Despite Growing Awareness, Business Silos Remain a Major Obstacle to Innovation, Say Untapped Innovation Co-Founders
Untapped Innovation leverages user data and promotes collaboration to provide organisations with a road map for success through its Ideal Product Model Blueprint
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Most businesses are composed of different departments, each with a specific task, such as marketing, research and development (R&D), production, sales, etc. While this allows more efficient and specialised handling of tasks, working in silos can sometimes result in teams racing to their respective finish lines, speaking different languages, and losing sight of the bigger picture. That is why Untapped Innovation, a London-based business consulting firm founded in 2012, has made its mission to bridge these gaps by fostering collaboration and leveraging user insights to maximise time, budgets, and technology potential.
Untapped’s co-founders, formerly of Procter & Gamble, bring decades of experience spanning R&D, marketing, and manufacturing. Their deep understanding of cross-functional challenges laid the groundwork for their human-led innovation philosophy—a process that combines technological breakthroughs with insights into consumer behaviour and future trends.
“Too often, R&D and marketing speak different languages,” explains Deirdre Walters, co-founder of Untapped Innovation. “R&D gets excited about the product’s technical breakthroughs, while marketing is focused on the business impact. Innovation will be better served if R&D teams ask themselves ‘What’s the human angle on it?’ and ‘What’s in it for the customer?’” According to her, the first step to fostering innovation within a business is making sure that everyone is on the same page.
Silos arise not from a lack of intent but from competing demands. Teams are expected to do more with less, leaving little room for cross-department collaboration. As a result, R&D teams, who create groundbreaking innovations, are unable to fully connect with marketing teams or consumers. Meanwhile, marketing struggles to translate technical jargon into relatable, consumer-centric messages.
To combat these challenges, Untapped Innovation has created an innovation playbook, which is a framework of consumer-centric tools for breakthrough product development.
This consumer-first approach has helped companies make smarter decisions about where to focus their time and resources. “For instance, if R&D proposes a new colour for a product, Untapped asks, ‘What job does this colour do for the consumer?’ And if the answer is unclear, then the consumer benefit must be more defined before any form of investment is made,” Sally Kemkers, Untapped Innovation co-founder, explains.
Untapped Innovation’s approach also brings transparency and alignment to the product development process. Co-founder Suzanne Allers shares, “When we walk into a lab, we see incredible inventions—things with the potential to make a difference in everyday life. But not every invention clearly connects with evolving consumer needs. We work with them to unlock their potential.”
Even marketing teams benefit from this structured approach. With a clear understanding of the product’s unique attributes and consumer benefits, they can create campaigns that resonate deeply with the target audience, making the product stand out in competitive markets.
In a world where time and ever-increasing budget pressures are becoming the norm, collaboration often feels like a luxury. But as Untapped Innovation demonstrates, taking the time to connect departments and align on consumer needs is not just beneficial—it’s essential. With a playbook of practical innovation tools, businesses can navigate today’s challenges while delivering products that consumers would truly love.
For businesses looking to drive innovation and foster a more collaborative culture, Untapped Innovation offers a roadmap to success, one connection at a time.