Latest news with #LucSpeisser
Fast Company
10-06-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
Why brand-led innovation is the key to defeating the 90% failure rate
Innovation is hailed as the engine of progress, yet despite billions invested each year, the vast majority of innovations never succeed. 'The commonly accepted figure is that 90% of innovations fail annually,' says Luc Speisser, Global Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at Landor. 'Basically, before the age of one.' The real problem? The problem isn't a shortage of ideas or prototypes. It's a shortage of meaningfully different, brand-grounded innovations that can scale with confidence. WHY MOST INNOVATIONS FAIL According to Speisser, most innovation efforts are overly focused on relevance—meeting an unmet need—while ignoring the other essential ingredient: difference. 'Most of the innovation methodologies are only relevance-based,' he notes. 'If everybody innovates for relevance, it elevates the standards, but you're not standing out. And if you don't stand out, then price becomes the only way to differentiate. And then we've got a race to the bottom.' BRAND-LED INNOVATION: THE GAME CHANGER That's where brand-led innovation changes the game. It doesn't just chase trends or fill market gaps. It starts with a clear brand promise and builds from there. 'A brand is a promise, and a great brand is a promise kept,' said Walter Landor. At Landor, this mantra drives a holistic approach to innovation, constantly aligning what a brand stands for with what it says and does. This framework – define, make and keep the promise – ensures consistency across product, communication and experience. The result? Differentiation that resonates emotionally and endures commercially. 'Relevance gets you in the door,' Speisser explains. 'Difference fuels future growth. Combine them, and you command a premium.' HOW BRAND-LED INNOVATION BUILDS UNBREAKABLE BARRIERS Landor integrates this thinking into every stage of innovation: find, create, launch, and scale. Crucially, the brand is baked in from day one. 'We bring the brand in early,' says Speisser. 'If we create a new product, the brand is always front and center. People buy brands, not just products.' To de-risk and maximize impact, Landor uses modeling tools to rigorously test business viability. 'We can predict with high confidence the business opportunity and outcome, including margin and profitability.' This yields solutions that are not just new, but brand-defining and impossible to copy. 'We call these Ownable Firsts.' BRAND-LED INNOVATION IN ACTION: THE 'COOLEST IHRAM' OWNABLE FIRST A prime example of brand-led innovation is Saudia Airlines' 'Coolest Ihram' initiative. What generic innovation would you expect from an airline using standard customer-centric innovation methods? Personalized journey platforms, immersive in-flight entertainment, loyalty program revamps, typical local cuisine, and destination promotion… the list goes on. Replace Saudia with Air France, and you get the same expected ideas in a different wrapper. 'But when we explored innovation for Saudia Airlines, we started with their brand promise: Welcome to Our Future ', explains Speisser. ' Welcome is rooted in genuine Arabic hospitality. Our Future reflects Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 ambition to reinvent everything. Creating innovation that delivers on this promise is inherently ambitious and specific.' This led Landor to six brand-led, ownable innovation platforms that redefined welcoming and future. For example, it means welcoming the 20% of the world's population living with disabilities—a group airlines often overlook. It also means caring for passengers beyond the flight. 'This is how we arrived at the Coolest Ihram: caring for the millions of pilgrims who fly to Hajj each year and helping them combat their greatest enemy: heat', Speisser says. The Coolest Ihram is a high-tech cooling garment designed for pilgrims, addressing both climate and accessibility. It creates a personal cooling microclimate, lowering the temperature next to the skin by up to two degrees. 'Those two degrees make a big difference between having heat stroke or not,' explains Speisser. 'We immediately branded it 'The Coolest Ihram,' partnered with BRRR Technology and launched.' The Coolest Ihram embodies Saudia's Welcome to Our Future promise. It's a promise kept with millions of pilgrims annually. The brand itself blends tradition and modernity: the square shape echoes the Kaaba (tradition) while also evoking the pixel, the building block of modern tech. 'The Coolest Ihram Ownable First was presented to Saudia just six months ago. Our confident market opportunity assessment, combined with AI acceleration and strategic partnerships, enabled a record-breaking launch,' says Speisser. To unlock innovation's true potential, organizations must rethink their starting point. 'Relevance isn't enough. You need relevance and difference,' Speisser emphasizes. 'You need to execute, not just brainstorm; you need business confidence at every stage of the process, and you need to start with a brand.'
