Innovation takes many forms – it can be a technological breakthrough that helps to change how the world communicates. Or it might be a manufacturing change to reduce waste. Or, innovation can also take a common problem and solve it using an entirely new experience.
Let’s take a common problem like, say, uncomfortable high heels. And now we apply innovation to deliver a new solution to solve the problem. Something along the lines of making high heels that are as comfortable as a sneaker.
Easier said than done, as found out by entrepreneur Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx. Making a high heel as comfortable as a sneaker required changing the shoe design and manufacturing process in an industry long dominated by male designers and owners (who don’t wear high heels).
So what do we get when crossing a stiletto heel with a comfy sneaker? We get Sneex, a new luxury hybrid stiletto. After all, women already wear sneakers even at formal events, so why not a luxury brand to wear? And, yes, just because the word ‘sneaker’ is involved, it doesn’t mean the shoe is cheap. The luxury shoe retails for $395 – $595. There are only a handful of styles and colors, and the shoe is only in whole sizes 5-11.
Shall we wear it for a run or take it to a gala?
Group Activities and Discussion Questions:
- Poll students about their shoes and satisfaction.
- Show Sneex: www.sneex.com.
- Show video about the product: https://youtu.be/qhHUB9FUJcI?si=22Dp_5N9qqUhO6cV
- Discuss the four marketing strategies.
- Discuss setting SMART objectives.
- Which strategy is being used for this product?
- Divide students into teams. Have each team write three objectives for the strategy selected.
- Next, have the students define a target market and develop a targeted promotional campaign.
Source: Encinas, A. (28 August 2024). Sneex: Neither a heel nor a sneaker, a new shoe that is dividing the people. USA Today; Jackson, H. (19 August 2024). Spanx founder Sara Blakely wants you to run in (sneaker) heels. Vogue; Spanx founder Sara Blakely introduces Sneex, a sneaker-heel hybrid starting at $395 a pair. People magazine; other news sources.
