Innovation Gates · The Journey
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Innovation Gates · the journey
Coca-Cola × REBORRN · the innovation gates

How an idea travels, from concept to shelf.

Follow the line through the decision gates, and the work between them. We track one example the whole way, so the same deliverable and the same measures become more detailed and more certain as they move.

Innovation Bankalways on
Stage 1build concepts
Gate 1chooseOU Prioritization
Stage 2build bundleE2E Solution Bundle
Gate 2proveApproval of Bundle
Stage 3craft launchCraft Launch Plan
Gate 3signDecision to Launch
Stage 4Stage 4AprepLaunch Prep & Commercialization
Market Launchmilestone
Stage 5Stage 4BexecuteIn-Market Execution
Gate 4iterateDecision to Iterate
Scope of this iteration: this version runs the full process end to end, Stage 1 through Stage 4Stage 4A (Launch Prep & Commercialization) and the Market Launch milestone, covering all the work between stages and gates. Stage 5Stage 4B (In-Market Execution) and Gate 4 (Decision to Iterate) are now named and placed on the map; their full deliverables, measures and stakeholder detail will be built out in a next iteration.
Reading the scores
on track at or above the bar for the gate
watch below the bar, being worked
to learn an open question about a result already in hand, carried to the next gate
to define same dashed style as “to learn”, different meaning: no bar has been set yet for this measure
committed a locked, signed fact, no longer something being tracked against a target
TBD placeholder on numeric measures and on the D · S · F · V pillar scores; real thresholds, calibrated per OU × category × innovation type, will replace it as the model matures
Scroll right to travel
This page shows the Gate View. The full stage-by-stage journey is available to authorized reviewers.
Ideate Stage 1Phase 1 · leads to Gate 1, the Innovation Bank, always on what's new vs current

This is exactly what a Proof of Concept looks like.

Concepts are built continuously and kept in a shared bank. Every one answers the same six E2E Bundle elementsfour E2E Bundle elements, three questions each. Here is ours, filled in.

8 Consumer Benefit PlatformsCategory Innovation CorridorsAI agentsWorkshopsPartnersInno daysFlavor housesPitchesSystem-wide workshops
The output · a Proof of Concept, the six E2E Bundle elementsfour E2E Bundle elements, three questions each
The bank, four in flightClick a concept to preview it, Smartwater Glow is the one worked through in full below.
Smartwater Glow
Stage Proof of Concept
Source Innovation Bank, always on
Concept Highlights
Consumer in focus
Consumer tension: “I want my hydration to do more than quench thirst. I want it to work for how I look, not just how I feel.”
Meaningful, what’s in it for me: Hydration that shows up on my skin, not just how I feel, so one drink does double duty in my routine instead of adding a step.
Different, why this over other choices: The only beauty-hydration entrant with a clinically-backed dose you can see working, not just an ingested claim you have to take on faith.
Salient, the moment it comes to mind: The morning mirror moment: reaching for hydration that also shows up on your skin, right as self-care and the commute overlap.
The Solution
Smartwater Glow concept bottle mockup
Smartwater Glow
The first drink that fully hydrates you, pausing aging inside out, only the way Smartwater can do. RTB a clinically-backed hyaluronic-acid dose, visible hydration from within.
“Glow from the source. Nature in your skin, in every sip.”
Audience: Health-conscious, beauty-curious adults 25–40, already buying premium water, already investing in visible self-care. Desired growth audience ∼12.0M, the benefit-area pool, unconstrained ceiling from OpportunitySpace · BEACH need-states, sized the same way as the Europe benefit-platform work, before any brand or format decision.
Innovation strategy: New users, a beauty-hydration occasion that pulls new-to-brand consumers in, not a frequency play on the existing Smartwater base. Sourced from new-to-category demand, not cannibalising core Smartwater; estimated reach is modelled as audience size × brand credibility × liquid acceptance × affordability.
Need State: Refresh.
Benefit platform: Beauty-from-within hydration, part of the Skin & Radiance Consumer Opportunity Platform.Beauty.
Occasion: The morning routine moment, when self-care and the commute overlap (mirror, gym bag, desk).
Innovation territory: Hydration Glow.
Pricing check: Indexes ~15% above the premium-water category average (illustrative: ~$2.20 vs. ~$1.90 per 500ml); tests whether the HA claim justifies the step-up versus mainstream.
Competitive Set: Functional-water and beauty-hydration whitespace, illustrative whitespace index ~60; no direct ingested-HA competitor at scale today, nearest adjacent set is premium electrolyte and collagen-water entrants.
Launch in marketPROJECTION
Estimated 12 May 2027, UK market.
POC, validated
The key POC elements feed Investment and Business Case, below, which are calculated, not entered directly.
Product & Liquid
Sensorial description of the liquid: Clean, light taste, hydrating electrolytes, a real skin benefit. hypothesis
Hero ingredient & proof: Hyaluronic acid, at a clinically-backed dose. hypothesis
Feasibility & claim: Feasible; a US skin-hydration claim viable with a disclaimera skin-hydration claim viable with a disclaimer across the Top 15+3 priority markets. hypothesis
Feasibility tag: New-to-brand (Smartwater stretch), new-to-category (beauty-hydration occasion).
Lab bench test liquid variants, Smartwater Glow
Packaging & VIS
Shelf standout: Distinctive botanical design, stands out in the water aisle. hypothesis
Hero pack format: 330ml slim can for trial, premium glass for repeat, designed to catch the eye and invite a first try. hypothesis
Visual world: Soft greens, sage palette, ingredient-forward photography. hypothesis
Unlock Your Glow visual world moodboardSmartwater Glow concept bottle mockup
Brand & Comms
Brand carrier: Smartwater, a core stretch within its hydration credibility. hypothesis
Idea or line: “Glow from the source. Nature in your skin, in every sip.” hypothesis
Occasions:Consumer touchpoints: Morning-ritual moments: mirror, gym bag, desk refuel, plus candidate influencer/content-creator partners in the beauty-hydration space. hypothesis
Creative platform: New platform (not an extension of an existing persistent platform).
Smartwater Glow product shot with aloe vera and cucumber cuesSmartwater Glow brand book spread
CommercialCommerce
First-win channel: Derived from the desired growth audience above, not hand-picked: premium grocery hydration aisle, plus gym and e-retail. hypothesis
Tier & price: Premium tier, indexed above the premium-water set. hypothesis
Pricing check: Indexes above the premium-water category average; tests whether the HA claim justifies the step-up versus mainstream, see Gate 1 measurements for the specific index.
Category & customer growth case: Opens a beauty-hydration space, new-to-category, see Gate 1 measurements for the growth estimate. hypothesis
Sourcing & incrementality read: New-to-category sourcing, not cannibalising core Smartwater; est. reach = audience × brand credibility × liquid acceptance × affordability. human read needed
Early Sellability read: Directional customer/system excitement and brand/strategic fit; early bottler reaction captured as an input, not a sign-off.
Top 15+3 market interest: Some priority markets have flagged interest so far; informational only, Gate 1 stays an OU-level call, see Gate 1 measurements for the count.Germany, Poland, UK have flagged interest so far, informational only, Gate 1 stays an OU-level call, see Gate 1 measurements for the count.
OU interest: EU (Germany, Poland, UK) and LATAM (Mexico) have flagged early interest; informational only, Gate 1 stays an OU-level call.
Pack Tech & Equipment
To be added in a next version
Investment derived · no manual override
Required investment to cut through, derived: $15–17M Year-1 equivalent · MEDIUM intensity tier. No human estimate goes in at this stage, so early bias doesn’t creep into the number.
How it’s derived · addressable audience (~12.0M) × category reach/activation norm × benchmark cost-per-reach, off category-average CDE and media for a stretch launch; no committed budget yet
Calculated, not entered: Brand Idea (Stretch, Smartwater core extension) + Benefit Complexity (avg of ingredient novelty and claim complexity) + Audience Size → Score, mapped to the MEDIUM band above. Not an attribute, a calculation over three of the E2E Bundle elements.
Bottler co-investment likely? Unknown at this stage; flagged as a question for Gate 1.
New equipment or pack tech implied? None flagged; existing capability assumed.
Business Case calculated · target state
How this is measured · addressable audience × purchase intent × frequency drives volume; the rest of the P&L (NSR, COGS, margin, OI) is derived from price, COGS, and the commercial & marketing investment above, once those are modelled
Addressable audience target state
~6.5M, refined by this concept's business decisions: brand credibility × liquid acceptance × affordability × channel access · not yet modelled for this concept specifically
Global, high-level business case: Not produced at PoC today; the global team already builds an equivalent view for the LRP, alignment on this pending with the team.
Volume, rough estimate: Drinker ceiling and volume sized off category benchmarks (the Opportunity Sizing calc); not yet modelled for this concept specifically.
Calculated, not entered: Business Opportunity Sizing = Audience × Affordability × Competitive factor, read off the Audience and Competitive Set context above, not typed in by a team.
NSR, rough estimate: Not yet modelled; category-benchmark NSR range only, to refine at Bundle.
Margin & cost basis: Category COGS ceiling of ≤$1.90/UC assumed; no Foundry model yet.
Payback view: Too early for a modelled figure; category ballpark points to ~Year 3, pre-market, to refine at Bundle.
Top 15 markets, heat-mapped

High · medium · low read across the Top 15 priority markets, replacing a two-named-market example with the full read. Full per-market build-out deferred to the LRP and Q4 sprint.

