Valuable Gen Z Consumer Insights For Harris Paints

INTRODUCTION

Harris Paints is a Caribbean paint company head quartered in Barbados which has managed to buck the trend and thrive in a paint industry increasingly dominated by global giants such as PPG and Akzo Nobel. To continue their success in the marketplace of the future they wanted to feed an innovation pipeline with ideas that resonate with the local market and demonstrate that Harris uniquely contributes to the well being of the local community. The business challenge was set by their CEO Ian Kenyon.

The students provided the business with fresh insights into how Harris could engage with the local market and to identify innovative ways to bring colour to life for Harris Paints and its customers. EiA, the Rotary Club of Barbados South and the Barbados Entrepreneurship Foundation brought together 27 students aged 16 -18 years old, from 4 different schools and the Barbados Community College. Students presented to the executive team of Harris Paints including their inspirational founder Ralph Johnson.

HIGHLIGHTS

Innovative ideas

The students generated four world class innovation concepts that were designed to integrate with one another for maximum impact and which fully met or exceeded the objectives set by the very challenging brief.

Fresh energy

The students and employees, working together, brought a fresh energy and vitality that was valued by the company. The consultancy created by the students – Full Spectrum – was subsequently hired by the company on a full time basis.

New product idea generated

The Full Spectrum team presented a number of ideas. The highlight was a concept called called Colour Therapy, which featured a line of colouring books and pencils for families.

REFLECTIONS

Ian Kenyon, CEO, Harris Paints International

I have worked with world class agencies in the UK, Canada, Puerto Rico, Holland and Belgium as well as the Caribbean and I can honestly say that I have never seen or experienced such an amazing output that was fully on brief, delivered in record time and developed with such a small investment of time or money from the client. If you are running a company that is seeking fresh new ideas for solving a real life business challenge, that wants to show real Corporate Responsibility by providing a tangible service to the future stars in your community or you simply want to re-energize your employees, then the Classroom to Boardroom initiative, based on my personal experience of one electric week at Harris, is a silver bullet in a world where silver bullets don’t exist anymore!

PARTICIPANTS

The programme has been really practical in terms of real situations to be analysed and resolved. It encourages a lot of teamwork and that for me is a highlight since from the beginning of the programme I was expecting to grow in that area and I have! The coaches are great, very supportive and motivating; it is great to work with such people, especially if you have not really come
to the realisation of your full potential.

I have realised that I have potential and that I looked down on myself and never self valued or believed in myself. I am confident to grow as a person and ready to go into the corporate world.

The programme has been awesome. As an individual, I have unleashed a lot of potential that I never knew I had before. The programme has been one of its kind in my entire life. I really appreciate the brilliant idea of coming up with such an initiative like the EiA which actually plays a great role in growing an individual.