Biz Bahrain
22-04-2025
- Business
- Biz Bahrain
Saudia unveils 'The Coolest Ihram', a high-tech Hajj & Umrah innovation
Saudia, the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia – on World Creativity and Innovation Day – unveils 'The Coolest Ihram', the world's first high-tech garment designed to cool the body while performing the Islamic rituals of Hajj and Umrah. This pioneering product – developed in partnership with Landor and brrr®, will make its debut during the Arabian Travel Market 2025 (ATM) in Dubai, positioning Saudia at the forefront of Hajj & Umrah innovation. Envisioned by Saudia, created by Landor and brought to life by leading U.S. cooling fabric company brrr®, the Coolest Ihram, 'The Coolest Ihram' uses patented cooling minerals, active wicking and rapid drying to lower your skin temperature by 1-2°C depending on environment and individual metabolic rate. Along with UPF 50+ sun protection, this lab-tested, athletic-grade technology creates a cool personal microclimate for each pilgrim, while adhering to the Islamic principles of Ihram for both men and women. The launch comes at a pivotal time, as the Kingdom prepares for Hajj this summer while mobilizing efforts to ensure a safe and successful pilgrimage season. As the leading Hajj & Umrah carrier, Saudia aims to set a new benchmark in religious tourism, adding to its commitment of supporting the Kingdom's targets of six million Hajj pilgrims and 30 million Umrah pilgrims annually by 2030. Essam Akhonbay, VP Marketing at Saudia, said: 'At Saudia, we are committed to continuous innovation across all aspects of aviation. Our goal is to enhance the travel experience for every guest. 'The Coolest Ihram' exemplifies our dedication to pioneering advancements that ensure comfort and focus on what truly matters during their journey.' Offering Landor's perspective, Luc Speisser, Global Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, said: 'We saw an opportunity not only to elevate Saudia's brand internationally, but to do it in a meaningful way, making a positive difference to passengers, during the journey of a lifetime. As a brand, Saudia promises innovation, and with the 'Coolest Ihram', they're putting that promise into practice.' Mary-Cathryn Kolb, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of brrr®, said: 'We were incredibly excited to partner with Landor and Saudia on this project, because we knew the difference it would make to pilgrims, in one of the most important moments of their lives. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to build new relationships and break new ground, while demonstrating the performance power of our fabrics.' The 'Coolest Ihram' will be available to Saudia guests beginning of June 2025, with further details to be announced soon.
Zawya
21-04-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Saudia unveils 'The Coolest Ihram', a high-tech Hajj & Umrah innovation
Jeddah: Saudia, the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia – on World Creativity and Innovation Day – unveils 'The Coolest Ihram', the world's first high-tech garment designed to cool the body while performing the Islamic rituals of Hajj and Umrah. This pioneering product – developed in partnership with Landor and brrr®, will make its debut during the Arabian Travel Market 2025 (ATM) in Dubai, positioning Saudia at the forefront of Hajj & Umrah innovation. Envisioned by Saudia, created by Landor and brought to life by leading U.S. cooling fabric company brrr®, the Coolest Ihram, 'The Coolest Ihram' uses patented cooling minerals, active wicking and rapid drying to lower your skin temperature by 1-2°C depending on environment and individual metabolic rate. Along with UPF 50+ sun protection, this lab-tested, athletic-grade technology creates a cool personal microclimate for each pilgrim, while adhering to the Islamic principles of Ihram for both men and women. The launch comes at a pivotal time, as the Kingdom prepares for Hajj this summer while mobilizing efforts to ensure a safe and successful pilgrimage season. As the leading Hajj & Umrah carrier, Saudia aims to set a new benchmark in religious tourism, adding to its commitment of supporting the Kingdom's targets of six million Hajj pilgrims and 30 million Umrah pilgrims annually by 2030. Essam Akhonbay, VP Marketing at Saudia, said: "At Saudia, we are committed to continuous innovation across all aspects of aviation. Our goal is to enhance the travel experience for every guest. 'The Coolest Ihram' exemplifies our dedication to pioneering advancements that ensure comfort and focus on what truly matters during their journey." Offering Landor's perspective, Luc Speisser, Global Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, said: 'We saw an opportunity not only to elevate Saudia's brand internationally, but to do it in a meaningful way, making a positive difference to passengers, during the journey of a lifetime. As a brand, Saudia promises innovation, and with the 'Coolest Ihram', they're putting that promise into practice.' Mary-Cathryn Kolb, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of brrr®, said: 'We were incredibly excited to partner with Landor and Saudia on this project, because we knew the difference it would make to pilgrims, in one of the most important moments of their lives. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to build new relationships and break new ground, while demonstrating the performance power of our fabrics.' The 'Coolest Ihram' will be available to Saudia guests beginning of June 2025, with further details to be announced soon. About Saudia: Saudia (Saudia Airlines) is the national flag carrier of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Established in 1945, the company has grown to become one of the Middle East's largest airlines. Saudia has invested significantly in upgrading its aircraft and currently operates one of the youngest fleets. The airline serves an extensive global route network covering around 100 destinations across four continents, including all 28 domestic airports in Saudi Arabia. A member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO), Saudia has also been a member airline in SkyTeam, the second largest alliance, since 2012. Saudia was recently recognized as the World's Most Improved Airline 2024 by Skytrax, marking the third time it has received this accolade, alongside 14 other distinguished awards. Saudia has also been awarded the "World Class Airline 2024" for the third consecutive year at The APEX Official Airline Ratings™ awards. Additionally, also ranked top among global airlines for best on-time performance (OTP) according to a report by Cirium. For more information on Saudia, please visit
