By Jamie Jergenson
WisBusiness.com
MADISON — Grab your shovel and pail. Playing in a sandbox isn’t just for kids anymore.
The area’s most creative minds will have the opportunity to unleash their creative juices in the “sandbox” of a new Madison-based company, Sandbox International. Sandbox is a creative firm that brings together the most imaginative minds to generate ideas and help companies drive innovation.
“Being a creative firm, we liked the connotations that are associated with a sandbox ― a fun, open space for imagination and creativity with virtually limitless potential,” said Scott Daigger, founding partner of Sandbox International.
Daigger, along with partners Chauncey Holder and Todd Wendrick, began work to launch Sandbox International in May 2007. While completing their MBAs, the three men learned they had an interest in working with creative consumers to help companies drive innovation. Holder had been developing a basic framework three years prior the company’s start, but his idea had not been a true business until Daigger and Wendrick came on board in May 2007.
“Sandbox helps clients drive innovations by leveraging the most creative individuals from the client’s own consumer demographics. Sandbox finds and rigorously screens the most creative consumers, and trains them to excel in creative and divergent thinking,” Daigger said.
Companies interested in gaining more market share will use Sandbox to enhance key advertising messages, product packages, branding, HR strategies, organizational dynamics, and tap into new social trends.
Sandbox has a handful of competitors on the national level, including Ideas To Go, Brain Reactions, Brainjuicer, WhatIf and Mensa Process. However, Sandbox’s process is grounded in academic and professional research. Unique quantitative screening assessments are used to find consumers who are in the top percentile in terms of natural creativity. These individuals facilitate the idea generation sessions in customized ways designed to maximize their creative output.
“What really makes Sandbox unique is the extreme rigor the company uses in its idea generation process. We have spent a lot of time and effort researching and developing they way we operate and how we work with creative consumers to help client companies drive innovation,” Daigger said.
The creative minds Sandbox plans to use in their idea generation sessions have been dubbed “All Stars.” Although recruiting efforts have been on a smaller scale in the past, Daigger and Holder plan to launch a large scale and more targeted recruitment effort in the coming months. Ideally, Sandbox would like 1,000 applicants by the end of this year.
“All Stars” will be paid on a project-by project basis, and assigned to a project based on their natural creative tendencies. During the idea generation process, All-Stars take part in individual and group-based activities to help stimulate their creative juices. Some are fast-paced, while others are collaborative and based on reflection.
Pricing for client companies is structured on a per-project basis, based on the scale and depth of the project, geographic scope, number of creative sessions, and the creative participants’ profiles.
There are many reasons that companies look to drive innovation. Existing ideas, products and strategies are quickly replicated and replaced so it is essential for companies to be generating and developing fresh ideas constantly.
“There are numerous reasons why innovation is essential for competitive businesses, from the pure economics of innovation that offer large financial rewards for breakthrough ideas, to the branding side or organizations being seen as a cutting-edge industry leader. Aside from the business reasons, developing new ideas helps keep society moving forward and improving people’s quality of life,” Daigger said.
Sandbox International is happy to explore and discuss potential partnership opportunities, and is also currently seeking creative minds interested in becoming “All-Stars.” For more information about Sandbox International visit www.sandboxintl.com.
Jergenson is a student in the UW-Madison Department of Life Sciences Communication.
