Every product experience is of course unique, but each also offers learning that can be leveraged by others.
This month we go deep into the Headache Reliever® compression wrap—available from Hammacher Schlemmer, Target.com, and other select retailers—sharing the behind-the-scenes story and lessons from its launch.
The light-bulb moment
Dr. Steve Landy, a board-certified neurologist who directs the Wesley Headache Clinic & Research Center and teaches at the University of Tennessee School of Medicine, observed severe headache patients supplementing their prescribed painkillers with homemade wraps and hot and cold compresses. He found scientific evidence supporting their actions. This sparked the doctor to bring the best “non-pharmacological” remedies together in one simple, affordable consumer product.
The challenges
The doctor enlisted NASA contract spacecraft designer Brand Griffin to help design his invention for ease-of-use, since even simple things can be difficult when you’re operating in zero-G space… or suffering from a bad headache. And their creation worked very well—subsequent clinical studies found 87% of headache patients experienced optimal relief. Yet the two had difficulty manufacturing the product affordably and getting it distributed beyond a few local drugstores. Landy would be the first to say that, at times, his invention proved to be a real headache.
The outcome
The two sought help from AbsolutelyNew, which decided to license, manufacture and sell the Headache Reliever. The product is now available across the U.S. from several well-known retailers, with more to come in the months ahead. AbsolutelyNew is also securing U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) listing and arranging for the Headache Reliever to be reimbursable on flexible medical spending account plans—all with aim to grow long-term sales.
The key lessons
This invention experience is both unique and typical. It also offers lessons for just about every inventive person. The Top 5 lessons:
1. Do what you know. Landy focused his efforts in an area he knew well: treating headaches. Because he was already an expert, he could apply insight and critical thinking from the start. This also meant he could test easily and effectively along the way. To be sure, success is possible in any product category, but it’s much easier to achieve if you start with something you know well.
2. Solve a real problem. In the U.S. alone, more than 50 million people suffer from tension and/or migraine headaches. For many, the headaches are debilitating, significantly impacting their personal and professional lives—this is why they’ve been willing to spend billions of dollars each year on treatments, and why retailers are open to Landy’s solution. You don’t need to tackle a problem of this magnitude, but definitely make sure you’re setting out to solve a problem that’s real… and that really matters.
3. Give consumers flexibility. The Headache Reliever is designed so people can use it with reusable hot or cold gel packs (or both simultaneously), because Landy recognized different people have different preferences, and different headaches benefit from different temperature treatments. This flexibility goes a long way. As you design your invention, consider how you too can design with flexibility to broaden the benefits or appeal of your creation.
4. Be open to help. Landy sought help from Griffin because he recognized he didn’t have expertise in design for maximum ease-of-use. He also sought help from a local sales & marketing consultant, and then from AbsolutelyNew for manufacturing and marketing expertise—all with aim to achieve the potential he saw in his idea. If you can do it all alone, do it; however, if you assess yourself and see that you lack certain skills or abilities, act to get the right specialists involved.
5. Keep pressing ahead. Whereas some products become overnight hits, the Headache Reliever is building momentum over time. The team has kept pressing ahead with its efforts to connect with headache sufferers, to excite more retailers, to reach key media, and to earn more third-party credentials that will reinforce the product’s legitimacy. If you’re not able to quickly realize your invention’s potential, don’t just give up—you may simply need to work harder, longer, and to try new tactics, to reach your ultimate goal.
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