I was invited to speak at an innovation conference in Norway this week, which gave me the opportunity to test Crowd Surfing as an innovation methodology. My basic thesis was that empowered consumers are a brilliant source of R&D for any business, so long as it has the systems in place to involve them. In fact, a company’s most passionate customers will probably get involved anyway, even they aren’t actively encouraged.
I was able to share some great case studies, including P&G’s Connect & Develop programme, which has led to 35% of the company’s new products including some features that have been developed outside the business, increasing P&G’s R&D productivity by 60%. The explosion of iPhone Apps is also a great example of how to harness the creative and entrepreneurial talents of outsiders. Most of the 25,000 Apps currently available have been developed by non Apple employees, who have paid a one-off fee of $99 to become registered developers. If they decide to charge for their application, they can set the price and keep 70% of the charge.
We criticised Apple in our book for not being the most collaborative or open of cultures, but the rapid growth of iPhone Apps – described by Wired magazine’s editor as “the fastest growing business since the launch of the internet”, represents a brilliant example of commercially smart Crowd Surfing. I was also pleased to discover that the man who created the iFart is now a millionaire.