Germany
Poland
UK
US
Mexico
France
Spain
Australia
Japan
Brazil
Italy
Philippines
South Africa
India
Turkey
High Medium Low
PoC references

Reference bundles from the latest EU Sprint, first slide shown here, click any card to open the full PDF.

Where it comes from: an always-on engine, fed by opportunity platforms, culture, science and competition, on a yearly token budget. The one gap to fix is a single, machine-readable bank.

Gate 1 · choose itOU Prioritization

Choose between the PoCs, and back the ones that best deliver the plan.Look across the global PoC bank, and back the ones that best deliver the plan.

Who decidesOUP/OU MT decides; GMs flag interest and give input; bottlers/category teams adviseHub recommends, OU leadership (OULT / OUP) decides with GDI
A portfolio call, not four PoCs judged in a vacuumA global portfolio call, not four PoCs judged in a vacuum
Every PoC in the global bank is plotted on the same two axes: fit to the LRP’s named growth bets, and fit to the category’s Innovation Corridors. PoCs compete against each other here, only the top-right quadrant gets chosen and sequenced this cycle.the focus is on Category growth corridors and Growth Bets, only concepts strong on both get chosen and sequenced this cycle.
Category Innovation Corridor fit
Smartwater GlowSmartwater Glowchosen
Fuze Tea, Light Blue BalanceFuze Tea, Light Blue Balance
Glowing Skin FormulaGlowing Skin Formula
Fanta LavenderFanta Lavender
Fit to the LRP’s named growth bets
Sequence now On corridor, not this cycle Reassess the corridor Deprioritise

What this gate produces: not a physical thing, the decision itself, the Chosen Bet that moves forward into the Bundle stage.

You produce
The output · the chosen bet
Smartwater Glow concept bottle mockup, chosen at Gate 1
Smartwater Glow chosen at G1
The first drink that fully hydrates you, pausing aging inside out, only the way Smartwater can do. RTB a clinically-backed hyaluronic-acid dose, visible hydration from within.
Tension “I want my hydration to do more than quench thirst, I want it to work for how I look.”

Also considered, not sequenced: Fanta Lavender (lower urgency), Fuze Tea Light Blue Balance (adjacent, not core), Glowing Skin Formula (new to portfolio, parked).

MEASUREMENT
How we measure · D · S · F · V · OU-level readstate: predicted
D · Desirability
Threshold: TBD
Purchase intent (Top Box) on track
No threshold set yet → synthetic read, directional · 4 in 5 say they'd try it, strongest among existing premium-water buyers already investing in skincare
Frequency to learn
No threshold set yet → synthetic read, directional · expected ~2×/month occasion fit, untested against the real liquid
Recommended approaches AI concept screening · Synthetic consumer assessments · Qualitative exploration
S · Sellability
Threshold: TBD
Category expansion YES
Opens a new beauty-hydration space, new-to-category demand · category growth lever ~4%, directional price index ~15% above category (~$2.20 vs ~$1.90/500ml), price positioning unconfirmedi
Source Commercial · price ladder, where available
F · Feasibility
Index: on track
Feasibility index on track
Manufacturing complexity 3/5 (at the ceiling) · claim/regulatory path clear (US) · scale, bottle & distribute no stopper, line available
Source GDI · regulatory scan
V · Viability
Threshold: TBD
Gross margin on track
Threshold: TBD → ~62%
Volume, net of cannib. (Yr 3) to define
Not yet modelled at Gate 1 · category-benchmark ceiling only
Cumulative OI (Yr 3) to define
Not yet modelled · full P10/50/90 NSR and simulated P&L view starts at Gate 2
Source Foundry engine, modelled at OU level
Minimum to pass Gate 1Real signal today is Desirability and Viability, both read at OU level with the consumer nuance folded in above, though Desirability here is a synthetic / AI read only. flagged Real consumer validation is not yet run and needs to be planned before Gate 2, not assumed complete on the strength of the synthetic read. Feasibility is expert-assessed. Sellability is a plausible story, an open question carried to Gate 2, not a blocker. No team is resourced until through this gate, so the ask is a chosen concept and a brief, not a business case.
Unlocks & releasesTime, budget and the team to build the bundle, plus the brief. Effort, not launch money.
Develop Stage 2Phase 2 · leads to Gate 2 the work happens here

Build the bundle.

A cross-functional team, brand, GDI, commercial and agency, turns the chosen concept into a complete solution. One rule from the brief guides it all: protect the edge, fix the gaps.

Smartwater Glow
Stage Building the bundle
From the Gate 1–approved PoC
Gate 2 checks the same six E2E Bundle elementsfour E2E Bundle elements, now built and answered
What it includes
The same sixfour elements, now built end to end into the E2E Bundle: a real liquid, a finished packa protocept, a finished pack guide, the brand story and comms, an investment envelope and a business case, instead of separate answers on paper. The consumer thread carries forward too: the same audience and tension, sharpened with real claims and numbers.
Consumer in focus
3 priority markets
Audience, carried from PoC: Health-conscious, beauty-curious adults 25–40, already buying premium water, already investing in visible self-care. Desired growth audience ∼12.0M, the benefit-area pool, unconstrained ceiling, unchanged from PoC.
Tension, sharpened: “I want my hydration to do more than quench thirst, and now I can prove it works, not just claim it.” Must-haves: clinically-backed HA claim, stable at ambient shelf-life, premium-tier price held.
Audience, sized in priority markets: Germany: ∼1.8M in target segment. Poland: ∼0.9M in target segment. UK: ∼1.4M in target segment. Sized off BEACH need-states × premium-water penetration, the same three markets carried in Priority markets interest below.
LAUNCH IN MARKET
projection
Estimated execution timeline: 3 months.
Estimated launch date in the UK market: 12 May 2027. projection, to be validated at Market Launch Prep
Market execution targets projection
Media: Full-funnel campaign (TV, digital, OOH) drafted from the Bundle creative pool; reach and GRP targets to be sized once the funded plan is built at Market Launch Prep.
Sampling target: ∼50,000 units at launch, weighted to the gym and premium-grocery trial moments.
Distribution: Target ≥70% ACV in grocery + e-retail across the three priority markets.
Coolers: ∼120 branded coolers targeted across priority gym and premium-grocery doors.
Sell-in / listing target suggested, confirm: Priority listing secured in the lead channel across all 3 priority markets ahead of launch.
E2E Bundle, being built
The key E2E Bundle elements feed Investment and Business Case, below, which are calculated, not entered directly.
Product & Liquid
The real liquid to taste, a protocept: benchtop, lab-scale, dose and claim moving into test.The real liquid to taste, made at pilot scale, dose and claim moving into test.
Carried from PoC, unchanged: Sensorial — clean, light taste, hydrating electrolytes, real skin benefit. lens: Sensorial description of the liquid Hero ingredient — hyaluronic acid, clinically-backed dose. lens: Hero ingredient & proof
GDI
Lab bench test liquid variants, Smartwater Glow
Packaging & designPackaging & VIS
The finished pack, ready for consumer test.The finished pack guide, the finished look and feel, ready for consumer test, not yet run on a bottler line. VIS in the selected brand, with multiple pack formats.
Carried from PoC, unchanged: Shelf standout — distinctive botanical design. Hero pack format — 330ml slim can (trial), premium glass (repeat). Visual world — soft greens, sage palette.
IMX + Design Studio
Finished pack guide, Smartwater GlowCan artwork, Smartwater Glow
Creative Strategy & CommsBrand & Comms
Audience segmentation and sizing, the E2E Connection Architecture and the Core Creative Idea, illustrated with 2–3 representative POCs.Audience segmentation and sizing, the E2E Connection Architecture, the Core Creative Idea and the 4XP Assets, built out end to end.
Carried from PoC, unchanged: Brand carrier — Smartwater core stretch. Idea/line — “Glow from the source. Nature in your skin, in every sip.” lens: Idea or line Occasions — morning-ritual moments, mirror, gym, desk, plus candidate influencer/creator partners. lens: Consumer touchpoints
IMX/OpenX
Smartwater Glow brand book spread
Brand book
“Unlock Your Glow”
4XP assets, stored online
4XP Assets
Stored online
Smartwater Glow end-to-end campaign architecture diagram
E2E Connection Strategy
Connections architecture
Go-to-market & selling storyCommercial
Go-to-market direction and the customer selling story.
Carried from PoC, unchanged: First-win channel — premium grocery, gym, e-retail.premium grocery ranked #1, ahead of gym and e-retail. Tier & price — premium tier, indexed above the premium-water set. Category & customer growth — opens a beauty-hydration space, new-to-category, see Gate 1 measurements for the growth estimate. lens: Category & customer growth case
CCL
Pack Tech & Equipment
To be added in a next version
Investment calculated · in progress
Real media plan drafted, cross-checking the Gate 1 MEDIUM investment-intensity flag.
Manual input, team plan
$14.8M (directional, editable)
Generated baseline, category norm
$16.0M (calculated off addressable audience × category reach/activation norms)
Variance vs. norm
−7.5% tighter than benchmark, flag for Gate 2
Carried from PoC, unchanged: Bottler co-investment — still an open question, flagged at Gate 1. New equipment — none flagged, existing capability assumed.
Innovation Hub
Business Case calculated · in progress
Live business case snapshot · addressable audience × purchase intent × frequency drives volume; the rest of the P&L (NSR, COGS, margin, OI) is derived from price, COGS, and the commercial & marketing investment above
Addressable
6.5M
post-bundle-test
Yr-1 drinkers
TBD
not yet modelled
Yr-1 NSR
TBD
range in progress
Yr-3 GP cum.
TBD
not yet modelled
Top-line P&L assessed: BOM, COGS, DME and a first NSR range modelled; CapEx and ROI ballparked at ~Year 3 payback.
Carried from PoC, unchanged: Volume — sized off category benchmarks (Opportunity Sizing calc). Payback view — category ballpark, ~Year 3.
Innovation Hub
First cut, open for discussion
An existing creative platform, brief the local/regional team. New brand territory, activate IMX globally first, then localise.
Confirmed at this stage
Production location
Central, one-for-all
Priority markets interest
Germany, Poland, UK — confirmed by GM
CapEx
Creative platform, validated
Claims’ clarity 3.2/5
Clear functional benefit, but lacks clarity on occasion.
Package + VIS 4/5
Strong VIS with distinctive cues.
MEASUREMENT
How we’ll be measured at Gate 2 · D · S · F · Vstate: benchmark
D · Desirability
Purchase intent (Top Box) benchmark
Threshold: TBD · pre-use and after-use both benchmarked at Gate 2
Frequency to define
No threshold set yet → calibrated by category × geography, same basis as purchase intent
Recommended approaches Comms optimization · Product testing · Claims testing · Message testing · Design evaluation
S · Sellability
Customer feedback to define
No threshold set yet → retailer & consumer soundings benchmarked at Gate 2
Mass of margin to define
No threshold set yet → cash-margin pool (GP$), benchmarked at Gate 2
F · Feasibility
Feasibility index benchmark
Manufacturing complexity Threshold: TBD · claim/regulatory path clear per market · no stopper on the bottler line
V · Viability
Gross margin benchmark
Threshold: TBD
Volume, net of cannib. (Yr 3) to define
Not yet modelled
Cumulative OI (Yr 3) to define
Not yet modelledi

