It Does What?

You know you are onto a great idea when you describe your new product concept to someone and they say, It does what?

That means that your idea isn't conventional and doesn't follow the rules of the category. I thought I’d provide a list of 23 products that can cause this reaction? 

This exercise is a great way to stretch your brand teams mind before starting to think about new products for your business. Get out of your category, expand your thought process and get weird. 

By the way several of these ideas are already products that exist. I put in bold the ones I know. 

24 Product Ideas That Make You Go What? 

Ice cream that isn’t cold.

Salad that you drink.

Wine that is a fragrance.

Cheese that you can wear on your wrist.

Books that you can eat.

Candles that can be turned on with an IPhone.

Girls clothes that can change colors and patterns.

Mobile trucks that bring quiet rooms for mediation to a neighborhood.

Cat slippers that clean the floor when they walk.

Windows that grow vegetation to keep heat from coming inside.

Fans that don’t have blades.

Beds that have essential oil sprays to enhance rest

Pipe insulation that regrows when it wears out.

Leaf blowers that are powerful but have silencers on them. 

Ladders that fold into your wallet.

Carpet that is two-sided so you can flip it after the top is worn out.

Pants that charge your smart phone when you carry it in your pocket.

Whistles that emit a silent signal that can be detected by a smart phone 10 miles away.

Toasters that play songs depending on the type of bread you toast.

Socks sold by the threes instead of pairs and they don't match. 

Ovens that don’t bring heat into the kitchen.

Paint that can change hues with different musical frequencies.

Cars that drive themselves.

Containers that hold water that you eat after you drink the liquid.

Appliances that charge wirelessly.

 The Challenge

Ask 10 people who work in your company to think about your product and category and have them create a list of extraordinary things that you wish your product could do that no one else can. Bring them together and let each person present their list. 

The really great ideas will be incredibly difficult and that is a great place to start developing products that are difficult to copy and have a built-in story to tell. The top concepts will make you go, huh? Huh means you hadn't thought of your product in this way. 

Did I tell you about the wine cork made from sugarcane that was developed by Nomacorc? (where I work). 

Cheers to, it does what?

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