Case study
Prompting tomorrow's
consumer products
with AI
Running an AI-powered Sprint with Tata Consumer Products to fuel food and beverage innovation
Tata Consumer Products is one of the world’s leading food and beverage companies, aiming to deliver high-quality, sustainable, and innovative products with brands like Tetley, Eight O’Clock Coffee, Himalayan Water and emerging brands like Tata Sampann and Tata Soulfull.
Challenge
Filling the innovation pipeline across four product categories in a single week
To accelerate their future product portfolio across four key categories, Tata Consumer Products aimed to fill their product innovation funnel with an array of exceptional, new products.
Strategy
Running an AI-powered innovation sprint to generate tomorrow’s products
Tata Consumer Products and Board of Innovation co-created a customized approach, designed to integrate AI capabilities in an FMCG environment where established businesses, like Tata Consumer Products, leverage a start-up mentality.
Collaborating closely with Tata Consumer Products, we embarked on a journey of research, ideation, creation, and testing to generate new product ideas across four distinct categories. Leveraging the power of AI tools, we were able to execute this sprint concurrently for all four teams, instead of running separate sprints for each category, maximizing efficiency.
Outcome
Over 40 concepts generated, with 8 fully developed prototypes tested with consumers
After an intensive four-day collaboration, we emerged with a wealth of innovative concepts, across the four key product categories. Through a diverging process, and with the help of 400+ Midjourney prompts, we transformed ideas into 42 concept cards and low-fidelity prototypes. These prototypes were tested overnight to create an initial prioritization and to decide on the eight concepts to further develop and test with consumers, through shelf- and tasting tests.
This image was generated with AI by Board of Innovation
Creating and testing 42 concepts in 4 days powered by AI tools
Unlock the power of AI in a unique sprint format. Leverage the latest AI tools to generate new ideas, get real-time feedback, and curate new concepts to move forward with.
Challenge
Filling the innovation pipeline across four product categories in 1 week
In just one week, Tata Consumer Products, a renowned innovator in the food and beverage industry, partnered with Board of Innovation to run an AI-powered innovation sprint aimed at propelling growth and developing new concepts in four key food and beverage categories.
Recognizing the transformative potential of Generative AI, we set out to equip the team with AI capabilities and at the same time populate the innovation funnel with exciting new concepts. Our goal was to revolutionize the new product development process for Tata Consumer Products through the power of AI, all within a short time frame.
Strategy
Running anAI-powered innovation sprint to generate tomorrow’s products
With AI as a co-pilot driving this innovation sprint, the teams at Tata Consumer Products were equipped and empowered to utilize AI tools throughout the entire innovation process, from strategy setting to concept experimentation and validation.
Here's how we integrated AI into each phase
Strategy: AI helped in defining future directions and making data-driven decisions on big moves.
Research: AI helped in defining future directions and making data-driven decisions on big moves.
Ideation: Generative AI tools pushed the boundaries, enabling the teams to generate more ideas, faster.
Prototyping: Using Generative AI, early concepts were transformed into realistic prototypes that could be presented to consumers.
Consumer testing: Generative AI tools optimized the experimentation engine, facilitating early concept validation.
Prior to the sprint, the Tata Consumer Products' teams aligned on sprint goals and received training on using ChatGPT to create user interview guides.
Day one of the sprint immersed the teams in consumer empathy and research, using the 52 consumer interviews carried out prior to the sprint. The teams established strategic "How might we?" statements using AI tools, and then developed over 20 ideas per squad to carry into the next phase.
Day two focused on ideation, with multiple rounds of idea generation, concept development through DIY prototyping using Midjourney, and refining ideas based on viability and innovation horizons. Assumptions to test and prioritize concepts were defined, leading to low-fidelity overnight concept validation. This involved realistic, branded images of the concepts in digital shopping contexts, enticing product descriptions in a ready-to-buy appearance front of pack, and social media assets for validation purposes.
On day three, demand-driven prioritization of concepts took place based on overnight validation, and the teams began designing experiments for qualitative feedback.
The fourth and final day involved quantitative experiments, actionable roadmap creation, and the development of pitch decks to present the concepts to senior management.
Throughout this intensive sprint, AI-powered tools and methodologies sped up and revolutionized the innovation process, letting Tata Consumer Products make big moves in a short period of time.
Outcome
42 concepts with 8 high-fidelity prototyped and tested with consumers
Following a dynamic four-day collaboration, we generated an impressive 42 concrete new product concepts. Leveraging a divergent process and with the help of 400+ Midjourney prompts, we swiftly transformed these ideas into low-fidelity prototypes. Overnight testing allowed us to prioritize the most promising concepts, resulting in the selection of 8 high-fidelity prototypes, to further develop and test with consumers, through shelf- and tasting tests.
Throughout the process, we guided the teams in crafting clear roadmaps for each concept, ensuring momentum and propelling these products forward to - hopefully - hit the market soon.
4
days
4
Food and beverage cateories
400+
Midjourney prompts
100+
ideas
42
Low-Fi concepts developed
8
Hi-Fi concepts, tested and with clear roadmaps
Tata Consumer Products consciously adopted an approach that could give us a competitive advantage against incumbents; scale through AI tools, iteration through agile consumer feedback, holistic view of the mix since day 1 through prototypes. It all contributed to a mindset shift from internally-focused managers to externally focused makers, and really energised the team.
Marcello Formisano, Head of Insights at Tata Consumer Products