The same D · S · F · V questions set at Gate 1, now the bar the bundle is built against. Gate 2 tests each one for real.

The one big thing
Between Gate 1 and Gate 2, you now need to make the product. Only after Gate 1 does a team get resourced and does real budget start moving, before that, it was just ideas.
Gate 2 · prove itApproval of Bundle

Prove the bundle. Not every one passes.

The six E2E Bundle elementsfour E2E Bundle elements from the PoC are now built and answered. Decision-makers evaluate the integrated bundle, the product, pack, price, investment and business case, and the end-to-end comms tested as one solution, not a deck. This is a filter: only the strongest bundles proceed, so weaker ones can be stopped before much is spent.

Who decidesOUP/OU MT decides; GMs flag interest and give input; bottlers/category teams adviseGeneral Managers (GMs) and bottlers in partnership with GDI
You produce
The output · the end-to-end (E2E) Bundle, the same six elementsfour elements, the same questions, now answered
E2E Bundle, validated
The key E2E Bundle elements feed Investment and Business Case, below, which are calculated, not entered directly.
Product & Liquid
  • Is the liquid superior? lens: Sensorial description of the liquid
    Yes, taste tests 3.9/5 vs 3.4 category average, clear skin-benefit read. validated
  • Hero ingredient, and the proof? lens: Hero ingredient & proof
    Hyaluronic-acid dose clinically validated in the bundle test: skin-hydration lift +18% vs. placebo at 4 weeks. validated
  • Can we make it and claim it? lens: Feasibility & claim
    Protocept validated at benchtop scale; full production scale-up confirmed at Gate 3Made on the line at pilot scale; NAOU clear, UK (EU OU) wording in rework; indicative COGS tracking to the $1.90/unit case ceiling. validated
Packaging & VIS
  • Is it picked off the shelf? lens: Shelf standout
    Shelf standout, 3.7/5, distinctive against the water set. validated
  • What is the hero pack? lens: Hero pack format
    330ml slim can and glass confirmed feasible on the bottler line: 98% line-changeover readiness confirmed. validated
  • What is the visual world? lens: Visual world
    Botanical, sage palette validated with consumers: 71% shelf-cue recognition in the consumer test. validated
Brand & Comms
  • Which brand carries it? lens: Brand carrier
    Smartwater core stretch validated; credibility holds for the benefit: brand-fit score 7.2/10. validated
  • What is the idea or line? lens: Idea or line
    "Glow from the source" resonates 4.1/5 against the tension. validated
  • Where do we meet people? lens: Consumer touchpoints
    Morning-ritual touchpoints confirmed: mirror, gym, desk.Force-ranked touchpoint mix, mapped in the E2E Connection Architecture above: morning-ritual moments first (mirror, gym, desk), 2 named creator partnerships shortlisted in beauty-hydration second. validated
CommercialCommerce
  • Where does it win first? lens: First-win channel
    Premium grocery lead channel decided over gym and e-retail.Force-ranked against the full candidate set: 1. Premium grocery, 2. Gym, 3. E-retail. validated
  • What tier or price? lens: Tier & price
    Premium tier held; demand curve tested across the band.Premium tier held, demand curve tested across the band: listed $2.20/bottle, average $2.16/bottle blended across tested pack sizes. validated
  • Why do category & customer grow? lens: Category & customer growth case
    Incremental beauty-hydration story holds, consumer clarity read 64/100. validated
Pack Tech & Equipment
To be added in a next version
Investment
Model-generated from a single $ input, by country · $M, Year 1generated · overridable
Line itemGermanyPolandUKTotal
Media3.71.82.88.3
Discount / trade1.30.61.02.9
Additional sales force0.70.40.51.6
Influencer0.60.30.41.3
Promo intensity0.40.20.41.0
Sampling0.30.10.20.6
CDE (cold-drink equipt.)0.10.10.10.3
Total7.13.55.416.0
Cross-check: against the Gate 1 derived investment range ($15–17M) · bottler co-investment conversation opened · no new equipment required, existing lines confirmed sufficient.
Business Case
Team-filled P&L estimate, by country · Year 1editable draft
Line itemGermanyPolandUKTotal
Drinkers (000s)17085130385
Volume (000 unit cases)260130190580
NSR ($M)1.20.60.92.7
GP ($M)0.730.370.551.65
DME ($M)0.170.080.130.38
Opex ($M)0.080.040.060.18
OI ($M)0.480.250.361.09
Addressable: 6.5M, post-bundle-test · Does the volume estimate hold? Yes, modelled off the bundle test; P50 volume within 10% of the PoC estimate, net of the AI-modelled cannibalisation. Gross margin 61%, payback estimated Year 3, per the Foundry model. Modelled P&L, P10/50/90 NSR, demand curve replacing a single price assumption, per the Monte Carlo model, ready for the Gate 2 hurdle.
MEASUREMENT
Global readOU read · D · S · F · Vstate: validated
D · Desirability
Threshold: TBD
Purchase intent (Top Box) (incl. product test) on track
Threshold: TBD → 33% pre-use → 55% after-use, no barrier foundi
Frequency to learn
No threshold set yet → not yet modelled · usage-frequency read scheduled with the real bundle test, ahead of Gate 3
Source Integrated bundle validation, incl. sensory
S · Sellability
Threshold: TBD
Customer feedback watch
Retailer margin ask from lead UK retailers still open, below category norm on retailer economicsi
Mass of margin (Yr-1 GP$) on track
~$1.65M (NSR $2.7M P50 × 61% GP)
Source System economics · customer soundings
F · Feasibility
Index: watch
Feasibility index watch
Manufacturing complexity de-risked, stability confirmed · claim/regulatory NAOU clear, UK (EU OU) wording in rework · scale/bottle line confirmed
Source GDI · regulatory · bottler
V · Viability
Threshold: TBD
Gross margin on track
Threshold: TBD → 61%
Volume, net of cannib. (Yr 3) to define
Not yet modelled · only the Yr-1 P50 NSR view exists today ($2.7M)
Cumulative OI (Yr 3) to define
Not yet modelled · P10/50/90 NSR modelled at Yr 1 only, OI itself isn't modelled at any horizon yet
Source Foundry · Monte Carlo
Unlocks & releasesThe shaping budget and the bottler's commitment, plus the brief to craft the market launch plan.
Local read · D · S · F · V, a market lensexample: UK

The same D · S · F · V, re-asked with a market lens. The bundle just passed above on a category average, a synthetic, global read. Before it launches anywhere, each market re-asks the same questions against its own consumers, its own competitors, its own shelf. Local read shown by default; click below to see the global read each row was compared against.

