Admit it. You always feel sorry for the token nerdy kid with glasses. Be it Ralphie from the Christmas Story or Steve Urkel from Family Matters, the poor chump is always taken down a few notches in all of his horn-rimmed awkwardness. Well, rejoice near-sighted youngsters of the word, for alas, we’ve found spectacle salvation! Feast your eyes on Very French Gangsters – a brand of prescription glasses and sunglasses for tykes 3-10 years old. Founders Karoline BOTHOREL-Bolzinger and Anne Masanet meld comfort and style to create uniquely awesome specs that leave kids looking stoked. I mean, their “Very Boss” shades say it all – “Knack that commands respect.” Now that’s a cool 6 year old if I’ve even seen one. Just check out the mug shots of these kids sporting specs. How stoked do they look? These glasses are most definitely boss. We only wish they made them for, ya know, normal, adult-sized faces. *Sigh.
You may have seen floating docks gracing marinas and lakes for quite some time now, but Candock, a cool company based in Québec, Canada has a whole new take on these docks. The Modular Floating Dock System is a truly innovative product. The high quality plastic system is easily connected with little to no maintenance, can be configured in numerous ways, and has a life time guarantee. Most recently, Candock put together a long rectangular dock, made four units wide and 85 units long, then connected it to the shore of a beach and let it float over the breaking waves. This made for a pretty kick-ass time for Candock’s clients who spent the whole day wave jumping and soaking up the sun as they moved on top of the water.
Candock noted that their “modular floating system has become a must for residential, commercial, marina and recreational facility docks or any other application. When compared to wooden, metal or cement docks, its advantages are crystal clear: just consider its exceptional lifespan and its high resistance to the most severe weather conditions.”
The collective is a powerful thing. Crowdsourcing competitions can draw huge results, but the most valuable end game might not be free inspiration for a multi-million-dollar Super Bowl spot or a best-selling gadget. Rather, the most valuable prize might be the insights lurking in the collection of the submissions. The wisdom of the crowds isn’t just about picking a single winner.
How can you reap insights from the collection of ideas? Often in innovation, we welcome novelty and dismiss sameness. However, rather than thinking about repetition in the submitted ideas as being a nuisance, it is important to recognize that the repetition contains clues. Likewise, even if the ideas are relatively mundane, or at least not earth-shattering, the company can learn from that too. Collectively, the submitted ideas are a window into consumers’ minds.
