by Michael Collins, CEO of Big Idea Group and author of “The Million-Dollar Idea in Everyone.”

Though some companies sponsor innovation contests as part of a publicity campaign (“Send in jelly bean flavor ideas!”), at Big Idea Group (BIG), Idea Hunts are typically the result of identifying a problem that needs solving.

When I started BIG, I had a simple goal: bridge the gap between some of the world’s largest manufacturers and the people on the streets who often have some of the world’s best ideas. To do this, I set up a series of Roadshows and traveled the country meeting with literally thousands of innovative thinkers and creative problem-solvers. I reviewed their product ideas, offered criticisms and suggestions for improvement, and gathered the best of the lot into my “A-list” portfolio of products.

Then I systematically called on manufacturers to present these products for possible licensing. Though the iterative process worked well—review products, present products, back and forth, etc.—I did not always have what the customer wanted. For example, I might have three new water toys in my presentation while the client secretly hoped I would pull out something to boost sales in their sand toy division. Or I might show a slicer-dicer kitchen gadget to a manufacturer who wanted an effective soft cheese shredder instead. When a disconnect like this happened, I took the opportunity to learn more about what the company needed and then kept those requirements in mind as I headed back out to meet with inventors.

One client, however, wanted to be more proactive. His company had just developed a new lighting technology and he wondered aloud if I might get inventors to dream up cool ways to use it. Our conversation led to the first of many BIG Idea Hunts in which we publish a list of product requirements and invite people to pitch their solutions. We now run several Hunts a year, most of which get started in one of the following ways:

• A client has a specific problem to solve. For example, in the Bra Fastener & Adjuster Hunt, a European intimate apparel company wanted to make it easier for women to fasten and adjust their bras—a problem area for some women.
• A client has an area of business they want to improve or expand upon. In the Welch’s Hunt for Afterschool Snacks, for example, Welch’s sought to extend their line of fruit-based food and beverage products into the snack category for kids six to twelve years old. In the Faultless Helping Hand Innovation Hunt, on the other hand, the client wanted to add innovative new hand tools to their already successful Garden Weasel brand.
• A client wants input from thousands of creative minds. In the Kraft Branding Hunt for Men’s Beverage Sticks, the client simply wanted new names and packaging ideas for individual powder drink mix sticks. They were not interested in ideas to reinvent or retool the actual product.
• BIG identifies an opportunity. Sometimes we get an idea or see a trend in the market and want to capitalize on it ourselves. We might launch a Hunt to expand on what we have already developed or simply to test the theory of what we believe is a big opportunity.

Having run several BIG Hunts since that first lighting exercise, we have learned a great deal and refined our process considerably. In the next several articles, we will talk more about the evolution of our Hunts and give insight into how you can make the most of the opportunities presented by BIG and other Open Innovation sponsors.