D · Desirability
Threshold: TBD
Will consumers try this? watch
No threshold set yet → 7 in 10Global 4 in 5 say they’d try iti
Is the value proposition compelling? watch
No threshold set yet → 68%, vs. local functional-water brandsGlobal 76% rate the HA claim compellingi
Does the concept address a meaningful need? on track
No threshold set yet → 3.6 / 5, vs. the UK’s hydration categoryGlobal 3.9 / 5 relevance
How does it read against the strongest local competitor? to learn
No threshold set yet → Ahead of Volvic Touch of Fruit on trial intent, ties on price perceptionGlobal not asked, no named competitor at that read
What are the largest unknowns? watch
No threshold set yet → Price elasticity vs. local functional-water brands, untestedGlobal taste and repeat intent, untested pre-liquid
Source Global synthetic read · local consumer read, UK
S · Sellability
Threshold: TBD
Selling story, consumers to learn
No threshold set yet → Plausible locally, benefit reads clearly against the local hydration setGlobal plausible story only, real read needs scaled NielsenIQ
Selling story, customers to learn
No threshold set yet → Builds incrementality vs. local water & functional setGlobal plausible story only, real read needs Foundry price-ladder data
Price positioning vs. the ladder to learn
No threshold set yet → Premium tier, above the local functional-water ceilingGlobal directional only, premium tier, unconfirmed
Retailer economics watch
No threshold set yet → Below category norm, margin ask from lead retailers still openGlobal not scored at Gate 1
Source Commercial, global price ladder · UK commercial, local price ladder
F · Feasibility
Threshold: TBD
Manufacturing complexity on track
2 / 5 on the UK bottler lineGlobal threshold ≤ 3/5, at the ceiling
Claim, regulatory path watch
Rework needed on HA claim wordingGlobal threshold clear path, NAOU clear
Scale, bottle & distribute on track
UK line confirmedGlobal threshold no stopper, line available
Local approval timeline to learn
No threshold set yet → Claim rework adds an estimated 6–8 weeks before launch-readyGlobal not applicable, no single market timeline
Source GDI, global regulatory scan · local regulatory scan & bottler, UK
V · Viability
Threshold: TBD
Cost of Goods Sold ceiling on track
At ceiling, local input costs tracking the global modelGlobal threshold within category, at ceiling
Gross margin, directional on track
~58%Global threshold ≥ 50%, ~62%
FX & local pricing exposure to learn
No threshold set yet → GBP/USD volatility could compress margin a further 2–4pts, not yet hedgedGlobal not modelled per market
Source Foundry engine, global · local Foundry read, UK
Market Launch Prep Stage 3Phase 3 · leads to Gate 3 the work happens here

Craft the launch plan.

Shape the approved bundle for real markets: bottler capability, pack formats, price points, media, distribution. Design everything, produce nothing yet. Nothing is produced at this stage, so the plan can still be stopped.

Smartwater Glow
Stage Crafting the launch plan
From the Gate 2–proven bundle
Gate 3 checks the same six E2E Bundle elementsfour E2E Bundle elements, now committed facts
What it includes
Turning the proven bundle into a market-specific plan: CapEx offers, DME sizing, volumetrics, distribution targets and the customer pre-sell, everything signed, nothing locked yet.
Consumer in focus
3 priority markets
Audience & tension, carried from Bundle: Same beauty-curious, premium-hydration audience; same tension, now with a validated HA claim rather than a hypothesis. Desired growth audience ∼12.0M, the benefit-area pool, unconstrained ceiling, unchanged since PoC.
Must-haves, from Bundle: The must-haves that must be included, not renegotiated locally: clinically-backed HA claim, ambient-shelf stability, premium-tier price. Claim, sharpened: “Clinically shown to support skin hydration from within.” Price: $2.20/500ml, ~15% above category. Margin: ~59% GP, within the Gate 2 model.
Audience & price, per market: Germany: 1.8M target segment, €2.10/500ml, claim runs unmodified. Poland: 0.9M target segment, 9.20 PLN/500ml (local premium-tier index), claim adapted for local substantiation rules. UK: 1.4M target segment, £2.15/500ml, claim rework in progress per the Gate 2 UK local read.
LAUNCH IN MARKET
validated
Execution timeline: 6 weeks. ready to launch
Launch date in the UK market: 12 May 2027. validated
E2E Bundle, market-ready
The key E2E Bundle elements feed Investment and Business Case, below, which are calculated, not entered directly.
Product & Liquid
The team secures CPS timelines, works with the bottler on necessary line upgrades and assesses bottler capability for full-scale production, and finalises the bill of materials and cost of goods sold.
Carried from Gate 2, unchanged: Liquid superior — 3.9/5 vs 3.4 category average by taste test, clear skin-benefit read. lens: Sensorial description of the liquid Hero ingredient — hyaluronic-acid dose, clinically validated. lens: Hero ingredient & proof
Packaging & VIS
Artwork is being finalised and locally adapted for local regulations and language, marketing claims, and vis adjusted across every pack format relevant to each market, can and bottle alike.
Carried from Gate 2, unchanged: Shelf standout — 3.7/5, distinctive against the water set. Hero pack — 330ml slim can and glass, holding consumer interest and trial appeal; production feasibility confirmed separately in Gate 2 measurements. lens: Hero pack format
Smartwater Glow can lifestyle product shot
Can lifestyle shot
Product photography
Can artwork, stored online
Can artwork
Spec guide
Bottle artwork, stored online
Bottle artwork
Packaging guide
Brand & Comms
The core creative idea is locally amplified to selected connection points. DME sizing fully builds the funded media plan, engaging local influencers and local asset development.
Carried from Gate 2, unchanged: Brand carrier — Smartwater core stretch, validated. Idea/line — “Glow from the source”, validated, see Gate 2 measurements above for the resonance score. lens: Idea or line Occasions — morning-ritual touchpoints confirmed: mirror, gym, desk. lens: Consumer touchpoints
Toolkit contains: CCI · 4XPs Strategy & Assets · Influencer Partnerships · Legal/Royalties note · Media Strategy.
'Unlock your glow' out-of-home billboard creative
“Unlock your glow”
OOH billboard
'Don't buy this water' billboard creative
“Don’t buy this water”
OOH billboard
'Care you can reach' digital/social creative
“Care you can reach”
Digital · social
'Every skin tells a story' print/social creative
“Every skin tells a story”
Social creative
CommercialCommerce
The team is building local customer selling stories, volumetrics, distribution targets, shopper activation plans and pricing, including price elasticities versus competition.
Carried from Gate 2, unchanged: First-win channel — premium grocery, lead channel decided over gym and e-retail. Tier & price — premium tier held, demand curve tested.
Pack Tech & Equipment
To be added in a next version
Investment input · committed
Marketing levers (media, trial activity, influencers) and commercial levers (in-store investment, out-of-shelf displays): fully funded. CapEx quote confirmed; DME sizing locked into the funded media plan.
Benchmark, carried from Gate 2: the calculated Investment Intensity read (MEDIUM, off category-average CDE and media) is now the target this figure is checked against, not the source of it.
Feeds forward: this committed figure, $18.2M Year-1, entered as a real committed figure, not calculated, now directly drives Addressable Audience and the P&L in Business Case, below, the calculated logic upstream stops here.
Carried from Gate 2, unchanged: No new equipment required, existing bottler lines confirmed sufficient.
GM + Bottler
Business Case calculated · modelled
Live business case snapshot · addressable audience × purchase intent × frequency drives volume; the rest of the P&L (NSR, COGS, margin, OI) is derived from price, COGS, and the commercial & marketing investment above
Addressable
6.7M
recomputed off committed $18.2M
Yr-1 drinkers
TBD
not yet modelled
Yr-1 NSR
$2.9M
DE+PL+UK combined
Yr-3 GP cum.
TBD
not yet modelled
NSR, volume and margin broken down by market, see the UK build-out below.
Carried from Gate 2, unchanged: Gross margin and P50 NSR, per the Foundry & Monte Carlo model, both refined below for the UK build-out.
GM + Bottler
Business case, built out · UK
NSR
$1.0M (UK) (UK's share of the $2.9M combined DE+PL+UK view)
Volume
0.45M unit cases (UK's share, refined from the Gate 2 P50)
COGS
$1.86/UC (within the $1.90 ceiling)
DME
$150K (funded media plan)
OPEX
$70K (distribution & activation)
GP
~58%
Numeric distribution
72% ACV target (grocery + online)
Cannibalisation, AI-modelled
−3.2% vs. core Smartwater (synthetic model, calibrated to the UK market-level re-check · driver: Smartwater Classic, UK)
Volume, net of cannibalisation
0.4356M unit cases (0.45M gross, less the AI-modelled −3.2%)
System ROI
On track for the ~Year 3 payback, per the Gate 2 model
Shopper XP
Picture of Success
Off-shelf, cross-aisle secondary display anchored by the botanical-glow VIS, plus a clip-strip cross-sell into the beauty aisle.
Full concept & assets →
Owner
IMX, carried from Bundle so it isn’t lost before launch
Who's involved
Provides input Bottler & supply, trade & commercial, local regulatory
Does the work Market-led team (lead market)
Decides, day to day Lead Market GM, Hub Lead co-signs
Production-line trial
milestone · before Gate 3
What it proves: The liquid, dose and pack run at full production scale on the actual bottler line, not just bench or pilot conditions, catching any make, fill or pack issue before the launch commitment at Gate 3.
Result: Trial run completed; formulation and fill parameters confirmed stable at scale, no line stopper found.
Feeds into: The Gate 3 Product & Liquid answer (“formulation locked and scaled on the production line”) and the Cost of Goods Sold quote from suppliers.
Who signs off: GDI, with bottler quality.
The one big thing
Between Gate 2 and Gate 3, real money gets committed to full launch materials. Once it's locked in, nobody kills a plan you've already invested millions in, so this is the last easy exit.
Gate 3 · sign itDecision to Launch

Commit the launch.

The same six E2E Bundle elementsfour E2E Bundle elements, once more, now committed facts. Quoted, signed, contracted, cleared. The business case is no longer a projection; it is a commitment.

