Managing Innovation without losing the brand’s core

Balancing Growth, Relevance, and Focus in a Noisy Market

I. Innovation ≠ Strategy

Let’s start with a hard truth: Innovation is not a strategy. But in today’s FMCG world, especially in food, it’s often treated like one.

I’ve been in places where managers says, “We need a win next quarter, let’s launch something new.”
And I’ve seen teams burn resources, dilute their equity, and confuse their consumers chasing innovation that had no strategic grounding.

What’s happening here?

We’ve mistaken novelty for value.
In the scramble to stay “fresh” and “relevant,” brands flood the shelf with seasonal SKUs, trend-driven LTOs, and yet another version of what’s already been done.
Social media accelerates these cycles. Retailers demand differentiation. And marketers, often under pressure, deliver speed over substance.

But true innovation isn’t about launching another matcha-latte-flavored protein bar. It’s about solving new consumer problems in a way that reinforces your brand’s meaning, visibility, and value.

That’s what this paper is about: How to innovate without drifting from your core.

II. Innovation Is a Brand Behavior

Here’s something I deeply believe: Innovation is one of the most public expressions of brand behavior.

What you launch tells the market not just what you do, but who you are.

Think of it this way:

• If your brand stands for clean, simple, functional fuel, every product you launch should reinforce that.
  RXBAR did this beautifully with their no-BS bar and later their protein oats and nut butters. All true to the “3 egg whites, 6 almonds” positioning.

• If your brand is built on decadent indulgence, then new SKUs should elevate that.
  Haagen-Dazs’ layered textures, Magnum’s double-dipped bars, these aren’t just new formats. They’re brand stories, told through product.

The biggest mistake I see?

Brands launching products that don’t act like their brand.
It’s confusing. To buyers. To teams. To consumers.

If you’re building a premium, slow-crafted narrative, you can’t afford to drop a mass-market SKU just because a trend report says “oat is up.”

Consistency isn’t boring. It’s strategic.

III. Know What Type of Innovation You’re Doing

One of the most useful tools for innovation discipline is understanding what type of move you’re making.

There are three main buckets:

1. Line Extensions
   Additions to an existing platform: new flavors, sizes, or formats
   Pros: low cost, easy to execute, familiar to retail and consumer
   Risk: cannibalization, clutter, erosion of focus

2. Sub-Brands
   New platforms that still ladder up to the parent brand, but have distinct positioning or purpose
   Pros: strategic flexibility, room to stretch equity
   Risk: needs real investment, requires clear brand guardrails

3. Standalone Brands
   Completely separate brand with its own name, purpose, and architecture
   Pros: protects masterbrand, great for entering new categories or price tiers
   Risk: expensive, resource-intensive, easy to misalign internally

Use this as a guide:

• Use line extensions when reinforcing known behavior or need states

• Use sub-brands when entering adjacent use occasions or evolving your value proposition

• Use standalones sparingly only when equity protection or audience shift demands it

Case in point: Ben & Jerry’s
They innovate constantly: “Netflix & Chill’d,” “Topped,” “Core” lines, but everything is unmistakably them.
The tone, the packaging, the activism, it’s all aligned.

Innovation here isn’t an add-on. It’s an extension of the brand’s soul.

IV. Operational Alignment Is Non-Negotiable

Here’s something that’s not discussed enough: Supply chain, operations, and innovation are inseparable.

A sexy new product on the sell-in deck means nothing if:

• Your co-packer can’t scale it

• Your distribution model breaks down

• Your sales team isn’t briefed or supported

• Your retailers don’t get full readiness

I’ve seen brands commit to launches they weren’t operationally ready for and it nearly always backfires.
You get short-term buzz and long-term chaos.

The answer?
An innovation operating system that aligns strategy with execution.

Your tracker should include:

• Margin and COGS modeling

• Forecasted distribution and retail interest

• Executional checklist (packaging, claims, POS readiness)

• Retail trade pitch assets

• Cross-functional signoff checkpoints

Innovation is not a marketing function. It’s a company-wide behavior. Everyone must be aligned.

V. The Right Metrics to Track

You don’t measure innovation success with impressions or likes. You measure it by business impact.

Here’s what actually matters:

• Incremental trial → Are new people buying the brand because of this launch?

• Incremental volume → Is this truly additive — or just shifting demand from another SKU?

• Velocity after promo → Can it stand on its own once the support drops off?

• Retail feedback → Are they asking for more… or quietly reducing orders?

• Trade ROI → Did the slotting fees, flyer placements, and displays pay off?

Your north star metric: Percentage of innovation volume that is truly incremental

Example: Chobani Oat
This wasn’t just another yogurt line. It unlocked new usage occasions (coffee, baking, dairy-free swaps) and attracted plant-based consumers, not just traditional yogurt buyers.
That’s what strategic innovation looks like.

VI. Brand Architecture as a Compass

Brand architecture is what keeps innovation from turning into noise.

Every strong portfolio needs:

• Hero SKUs: the workhorses that define the brand

• Storytelling SKUs: collabs, LTOs, or mission-led items that reinforce intent

• Incremental SKUs: line extensions or new use cases that unlock growth

But you also need to recognize the danger signs:

• Too many low-velocity SKUs eating up shelf space

• Inconsistent packaging or naming

• Innovation with no narrative link to the brand’s meaning

• Shiny-object syndrome: chasing trends with no post-launch plan

Annual portfolio reviews are essential. Ask:

• Is our equity being stretched or strengthened?

• Are we rewarding focus or rewarding activity?

• What’s working by channel, by region, by occasion?

The more disciplined the architecture, the stronger your negotiations with retail and the clearer your message to consumers.

VII. Final Thought: Innovate With Purpose, Not Panic

Innovation should never feel like an escape hatch.

The strongest brands don’t innovate to chase headlines. They innovate to solve, serve, and sharpen their meaning.

If your innovation doesn’t:

• Deepen your relevance

• Drive true incremental growth

• Build confidence in your identity

…it doesn’t belong on your roadmap.

In this market, speed matters, but not at the cost of clarity. Launch less. Launch better. Launch with intention.

Because when you know who you are, you don’t have to shout to be heard. You just have to show up: with purpose, precision, and consistency.

Let’s build like that.

References

• NielsenIQ Innovation Measurement Reports (2021–2023)

• Euromonitor International: Packaged Food Trends & Forecasts, 2022

• Sharp, Byron. How Brands Grow, Oxford University Press, 2010

• Les Binet and Peter Field: The Long and the Short of It, IPA, 2013

• Chobani Oat Case: Grocery Dive, 2022; FoodNavigator, 2023

• RXBAR and Hu Product Portfolios: Brand websites, press interviews, investor briefings

• Haagen-Dazs Innovation Strategy: General Mills Annual Reports, 2022

• Ben & Jerry’s Brand Architecture: Fast Company, 2021; Unilever Investor Briefing, 2022