Consumers share in the success of winning product ideas

There’s no doubt the global brain can be a source of countless winning product ideas. That’s why there’s Ahhha, for example, and it’s also why there’s Genius Crowds, which taps everyday consumers for product ideas and then brings the best concepts to market. Consumers begin by creating an account on Genius Crowds and then submitting their own product ideas or discussing and voting on those already listed on the site. Ideas are organized by topic, and they can also be searched by recency, popularity and other parameters. Participant voting leads to a set of crowd favorites, and those are then subjected to review by Genius Crowds’ own panel of experts. Concepts deemed most likely to succeed are designated “for the shelf,” and Genius Crowds handles all packaging, prototyping, testing, manufacturing and distribution through its relationships with world-class manufacturers and retailers. The resulting products are sold under the Genius Crowds brand name, and 25 percent of all royalties go to the products’ inventors, whose names get included on the packaging as well. Will the customer-made trend ever fade away? We’re thinking not. How can your brand tap the global brain for mutual benefit? (Related: Volkswagen crowdsources apps for in-car info & entertainment — Consumers get paid for promoting products they love — Consumers get paid for input on new products.) Spotted by: Zoe Hitzig