Who decidesLead-market GM and the bottler, both sign GDI co-reviews
You produce
The output · the Launch Plan, the same six elementsfour elements, the same questions, now committed
E2E Bundle, committed
The key E2E Bundle elements feed Investment and Business Case, below, which are calculated, not entered directly.
Product & Liquid
  • Is the liquid superior? lens: Sensorial description of the liquid
    Formulation locked and scaled on the production line: taste hold ≥3.8/5, skin-benefit read consistent across 3 production batches. committed
  • Hero ingredient, and the proof? lens: Hero ingredient & proof
    Claim legally cleared per committed market: UK and Germany cleared, Poland's disclaimer wording pending. committed
  • Can we make it and claim it? lens: Feasibility & claim
    Cost of Goods Sold quoted by suppliers: $1.86/unit case, within the $1.90 ceiling. committed
Packaging & VIS
  • Is it picked off the shelf? lens: Shelf standout
    Artwork approved and production-ready: 3-facing minimum secured at the lead channel. committed
  • What is the hero pack? lens: Hero pack format
    Bottler capacity contracted for can and glass: 420K unit cases Year 1 capacity secured. committed
  • What is the visual world? lens: Visual world
    Line changeover scheduled: visual system locked, zero open art variances across can and glass. committed
Brand & Comms
  • Which brand carries it? lens: Brand carrier
    Smartwater carry signed off: equity-transfer target ≥7.0/10 committed for Year 1. committed
  • What is the idea or line? lens: Idea or line
    Creative produced from the validated idea: campaign target 62% reach, 55% favorability for the launch wave. committed
  • Where do we meet people? lens: Consumer touchpoints
    Funded media plan committed; touchpoints booked; influencer/creator partnerships signed, see Influencer Partnerships in the toolkit. committed
CommercialCommerce
  • Where does it win first? lens: First-win channel
    Trade terms signed for the lead channel: 70% ACV in premium grocery by month 6 Yr 1, 78% ACV Yr 2, 82% ACV Yr 3, plus gym and e-retail as secondary. committed
  • What tier or price? lens: Tier & price
    Price locked in the premium tier: $2.20/bottle listed across Germany, Poland and UK grocery and gym, expected promo pressure funded at $0.8M Yr 1, the Promo intensity lever on Investment above. committed
  • Why do category & customer grow? lens: Category & customer growth case
    Sell-in covers the %ACV ramp: 70% ACV by month 6, Year 1, matching the First-win channel commitment above. committed
  • How much shelf space, and is it cold?
    Facings agreed by channel; cold-availability commitment signed where relevant. committed
Pack Tech & Equipment
To be added in a next version
Investment
Committed investment, by country, vs. category norm · $M, Year 1signed & locked
Line itemGermanyPolandUKTotalNormΔ vs norm
Media4.42.13.39.89.5+3.2%
Discount / trade1.60.81.23.63.3+9.1%
Additional sales force0.80.40.71.91.8+5.6%
Influencer0.60.30.51.41.5−6.7%
Promo intensity0.40.20.20.81.1−27.3%
Sampling0.20.10.20.50.7−28.6%
CDE (cold-drink equipt.)0.10.00.10.20.4−50.0%
Total8.13.96.218.218.3−0.5%
Committed: Marketing levers (media plan) contracted and funded; commercial levers (bottler co-investment) signed. No new capability required, existing bottler lines confirmed and scheduled. Creative assets produced and cleared for media.
3-Year investment plan, Total · $M, launch-weighted Year 1, sustain thereafter (illustrative phasing)
Line itemYear 1Year 2Year 33-Yr Total
Media9.87.46.824.0
Discount / trade3.62.82.58.9
Additional sales force1.91.51.34.7
Influencer1.41.11.03.5
Promo intensity0.80.60.51.9
Sampling0.50.40.31.2
CDE (cold-drink equipt.)0.20.20.10.5
Total18.214.012.544.7
Risk factor WATCH
Investment mix skews away from the category norm on trial-generation levers · CDE −50%, Sampling −29%, Promo intensity −27% vs. benchmark. Combined with manufacturing complexity already at the 3/5 ceiling and −3.2% AI-modelled cannibalisation, this raises execution risk versus a clean pass, not a hard stop.
Business Case
Committed P&L, by country · Year 1signed & locked
3-Year NSR, Total
$2.9M → $3.2M → $3.5M (cum. $9.6M)
3-Year GP, Total
$1.74M → $2.0M → $2.1M (cum. $5.8M, ~61% GP held)
3-Year OI, Total
$1.09M → $1.2M → $1.3M (cum. $3.6M)
Line itemGermanyPolandUKTotal
Drinkers (000s)18090140410
Volume (000 unit cases)5702804361290
NSR ($M)1.30.61.02.9
GP ($M)0.790.370.581.74
DME ($M)0.190.100.150.44
Opex ($M)0.090.050.070.21
OI ($M)0.510.220.361.09
Addressable: 6.7M, recomputed off the committed $18.2M · Locked: NSR, margin and payback signed off at the committed volume, net of cannibalisation. Gross margin 61%, payback Year 3, per the funded model. CapEx approved; launch investment released.
MEASUREMENT
How we measure · D · S · F · Vstate: committed
D · Desirability
Threshold: TBD
Purchase intent (Top Box) committed
carried from Gate 2 → 55% after-use, no barrier found, no red flags remaining
Frequency to learn
No threshold set yet → not yet retested · carried as an open item into the in-market read at Stage 4Stage 4Bi
Source Feasibility sign-off, claim wording · integrated bundle validation carried from Gate 2
S · Sellability
Threshold: TBD
Committed distribution committed
Threshold: TBD → signed to 30% ACV, space on shelf signed, price locked in the premium tier, retailer terms confirmed
Source Commercial · bottler
F · Feasibility
Decision: GO
Go / no-go GO
Manufacturing at full-scale runs, running · claim/regulatory cleared, lead market · scale/bottle bottler signed · no stopper identified
Source Line runs · legal · bottler contract
V · Viability
Threshold: TBD
Gross margin committed
Threshold: TBD → 61%
Volume, net of cannib. (Yr 3) to define
Not yet modelled · only Yr-1 committed volume exists today (P50 NSR $2.7M, downside funded, payback ~Year 3)
Cumulative OI (Yr 3) to define
Not yet modelled · no OI figure, cumulative or otherwise, exists in the model yet
Source Supplier quotes · Foundry
Unlocks & releasesThe launch investment, CapEx, media, production, ingredients, plus the execution brief and the ten targets.
Launch Prep & Commercialization Stage 4Stage 4APhase 4 · leads to the Market Launch milestone the work happens here
Up to six months to launch

Produce and launch.

Now production and spend begin. Shoot the film, print the pack, book the media, order the ingredients. Most launches land pre-season or post-season.

Smartwater Glow
Stage Producing & launching
From the Gate 3–signed Launch Plan
In-market checks actuals vs the signed D · S · F · V targets, at week 13, the first full 13-week retail-data quarter
What it includes
Turning the signed plan into real spend: production, ingredient supply, media booking and distribution build. Nothing here is reversible; this is the first real read of whether the earlier bets were right.
E2E Bundle, in-market
The key E2E Bundle elements feed Investment and Business Case, below, which are calculated, not entered directly.
Product & Liquid
Ingredient supply ordered, full production runs under way.
Carried from Gate 3, unchanged: Formulation locked and scaled on the production line, taste hold ≥3.8/5. Claim legally cleared per committed market, UK and Germany cleared, Poland pending. Cost of Goods Sold quoted by suppliers at $1.86/unit case.
Packaging & VIS
Pack printed, line changeover complete.
Carried from Gate 3, unchanged: Artwork approved and production-ready, 3-facing minimum secured. Bottler capacity contracted for can and glass, 420K unit cases Year 1. Line changeover scheduled, visual system locked.
Brand & Comms
The film shot, media booked and going live.
Carried from Gate 3, unchanged: Smartwater carry signed off, equity-transfer target ≥7.0/10. Creative produced from the validated idea, 62% reach / 55% favorability target. Funded media plan committed, touchpoints booked, incl. signed creator partnerships.
CommercialCommerce
Distribution build, shelves stocked ahead of launch.
Carried from Gate 3, unchanged: Trade terms signed for the lead channel, 70% ACV Yr 1 target. Price locked in the premium tier at $2.20/bottle. Sell-in covers the %ACV ramp, 70% ACV by month 6 Year 1. Facings agreed by channel, cold-availability commitment signed where relevant.
Pack Tech & Equipment
To be added in a next version
Investment actual · week 13
Actual vs. committed, Year-1 total: $17.6M actual spend to date vs. $18.2M committed at Gate 3 (−3.3%, phasing lag, not a cut).
Biggest actual-vs-hypothesis gap: Sampling actual $0.3M vs. $0.5M committed (−40%), tracks with the softer trial reach seen at week 13.
On track: Media, Discount/trade and Additional sales force actuals all within 5% of committed; CDE and Promo intensity actuals in line with their (already tight) Gate 3 figures.
Same logic as D·S·F·V, above: actuals tracked against the Gate 3–signed plan, not re-estimated after the fact.
Business Case actual · week 13
Actual vs. modelled, UK: NSR $0.97M actual vs. $1.0M modelled at Gate 3 (−3%); volume 0.41M unit cases actual vs. 0.4356M modelled net of cannibalisation (−6%).
Biggest actual-vs-modelled gap: COGS actual $1.89/unit case vs. the $1.86 quoted at Gate 3 (+1.6%), the same gap already flagged on Feasibility & claim, above; together with the volume miss this pulls GP to ~56% actual vs. the ~58% modelled.
On track: DME $152K actual vs. $150K modelled, OPEX $71K actual vs. $70K modelled, both within 3% of plan; System ROI still tracking to the ~Year 3 payback, on watch given the volume/COGS gap above.
Same logic as Investment, above: actuals tracked against the Gate 3–modelled UK build-out, not re-estimated after the fact.
Who's involved
Provides input Data & Analytics, field teams & trade, Central Marketing Innovation
Does the work Market teams + bottler with GDI
Decides, day to day Lead Market GM + bottler, in flight
The one big thing
Between Gate 3 and market, the plan becomes real spend with no way back, production, media and ingredients are all committed. This is the first real read of whether the earlier bets were right.
Conscious Pause & Review · the perfect moment leads to Gate 4, Decision to Iterate · Stage 5Stage 4B, In-Market Execution content, next session

The market responds. Read the results, and act.

