A PRODUCT INNOVATION TO SAVE BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

We took an insight-driven approach that leveraged new social behaviors caused by the pandemic to tackle a marked lack in post-covid celebrations. Our solution included the design, development, testing, and production of a physical product invention — marking Betty Crocker’s first step in branching into new, non-food categories.

The resulting invention ensured that birthday celebrations could evolve to a post-pandemic world — keeping the joyful experience for children and adults alike; without endangering the health of friends and family.

BIRTHDAY BLUES:

BLOWING OUT CANDLES HAS BECOME A THING OF THE PAST

During the pandemic, birthdays have been under pressure. And even when we return to normal, there’s one thing that isn’t coming back: Blowing out birthday candles.

As we’ve become more germ conscious, people have realized that blowing on birthday cakes increases bacteria by +1.400 percent. Searches rose fourfold and 100s of articles have been published calling to put the beloved ritual to rest.

IT’S NOT THE CANDLE WE’LL MISS THE MOST — IT’S THE RITUAL

Qualitative interviews with families in the target audience identified a crucial lack in post-covid celebrations: a tangible ritual for kids to perform.

Many families found kids almost overloaded by the sheer attention they got during birthdays, and the song in particular, and kids needed something to DO with all of that pent-up energy — without drenching the cake in spit.

A NEW RITUAL BASED ON THE MOST PRIMAL EXPRESSION OF JOY: CLAPPING.

We created the No Blow Candle: a sound-activated, interactive LED candle that listens to your celebrations and reacts accordingly.

Clap and sing all you can to make the candle light up from bottom to top — that’s when you make your wish!

In this way, families can lose the germs — but keep the joy. And Betty Crocker can contribute to public safety while saving a seat at the table of the year’s most important personal event.

A RAPID SCALE PRODUCT INNOVATION SPRINT

We were invited to submit proposals to General Mills in late November 2020. Gathering ideas from all of our Northern European offices, the No Blow Candle was selected for further development.

The budget for product development was awarded in late February, and a production partner was brought on board.

Through 6 weeks of iterative prototyping, the product was developed and prepared for manufacturing before submitting a product to us in early April. Then, content capture and asset production followed to prepare for a press launch in mid-April.

At the heart of the product sits an Adafruit PCB connected to a circle of LEDs and a microphone. The board is calibrated to respond to noise thresholds corresponding to singing and clapping. Each of these triggers a different lighting pattern: A soft, pulsing glow for singing, and a rapidly rising illumination for clapping. The latter culminates in a strobing pattern to indicate completion of the cycle — and the ritual. This is where you make your wish.

The outer shell is silicon molded and treated with several layers of sandblasting, varnish, and mattifying topcoat to disperse the lighting smoothly and hide the internals when in use.

The product is currently at an alpha stage for in-field market research, limited release to superfans, and product refinement prior to full market launch.

A BETA LAUNCH TO GAUGE CONSUMER INTEREST

Betty Crocker has helped families in the home for 100 years, and they have been a birthday fixture for all of those. To branch out from baking to the wider celebration, we took a staggered, iterative approach.

In the first phase, we distribute our alpha products to superfans, press, and influencers to gather valuable feedback. This also allows us to gauge the level of consumer interest to scale the production commitment accordingly. A launch site lets the general public sign-up for the chance to test a prototype or be notified once the final product is available.

We launched to a strong press pickup, bringing hope back to birthday celebrations and fame to Betty Crocker’s 100th birthday. The waiting list filled out in less than 2 weeks, and we will now take the learnings to iterate the No Blow Candle for a wider launch.