Topic: Co-making and innovation collaboration between companies

Devin Liddell’s visited Innovation Navigation to share his vision of the next big thing in innovation: co-making, the arrangements under which two companies collaborate from the earliest design stages to create a product together (as opposed to simply co-branding a product one or the other made independently). Liddell believes this approach is responsible for some of the most original products to hit the market in recent years, including Taco Bell’s Doritos Locos Tacos and the Fiat 500 by Gucci; he hopes tech companies will overcome their focus on patents and IP protection to enter co-making relationships more readily, and imagines such examples as a driverless car by iRobot and a car manufacturer. Liddell outlined the keys to successful co-making, including beginning with two independently strong brands, focusing on iterative prototyping rather than iterative talking and brief-writing – many believe a tenet of any good innovation process – and relationship touchpoints to keep the partnership healthy.

Devin Liddell leads the brand strategy offer for design consultancy Teague, working collaboratively with clients such as Anheuser-Busch InBev, The Boeing Company, Intel, JW Marriott, Microsoft, and SC Johnson to create research-driven brand strategies and consumer experiences. With more than a decade of experience in brand strategy and design, Liddell has worked across a broad spectrum of industries: aerospace, higher education, software/technology, food and beverage, and retail. His work has been featured in Brandweek and Brand Strategy, and he teaches regularly at the School of Visual Concepts in Seattle, Washington.