At week 13, the first full 13-week retail-data quarter, a standard Nielsen/IRI scan-data reporting period, the actuals land against the signed plan. The read shows which E2E Bundle element to improve, and feeds back so the next choice at Gate 1 is better informed.

Trial behind? → Brand & Comms attribute, the messaging
Repeat behind? → Product & Liquid attribute, revisit the liquid
Shelf standout behind? → Packaging & VIS attribute
Distribution behind? → Commercial attribute
Smartwater Glow, week 13Trial is ahead, repeat is behind. That points to Product & Liquid, not Brand & Comms, so sustain-phase media waits until the liquid is improved. Then Gate 4, Decision to Iterate, takes the call. (Gate 4's full detail gets its own session.)
All twelve lenses, actual vs. the Gate 3 target
3.7/5
Taste hold, wk 13
vs. ≥3.8/5 target
2/3
Markets cleared, wk 13
vs. 3/3 target
$1.89
COGS/unit case, wk 13
vs. $1.86 target
3.5/5
Shelf standout, wk 13
vs. 3.7/5 benchmark
410K
Unit cases produced
vs. 420K Yr-1 capacity
69%
Visual consistency, wk 13
vs. 71% Gate 2 read
7.1/10
Brand equity, wk 13
vs. ≥7.0/10 target
58% / 51%
Reach / favorability, wk 13
vs. 62% / 55% targets
64%
Reach, wk 13, 2/2 creator
deals delivered, on track
72%
Channel: ACV actual, wk 13
vs. 70% Yr-1 target
$2.16
Price: avg. realized, wk 13
vs. $2.20 listed target
68% / +3.6%
ACV / incremental growth
vs. 70% ACV case target
The portfolio view · fewer survive at every gate
10
Concepts surfaced
this LRP cycle, 3 bets
3
Chosen at Gate 1
one per bet
1
Signed at Gate 3
Smartwater Glow

Illustrative, this cycle. Not every chosen concept clears Gate 2, that is the filter working as intended.

Two more stops, if you want them: what this actually looks like day to day, and what has to be true before any of it runs on live data.
What this looks like · a day in the life of a marketer live prototype, not a mock

This is where a marketer actually lives, inside the Inno Hub.

Everything on this map so far is the framework. Below is the interface it runs inside, live and clickable, not a screenshot. Home, an open project, its gate tracker, the Proof of Concept with the real visual references, the Bundle with what's confirmed and what's still in progress, the six E2E Bundle elements including Investment and Business Case, the project wiki and the Nudge Agent's message board. Click through it the way a marketer would.

inno-hub-wireframe-prototype.html

How to read it: only Smart Water Hydro Beauty is wired up end to end, everything else in the sidebar is a placeholder marked "Soon," so the depth is real on one project rather than shallow on six.

Before it's real · what has to be true first the honest part

What it takes to make this real, not just click-through.

The framework and the interface above are the destination, not the current state. Getting there needs a handful of things to be true first. None of them are built yet, this is the honest part, following the July 28 working session.

Foundry as the engine
The scoring, the D·S·F·V reads and the Nudge Agent all need to run on top of Palantir Foundry, with MCP exposure so agents can read and write it. That connection doesn't exist today.
A data infrastructure layer
Gate 1 prioritization, Gate 2 bundle proof and Gate 3 launch plan all need a shared data layer under them. Pieces of it exist already, NielsenIQ, BEACH, Kantar, none of it is wired into one place yet.
Creative scoring tools, confirmed
Kantar Link AI and similar synthetic-consumer tools need to be confirmed working with Foundry before any of the Desirability scoring shown here can automate. Automation can't proceed until that's tested.
The Innovation Bank, for real
A structured place where every concept ("plant") lives, the always-on source the Proof of Concept above says it's pulled from. It doesn't exist as a system today, it's a name for a spot on this map.
Where this lives, and who builds it
Open question, not yet answered: a landing page, a sub-domain, something inside a tool already in use? Built internally, or with an external partner? Both need a decision before build starts.
A minimum viable path, meanwhile
Even without Foundry live, a lighter version is possible: representative expert inputs, sales data and photos connected via API, as a starting point while the fuller build catches up.
Bottom lineEverything you just clicked through is a real, considered design. None of it is running on live data yet, that gap is the next conversation, not a footnote to this one.
Gate 1 input

The LRP one-pager

The prompt that starts Gate 1, owned by category and OU leadership. The framework consumes it, it does not produce it. Illustrative, for NAOU · FY26.

Long-Range Plan — NAOU · FY26
Owner OU leadership
Consumed at Gate 1
Growth ambition · geography
NAOU must add growth by FY29. The largest hydration-adjacent white space is beauty-from-within, ~$180M unclaimed vs the plan, under-indexed against category growth.
Portfolio ambition · category
Premium hydration is a named FY26 bet. Smartwater is the flagship to stretch into functional and beauty-adjacent occasions, the brand that gives an otherwise brand-agnostic concept a home.
Key-market realities
US retail is ready for a premium functional step-up. Hyaluronic acid is a science capability we hold. The binding constraint is claim substantiation, not category size.
The bets, and what surfaces
  • Win beauty-from-within hydration → Smartwater Glow, plus two alternatives
  • Own the morning functional ritual → three concepts
  • Premium electrolyte recovery → four concepts
Leads to
Smartwater Glow is chosen at Gate 1 and sequenced first. See the Proof of Concept.
The reference

The data contract

A measure enters the framework only if a named source can produce it now, or soon with a stated fallback. The destination is a data-driven, largely automated scoring system. We present that as a vision and mark what is live today.

What we measure, the source, and the honest fallback
MeasureWhat we readPrimary sourceLive today?Fallback
Purchase intent, pre-use (D)Top-box purchase interestKantar Link AI, syntheticPartial (Sept)Category PI norms
Purchase intent, after-use (D)Top-box purchase interest after use, product strength on what matters in the category, repeat and recommendation intentIntegrated bundle validation, incl. sensoryFrom G2, yesCategory repeat norms
Frequency (D)Expected usage/purchase frequency, directional pre-liquid, modelled from Gate 2Synthetic read · integrated bundle validationNo, named gapCategory frequency norms
Calibrated thresholds (D·S·F·V)What score, per lens, predicts a pass vs. needs work vs. doesn't work, by OU × category × innovation type; today shown as one illustrative demo band (≥70 / 40–69 / <40) across all four lensesFuelight + launch historyNo, demo numbers onlySyndicated norms
How to improve (D)Relevance, differentiation, believability, need-fit, read across product, comms, messaging and design together, named as the weakest driverKantar Link AI, synthetic · integrated bundle validationPartial (Sept)Expert read only
Audience & brand (D)Size, awareness, credibilityBEACH need-states + equityYesCensus × penetration
Risk resolution (D)Confirms whether the risk carried open from Gate 2 is resolved, per the Desirability framework's Gate 3 Launch Readiness questionFeasibility sign-off · integrated bundle validationFrom G3, yesCarried open until resolved
Make, claim, scale (F)Liquid, regulatory, line & distributionGDI · regulatory · bottlerNo, the named gapExpert judgement only, GDI has almost no data model elements behind it beyond SRA agents
COGS & P&L (V)Cost ceiling to committed P&LFoundry engineDirectionalNearest analogue
Cannibalisation (V)Substitution share vs. adjacent SKUsSynthetic discrete-choice model, calibrated against launch historyPartial, calibration ongoingAd-hoc syndicated benchmark (today’s method)
Price & velocity (V)Price ladder, realised price, units/store/weekNielsenIQ, zip-code3 to 4 marketsLocal measurement
Consumer story (S)Consumer & customer reasons-why, price positioning vs the ladder, retailer margin folded inSystem economics + soundingsPartialCategory margin norms
Distribution (S)%ACV ramp, scored from Gate 2NielsenIQ · retail audit3 to 4 marketsLocal measurement
Space on shelf (S)Share of shelf, cold-door commitment, scored from Gate 3NielsenIQ · retail audit3 to 4 marketsLocal measurement
Media deliveryReach, frequency, spendMedia data lakePartialAgency reporting
In-market voiceRatings, reviews, socialListening + review platformsYes—

How this lives, honestly
An interface, not new software
This connects to and populates the tools already in use, Workfront for governance, Foundry for the calculation. It is not a new proprietary system to adopt.
Missing data never blocks
A market outside NielsenIQ coverage runs the same framework on fallbacks, visibly lower-confidence. Computable everywhere, honest everywhere.
Synthetic evidence earns its place
Link AI enters as a pre-screen. As its predictions are validated against real outcomes, its weight rises. Never the sole basis for a gate.
Innovation and renovation differ
A new innovation asks "can we create demand" (trial, repeat, incrementality). A renovation asks "can we protect demand" (preference and sensory parity, franchise protection). Rigour scales with the volume at risk.
Feasibility is the named gap
Unlike Desirability, Sellability and Viability above, GDI has almost no data model elements to attach beyond SRA agents. It isn't shown with the same confidence as the other three pillars, and it's the priority for automation investment next.
Consistent asks vs. assumptions
What we ask for in the PoC and Bundle formats stays aligned with what we measure. If a measure isn't captured in the format, the framework states the assumption explicitly, i.e. a category average or an automated default, so a gap is always visible, never silent.
The fully-automated vision, where the system scores each measure from live data, is where this goes, not where it is today. Showing it aligns the room on the destination; it does not claim the system is built yet.
How to read this

The key

A quick guide to the small amount of grammar the journey uses, so a first-time reader can follow and discuss it.

