Chase Kasper discusses with Cindy Sauer how new CURF marketing developments will impact operations.
Dear Colleagues:
Happy New Year! As we start the spring semester, I want to first thank you for working so diligently to advance your research in 2022. Last year, we saw a considerable increase in research activity, and as a result, at CURF, we have been working to introduce new ways to better meet your research needs and support the Clemson research enterprise.
One such area that we have identified is collecting and communicating market feedback on innovations that have been disclosed to CURF by Clemson faculty, staff, or students. Here are a few ways CURF plans to do this:
- Innovation marketing feedback summaries. Regardless of your innovation – method, apparatus, software, curriculum, or plant variety – CURF will provide to the innovator a snapshot of marketing activities and feedback from marketing targets. Categorically, this will include:
- Companies contacted and replied to the inquiry
- Company interest levels
- Desire for any advanced discussions
- Qualified market feedback
Please note: Market feedback should not be confused with scientific and technical merit. According to various estimates, only 2-3% of all patents are profitable or break-even in the market commercialization space. However, the hundreds of millions of dollars of sponsored research awards that the Clemson research community achieves annually is testament to the high-quality output of scientific and technical merit.
- Expansion of marketing outreach. Innovation marketing requires a diversified approach to communicating the innovation to multiple audiences. To address this, CURF has expanded its social media presence from three (3) to five (5) platforms and is working toward cross-linking these platforms to place marketing collateral (e.g., non-confidential summaries, video, etc.) into the hands of potentially interested parties. Additionally, CURF has invested in alternative marketing platforms, such as IN-PART to accelerate these interactions. CURF will continue to perform other forms of traditional marketing via exhibitions, trade shows, and conferences. Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
- Requests for your help (and your patience)! There is a well-documented statistic that over half of the leads generated to companies regarding innovations come from the faculty. In my 20+ years of experience in innovation and intellectual property management, I can attest that this is true. However, this should be of no surprise as research faculty are well-published, subject matter experts in their specific field. If a company reaches out to you, please let CURF know so we can align goals and objectives with you early in the process. Also, we may need your help in creating and editing marketing collateral for your innovations so that we can accurately convey your innovation to our audiences, along with its development level and paths forward in commercialization. This process can be easier said than done and may require more thoughtful effort depending on the nature of the audience.
The CURF team stands ready to help you put your innovations forward in the best possible light to the audiences that we hope will be first adopters. If you have any questions about our efforts, or your research, feel free to reach out to me. Stay healthy, have a great spring semester, and “Go Tigers!”
Best,
Chase
To contact Chase, email him at kasper@clemson.edu or connect with him on LinkedIn.
