Looking Outside innovation: Costas Papaikonomou, author the Grumpy Innovator

In Episode 3 of Looking Outside we’re joined by the very pragmatic and undoubtedly original Costas Papaikonomou, Co-Founder of Happen Group, a global innovation agency, and author of the Grumpy Innovator book series. Today we’re looking outside Innovation.

Together Jo and Costas explore the pitfalls of innovating in a silo, the risk of disrupting your own brands through transformation and the benefits of gaining insight from other categories.

With a significantly higher chance of failure than success, and most growth and hope placed on innovation inside a consumer packaged goods company, it’s a challenge from the start that’s often approached with fleeting optimism. Costas discusses his pragmatic, if skeptical (definitely grumpy), approach to creating innovation that lasts, that meet true consumer needs, and that leverage idea generation from across functions, categories and industries.

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To look beyond the familiar, Costas recommends you literally go outside! Immerse yourself in the world your consumers are in, and clear your mind of cobwebs by stepping into a place of nature.

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Costas Papaikonomou is Co-Founder of Happen Group, one of the leading creative innovation agencies of the 21st century. A career in innovation – studying, dreaming, creating, researching and realizing new products. He is author of the Grumpy Innovator book series which feature musings, aphorisms & polemics about the ugly reality of consumer product innovation, in particular in large corporations. An attempt at understanding why so many innovations fail, why that is often wholly unnecessary and what may help tilt the balance more favorably. Costas  built a life – and co-founded a thriving business – in innovation by combining market insight, manufacturing and commercial rigors into one creative offer. He advises how to win by honoring all three, and avoiding a perpetuating challenge for many people and businesses where functions exist in siloes that hamper cross fertilization as well as multi-disciplinary careers.

Grab a copy of Costas’ Grumpy Innovator books on Amazon.

You can also download the full series as PDF - use "outside" discount code for 20% off.

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Welcome to Looking Outside, a new podcast dedicated to exploring fresh perspectives of familiar business topics. With each episode we’ll hear from some of the most influential and original thinkers.

The show is hosted by Joanna Lepore. Jo has been marketing and innovating inside of the consumer goods space for over a decade. Previously a marketer in Australia she recently moved to the United States to head up strategic foresight for Mars Wrigley North America. Jo follows her curiosity, seeking out fresh perspectives by looking outside her market, industry and field of knowledge. Starting 2022 she’s taking some of her friends alongside some of the most inspiring industry leaders to explore more of this in the Looking Outside podcast.

Find out more about Jo & Looking Outside at www.looking-outside.com.

Connect with Jo and join the Looking Outside community on LinkedIn.

Check out Jo’s foresight podcast Future Imagined (produced for Mars Wrigley).

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Looking Outside is created by Joanna Lepore. All views are that of the host and guests and don’t necessarily reflect those of their employers. Copyright 2022.

 “OBOY” and “Bellodrone” music features in Looking Outside Episode 3: Innovation, via Soundstripe.