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The Live Well Collaborative:
A New Model for Fostering Research
Craig Vogel, Professor, College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP), University of Cincinnati
Building meaningful brands with 50+ consumers is a complex but necessary challenge facing companies in every sector of the economy. The influence and buying power of this group requires far greater research and development for products and services than tech-savvy younger market segments. These 50+ consumers demand greater value for their products and services; influence the purchases of extended families; and also look at the value and integrity of the company and how it conducts business. This stretches the meaning of brand equity from the micro-connection of the product on the shelf to the macro-impact the company has on society and the planet. A design program embedded in a comprehensive research university with a medical school is ideally suited to understand and develop solutions for this powerful new global trend.
The Live Well Collaborative is a non-profit company that exists between the University of Cincinnati and several member companies. The collaborative develops project briefs with the companies and then puts together interdisciplinary teams of faculty and students. This model is based on the translational research model in the field of medicine, and the “Connect and Develop Strategy” developed by Larry Huston at P&G. Design research, strategic planning and execution can contribute significantly to the research and development capabilities of a university. The goal of the project is to identify meaningful consumer-driven insights and then rapidly translate those insights into effective products and services.
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