Nivea $($A$)$

The case studies the efforts of Dr$.$ Stefan Biel, a scientist within Beiersdorf$$s research and development organization, to get approval for a product based on a user need, armpit staining, that he personally experiences and that he believes to be common, which so far has not been prioritized by the marketing research team. After failure to gain traction for his idea thorough Nivea$$s typical product development process, Biel uses his own methods to prove that armpit staining on white clothing is a common need of enough importance to users to have commercial impact. The case provides a great opportunity to discuss innovation processes in companies. Traditionally, companies isolate the process of need identification $($which involves outreach to users$)$ from the process of finding solutions $($which is done in$-$house by researchers and engineers$).$ Please consider the following:

What differentiates Biel$$s approach from traditional market research?