Innovation: Target Practice

Consumer product innovation is often a hit-or-miss affair - but it doesn't have to be. By letting customers and employees tell them what works and by aggressively culling what doesn't, the industry's high performers are scoring consistently well. Consumers know them when they see them: Crest Whitestrips, Lysol Disinfecting Wipes, GLAD Press'n Seal Wrap - products that practically invent a need and then become so indispensable that they are profit powerhouses for the companies that brought them to market.