E2E Bundle, consistent across every gate

Product & Liquid, Packaging & VIS, Brand & Comms and Commercial hold the E2E Bundle elements, structure the idea at every stage and don't get redefined, they just gain evidence. Investment and Business Case sit alongside them as the two things calculated from the E2E Bundle elements plus audience and competitive context, never entered by hand.

Product & Liquid Packaging & VIS Brand & Comms Commercial Investment Business Case
The four measures
D · S · F · V read as outputs of Investment Intensity and Business Opportunity Sizing, not four independently sourced facts, each still broken into its own component KBIs below, not a single aggregate score, until model weights are confirmed.
D · Desirability
Will people try it and buy it again: purchase intent, frequency, how to improve.
S · Sellability
Will the trade buy and stock it: consumer story, distribution, space on shelf.
F · Feasibility
Can we make it, claim it and scale it: manufacturing, regulatory, distribution.
V · Viability
Does the money work: margin, business case, payback.
The verdict on each measure
ChipWhat it means
on trackAt or above the bar set for this gate.
watchBelow the bar, and being actively worked.
to learnAn open question, not yet answerable at this gate, carried forward as a named question to the next one.
committedThe bar is now a signed commitment, not a prediction.
Tip: on any gate, click a measure header (D, F, V or S) to trace that measure across all three gates.
How to read this prototype

Before you dive in.

Why this prototype exists

The updated Innovation Process was presented in Atlanta in May. This prototype makes it tangible, using Smartwater Glow to walk through Gates 1–3 in full; Stage 4 onward is mapped, detail to follow. A core principle behind it is a shift away from a process that depends heavily on manual inputs and local tracking, toward one where the data model will do more of the work.

Instructions
Scroll sideways to move through the journey.
Each gate sits side by side. Scroll or swipe horizontally to move between them, left to right.
Scroll down to see everything inside a gate.
Once you’re on a gate, scroll vertically for all of it: the artifact, the open questions, and the measures behind it.
Use Key and Data if a term or number is unclear.
Key explains the icons and the framework. Data shows the assumptions and inputs behind the figures on screen.
Switch to Light View for a shareable summary.
Every gate has a Light View button: a condensed, one-screen version you can download as a PNG.
Leave feedback right where you see it.
The feedback tab sits in the bottom corner at all times. Click it to comment on exactly what you’re looking at.
Look into the PoC and update

PoC concept card, current status

This is a live mirror of the Concept Highlights card at PoC, not a separate copy, so it always matches what’s there right now. A qualitative reminder to confirm this still holds, or update it if the concept has moved on. No status field to fill in here.

Reference bundles

PoC references

Reference bundles from the latest EU Sprint, first slide shown here, click any card to open the full PDF. A live mirror of the same gallery at PoC.

