We were thrilled to see that our partners Saudia Airlines and Landor were featured in this terrific article in Fast Company about the power of innovation and how it can be transformative when it aligns with a company’s brand and mission.
In the article, Landor’s Global Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer Luc Speisser says that 90% of innovations fail each year, and it’s not a problem of lack of ideas or even bad ideas. The differentiator between failure and success is how well the innovative ideas align with and elevate a brand’s core ethos and commitment to its customers.
“Most of the innovation methodologies are only relevance-based. If everybody innovates for relevance, it elevates the standards, but you’re not standing out. And if you don’t stand out, then price becomes the only way to differentiate. And then we’ve got a race to the bottom.” —Luc Speisser, Landor
Landor worked closely with Saudia Airlines last year to help the global aviation leader create a new offering that would meet the needs of its passengers during one of the most devout and important travel moments in their lives — the Hajj pilgrimage.
Hajj occurred in June, when temperatures soared to 40°C to 47°C (104°F to 117°F), putting many pilgrims at risk of overheating, sun stroke, sunburn, heat exhaustion, and other health challenges.
Saudia Airlines worked with Landor and brrr° to create a new garment that could help draw heat and moisture away from the skin to keep pilgrims cooler and more comfortable during Hajj, and also provide superior UPF sun protection.
Together, we developed “The Coolest Ihram,” a high-tech garment made with brrr° cooling performance fabric.
brrr° combines natural cooling minerals, active wicking, and rapid drying to create a “Triple Chill Effect” that instantly and continuously draws heat and moisture away from the skin.
The Coolest Ihram is a perfect example of brand-led innovation that doesn’t just chase trends or plug gaps in the market. Brand-led innovation builds on a brand’s core pledge of putting the needs of customers first, and building from there.
When brands define, make, and keep their promise to customers, they have greater consistency across their product, communication, and overall customer experience, Speisser said.
“Relevance gets you in the door. Difference fuels future growth. Combine them, and you command a premium.” —Speisser
When Landor began working on this innovation project with Saudia Airlines, they began with the airline’s brand promise, which is: Welcome to Our Future.
That mantra is rooted in the airline’s genuine Arabic hospitality, and its ambition to reinvent the experience of air travel beyond the flight itself.
“This is how we arrived at the Coolest Ihram: caring for the millions of pilgrims who fly to Hajj each year and helping them combat their greatest enemy: heat.” —Speisser
