can have wine with dessert. Made with fresh ice cream and real wine, Mercer’s Peach White Zinfandel, Red Raspberry Chardonnay and Royal White Riesling ice creams are yummy, super-rich and don’t rely on flavouring or artificial syrups. Sorry kids: with up to 5% alcohol content, these ice creams aren’t sold to anyone under 21.

The Oxford Research Agency helps its clients to achieve a 60% market success rate compared with the 15% stated industry average. Combining this with significant cost savings and increased sales makes us believe we can provide the optimum blend of benefits to you as your chosen Innovation & NPD research partner.
Please contact Andrew Tharme for help in generating, evaluating and successfully commercialising new ideas: andrew.tharme@tora.co.uk, or call 01865 728272 / 07970 962091