One measure, across the gates

Across the gates

The same pillar at Gate 1, Gate 2 and Gate 3, so you can see the question sharpen from a prediction to a commitment. Illustrative values.
Light view
Smartwater Glow
Stage Proof of Concept
Source Innovation Bank, always on
Concept Highlights
3 of 18
Top 15+3 markets flagged interest so far — Germany, Poland, UK
~12.0M
Desired growth audience, the unconstrained benefit-area pool
~6.5M
Addressable audience, refined by brand, liquid acceptance & affordability
Consumer in focus
Consumer tension: “I want my hydration to do more than quench thirst. I want it to work for how I look, not just how I feel.”
Meaningful, what’s in it for me: Hydration that shows up on my skin, not just how I feel, so one drink does double duty instead of adding a step.
Different, why this over other choices: The only beauty-hydration entrant with a clinically-backed dose you can see working, not just a claim you take on faith.
Salient, the moment it comes to mind: The morning mirror moment: reaching for hydration that also shows up on your skin, right as self-care and the commute overlap.
Smartwater Glow concept bottle mockup
Smartwater Glow
The first drink that fully hydrates you, pausing aging inside out, only the way Smartwater can do. RTB a clinically-backed hyaluronic-acid dose, visible hydration from within.
“Glow from the source. Nature in your skin, in every sip.”
Audience: Health-conscious, beauty-curious adults 25–40, already buying premium water, already investing in visible self-care. Desired growth audience ~12.0M, the benefit-area pool, unconstrained ceiling from OpportunitySpace · BEACH need-states, sized the same way as the Europe benefit-platform work, before any brand or format decision.
Innovation strategy: New users, a beauty-hydration occasion that pulls new-to-brand consumers in, not a frequency play on the existing Smartwater base. Sourced from new-to-category demand, not cannibalising core Smartwater; estimated reach is modelled as audience size × brand credibility × liquid acceptance × affordability.
Need State: Refresh.
Benefit platform: Beauty.
Occasion: Morning routine, mirror moment.
Innovation territory: Hydration Glow.
Competitive Set: Functional-water and beauty-hydration whitespace, illustrative whitespace index ~60; no direct ingested-HA competitor at scale today, nearest adjacent set is premium electrolyte and collagen-water entrants.
Launch in Marketprojection
Estimated launch date in the UK market: 12 May 2027.
Product & Liquid
Sensorial: Clean, light taste, hydrating electrolytes, a real skin benefit. lens: Sensorial description of the liquid
Hero ingredient: Hyaluronic acid, at a clinically-backed dose. lens: Hero ingredient & proof
Feasibility & claim: Feasible; a skin-hydration claim viable with a disclaimer across the Top 15+3 priority markets.
Feasibility tag: New-to-brand (Smartwater stretch), new-to-category (beauty-hydration occasion).
Lab bench test liquid variants
Packaging & VIS
Shelf standout: Distinctive botanical design, stands out in the water aisle.
Hero pack format: 330ml slim can for trial, premium glass for repeat.
Visual world: Soft greens, sage palette, ingredient-forward photography.
Unlock Your Glow moodboardSmartwater Glow concept bottle
Brand & Comms
Brand carrier: Smartwater, a core stretch within its hydration credibility.
Idea or line: “Glow from the source. Nature in your skin, in every sip.”
Occasions: Morning-ritual moments: mirror, gym bag, desk refuel, plus candidate influencer/creator partners. lens: Consumer touchpoints Platform: new, not an existing persistent platform.
Smartwater Glow product shotSmartwater Glow brand book spread
Commercial
First-win channel: Premium grocery hydration aisle, plus gym and e-retail (derived from the growth audience above).
Tier & price: Premium tier, indexed above the premium-water set.
Pricing check: Indexes above the premium-water category average; tests whether the HA claim justifies the step-up versus mainstream, see Gate 1 measurements for the specific index.
Category & customer growth: Opens a beauty-hydration space, new-to-category; growth sized at Gate 1. lens: Category & customer growth case
Top 15+3 market interest: Germany, Poland, UK flagged so far (3 of 18); informational only.
Early Sellability read: Directional customer/system excitement and brand/strategic fit; early bottler reaction, an input not a sign-off.
OU interest: EU (Germany, Poland, UK) and LATAM (Mexico) have flagged early interest.
Investment
Required investment, derived: $15–17M Year-1 equivalent, MEDIUM intensity · category norm, no manual override.
Bottler co-investment? Unknown; flagged as a question for Gate 1.
New equipment or pack tech? None flagged; existing capability assumed.
Business Case
Global business case: Not produced at PoC today; the global team builds an equivalent LRP view.
Volume: Sized off category benchmarks; not yet modelled for this concept.
NSR, rough estimate: Not yet modelled; category-benchmark range only, to refine at Bundle.
Margin & cost basis: Category COGS ceiling ≤$1.90/UC assumed; no Foundry model yet.
Payback view: Category ballpark ~Year 3, to refine at Bundle.
always onInnovation Bank
Gate 1OU Prioritization
Gate 1 · OU Prioritization
Look across the global PoC bank, and back the ones that best deliver the plan.
Only the PoCs that clear the measurement benchmarks move forward, sequenced against the LRP’s named growth bets and prioritised for fit to the category’s Innovation Corridors.
Who decides · OUP/OU MT decides; GMs flag interest and advise; bottlers/category teams advise
Light view
Smartwater Glow
Stage Building the bundle
From the Gate 1–approved PoC
Smartwater Glow concept bottle mockup
Smartwater Glow, the protocept
Benchtop, lab-scale liquid, the real HA dose and claim now moving into test, one integrated read alongside the finished pack, brand story and business case.
What it includes: The same six elements, now built end to end into the E2E Bundle: a protocept, a finished pack guide, the brand story and comms, an investment envelope and a business case, instead of separate answers on paper. The consumer thread carries forward too, sharpened with real claims and numbers.
Consumer in focus3 priority markets
Audience, carried from PoC: Health-conscious, beauty-curious adults 25–40, already buying premium water, already investing in visible self-care. Desired growth audience ~12.0M, the benefit-area pool, unconstrained ceiling, unchanged from PoC.
Tension, sharpened: “I want my hydration to do more than quench thirst, and now I can prove it works, not just claim it.” Must-haves: clinically-backed HA claim, stable at ambient shelf-life, premium-tier price held.
Audience, sized in priority markets: sized off BEACH need-states × premium-water penetration.
~1.8M
Germany, target segment
~0.9M
Poland, target segment
~1.4M
UK, target segment
Creative platform, validated: Claims’ clarity 3.2/5 — clear functional benefit, lacks clarity on occasion. Package + VIS 4/5 — strong VIS with distinctive cues.
Gate 2 readD·S·F·V, validated
55%
Purchase intent, after-use · threshold TBD
61%
Gross margin · threshold TBD
3/5
Manufacturing complexity, at ceiling
≤$1.90
COGS ceiling, per UC
Stage 2E2E Solution Bundle
Gate 2Approval of Bundle
Gate 2 · Approval of Bundle
Prove the bundle. Not every one passes.
Decision-makers evaluate the integrated bundle, product, pack, price, investment and business case, and end-to-end comms, tested as one solution, not a deck. Only the strongest bundles proceed.
Who decides · OUP/OU MT decides; GMs flag interest and advise; bottlers/category teams advise
Product & Liquid
The real liquid to taste, a protocept: benchtop, lab-scale, dose and claim moving into test.
Carried from PoC, unchanged: sensorial — clean, light taste, hydrating electrolytes, real skin benefit. Hero ingredient — hyaluronic acid, clinically-backed dose.
Lab bench test liquid variants
Packaging & VIS
The finished pack guide, the finished look and feel, ready for consumer test, not yet run on a bottler line. VIS in the selected brand, with multiple pack formats.
Carried from PoC, unchanged: shelf standout — distinctive botanical design. Hero pack format — 330ml slim can (trial), premium glass (repeat). Visual world — soft greens, sage palette.
Finished pack guide, Smartwater GlowCan artwork, Smartwater Glow
Brand & Comms
Audience segmentation and sizing, the E2E Connection Architecture and the Core Creative Idea, illustrated with 2–3 representative POCs.
Carried from PoC, unchanged: brand carrier — Smartwater core stretch. Idea/line — “Glow from the source.” Occasions — mirror, gym, desk, plus candidate creator partners.
Smartwater Glow product shotSmartwater Glow brand book spread
Commercial
Go-to-market direction and the customer selling story.
Carried from PoC, unchanged: first-win channel — premium grocery, gym, e-retail.premium grocery ranked #1 ahead of gym, e-retail. Tier & price — premium tier, indexed above the premium-water set. Category & customer growth — opens a beauty-hydration space, new-to-category, growth read at Gate 1.
First cut, open for discussion: an existing creative platform, brief the local/regional team; new brand territory, activate IMX globally first, then localise.
Investment
Real media plan drafted, cross-checking the Gate 1 MEDIUM investment-intensity flag.
Manual input $14.8M vs. generated baseline $16.0M (−7.5% vs. norm).
Carried from PoC, unchanged: bottler co-investment — still an open question. New equipment — none flagged.
Confirmed at this stage: production location — central, one-for-all. Priority markets interest — Germany, Poland, UK, confirmed by GM.
Business Case
Addressable audience ~6.5M, modelled off the real bundle test · brand credibility × liquid acceptance × affordability × channel access · P50 volume within 10% of the PoC estimate.
Top-line P&L assessed: BOM, COGS, DME and a first NSR range modelled; CapEx and ROI ballparked at ~Year 3 payback.
Carried from PoC, unchanged: volume — sized off category benchmarks. Payback view — category ballpark, ~Year 3.
Light view · Gate 1
1 · Intro + Concept Highlights
Gate 1 · OU Prioritization
Decides OUP/OU MT; GMs advise
Output Chosen Bet + Brief
Look across the global PoC bank, and back the ones that best deliver the plan.
Concept Highlights
3 of 18
Top 15+3 markets flagged interest so far — Germany, Poland, UK
~12.0M
Desired growth audience, the unconstrained benefit-area pool
~6.5M
Addressable audience, refined by brand, liquid acceptance & affordability
Consumer tension: “I want my hydration to do more than quench thirst. I want it to work for how I look, not just how I feel.”
Meaningful, what’s in it for me: Hydration that shows up on my skin, not just how I feel, so one drink does double duty instead of adding a step.
Different, why this over other choices: The only beauty-hydration entrant with a clinically-backed dose you can see working, not just a claim you take on faith.
Salient, the moment it comes to mind: The morning mirror moment: reaching for hydration that also shows up on your skin, right as self-care and the commute overlap.
Smartwater Glow concept bottle mockup
Smartwater Glow
The first drink that fully hydrates you, pausing aging inside out, only the way Smartwater can do. RTB a clinically-backed hyaluronic-acid dose, visible hydration from within.
“Glow from the source. Nature in your skin, in every sip.”
Audience: Health-conscious, beauty-curious adults 25–40, already buying premium water, already investing in visible self-care. Desired growth audience ~12.0M, the benefit-area pool, unconstrained ceiling from OpportunitySpace · BEACH need-states.
Innovation strategy: New users, a beauty-hydration occasion that pulls new-to-brand consumers in, not a frequency play on the existing Smartwater base. Estimated reach modelled as audience size × brand credibility × liquid acceptance × affordability.
Need State: Refresh.
Benefit platform: Beauty-from-within hydration, part of the Skin & Radiance Consumer Opportunity Platform.
Occasion: The morning routine moment, when self-care and the commute overlap (mirror, gym bag, desk).
Innovation territory: Hydration Glow.
Pricing check: Indexes ~15% above the premium-water category average (illustrative: ~$2.20 vs. ~$1.90 per 500ml); tests whether the HA claim justifies the step-up versus mainstream.
Competitive Set: Functional-water and beauty-hydration whitespace, illustrative whitespace index ~60; no direct ingested-HA competitor at scale today, nearest adjacent set is premium electrolyte and collagen-water entrants.
Launch in Marketprojection
Estimated launch date in the UK market: 12 May 2027.
Innovation Bankalways on
Stage 1 · Build Concepts
Gate 1OU Prioritization
Stage 2 · E2E Bundle
Gate 2Approval of Bundle
Stage 3 · Craft Launch Plan
Gate 3Decision to Launch
Stage 4Stage 4A · Launch Prep & Commercialization
Market Launchmilestone
Stage 5Stage 4B · In-Market Execution
Gate 4Decision to Iterate
2 · E2E Bundle
E2E Bundle
3 · Measurement · D·S·F·V
Measurement
Light view · Gate 2
1 · Intro + General Info
Gate 2 · Approval of Bundle
Decides OUP/OU MT; GMs advise
Output E2E Bundle
Prove the bundle. Not every one passes.
This is a filter: only the strongest bundles proceed, so weaker ones can be stopped before much is spent.
Consumer in focus3 priority markets
Audience, carried from PoC: Health-conscious, beauty-curious adults 25–40. Desired growth audience ~12.0M, unchanged from PoC.
Tension, sharpened: “I want my hydration to do more than quench thirst, and now I can prove it works, not just claim it.”
Launch in Marketprojection
Estimated execution timeline: 3 months.
Estimated launch date in the UK market: 12 May 2027, projection, to be validated at Market Launch Prep.
Market execution targets projection: Media — full-funnel campaign (TV, digital, OOH) drafted from the Bundle creative pool, reach/GRP to be sized at Market Launch Prep. Sampling target ~50,000 units at launch. Distribution target ≥70% ACV in grocery + e-retail. Coolers ~120 branded coolers. Sell-in/listing target (suggested, confirm): priority listing secured in the lead channel across all 3 priority markets ahead of launch.
The output of this gate: the end-to-end (E2E) Bundle, the same six elements, the same questions, now answered.
Innovation Bankalways on
Stage 1 · Build Concepts
Gate 1OU Prioritization
Stage 2 · E2E Bundle
Gate 2Approval of Bundle
Stage 3 · Craft Launch Plan
Gate 3Decision to Launch
Stage 4Stage 4A · Launch Prep & Commercialization
Market Launchmilestone
Stage 5Stage 4B · In-Market Execution
Gate 4Decision to Iterate
2 · E2E Bundle
E2E Bundle
3 · Measurement · D·S·F·V
Measurement
Light view · Gate 3
1 · Intro + General Info
Gate 3 · Decision to Launch
Decides Lead-market GM + bottler
Output Launch Plan
Commit the launch.
The business case is no longer a projection; it is a commitment.
Consumer in focus3 priority markets
Audience & tension, carried from Bundle: Same beauty-curious, premium-hydration audience; same tension, now with a validated HA claim rather than a hypothesis.
Must-haves, from Bundle: Clinically-backed HA claim, ambient-shelf stability, premium-tier price.
Launch in Marketvalidated
Execution timeline: 6 weeks, ready to launch.
Launch date in the UK market: 12 May 2027, validated.
The output of this gate: the Launch Plan, the same six elements, the same questions, now committed.
Innovation Bankalways on
Stage 1 · Build Concepts
Gate 1OU Prioritization
Stage 2 · E2E Bundle
Gate 2Approval of Bundle
Stage 3 · Craft Launch Plan
Gate 3Decision to Launch
Stage 4Stage 4A · Launch Prep & Commercialization
Market Launchmilestone
Stage 5Stage 4B · In-Market Execution
Gate 4Decision to Iterate
2 · E2E Bundle
E2E Bundle
3 · Measurement · D·S·F·V
Measurement