A new approach is imperative for open innovation to be successful

Kansei is a technique which Faraday has been involved in for some time. It’s a method for better articulating the physical attributes of a pack in order to optimise emotional responses. With these emotional responses now one of the key elements
of appeal, the better we carry out this function, the more likely we are to have successful packs.

Nothing new in that and nothing new in Design Perspectives, the Kansei arm of Faraday, which teamed up with Nestlé for a presentation on the technique at Pro2Pac in March. But a piece run by Packaging News on that presentation on its website this month let loose a flood of activity across the web offering opinions on Kansei – most of it uninformed condemnation.

OK, I’m involved in Kansei, so I would believe in it. That’s not the problem. What took me aback was the ‘not invented here’ syndrome so alarmingly demonstrated by the vast majority of respondents, including some very senior marketing directors.

It was evident that most did not understand what Kansei was, how it worked or had any experience of it. Bizarrely, one design company had the report on its website but was paying for Google ads saying that they didn’t believe in it.

So come on – if open innovation is to work, shouldn’t we have open minds and be eager to learn and understand? Kansei is a process that appears to have been rejected before it’s tried, and presented as some sort of threat to creativity.

It’s not good news that so many have such a closed mind. My view? Chief executives and their innovation directors need a massive culture change before we have the open minds that will allow open innovation to flourish.

Walter Lewis is managing director of packaging thinktank Faraday Packaging Partnership. Email him at walter.lewis@faradaypackaging.com

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