A True Innovator is someone who describes themselves as the first to like and try new products, even from brands they may not know. What wins them over is True Innovation: ideas intuitive, meaningful and exciting enough that people reach for them first. Those are the ideas that tend to become standard in a category years later. Understanding True Innovators tells you which new ideas will catch on before the market has made up its mind.
Where it came from
We developed the True Innovator measure in 1997, in our work for Whirlpool: research that helped them decide to bring front-loading washers to market. Front-loaders are now an ordinary choice in American laundry rooms. The measure has been part of our work ever since, in automotive and well beyond it.
What it shows you
Any result can be split between True Innovators and everyone else: what they bought, what they considered, how they rate the experience, and what they want next. Because our work rests on ValueCentered Psychology, you see why True Innovators respond differently, not just that they do.
Where you can use it
True Innovators are identified in every wave of NVES and UVES, so subscribers can view any result through them. The same measure goes into custom surveys in any category.