As companies seek to better manage their innovation initiatives, testing ideas against consumer feedback is becoming a key challenge. In this interview, Vincent Jullien, Head of Research & Client Insights for Strategic Partnerships and Key Accounts, discusses the OPTIN platform—developed in collaboration with Ifop Marketing’s Banking, Finance & Insurance teams—and how it helps to objectively evaluate, compare, and prioritize innovation ideas.
Question 1: What were the main objectives you hoped to achieve?
The implementation of the OPTIN system was driven by a very clear goal: to strengthen our ability to make decisions regarding innovation by incorporating an objective assessment of the customer’s perspective from the earliest stages of planning. In an industry like insurance, there are numerous innovation ideas, stemming from very different business lines, and often at varying stages of maturity. However, we found that there was no framework in place to evaluate them consistently, especially at such an early stage. OPTIN’s goal was precisely to fill this gap by offering a simple, fast, and robust system for testing these ideas against market realities.
More specifically, our approach was guided by three objectives:
- To objectively assess the potential of internal ideas by testing them with a representative panel of French people, in order to move beyond intuition or individual beliefs;
- To create a common evaluation framework that allows for the comparison of very different proposals—whether they involve products, services, customer journeys, or more cross-functional topics such as corporate social responsibility (CSR);
- To help prioritize initiatives by quickly identifying the most promising ideas—those that deserve further exploration and those that need to be reworked. Beyond these operational objectives, OPTIN is also part of a broader ambition: to gradually establish a more data-driven culture of innovation.
The goal is not to replace intuition—which remains essential—but to systematically supplement it by consulting with customers, in order to make more confident decisions and more easily align the various stakeholders. In this regard, OPTIN serves both as a decision-support tool and as a catalyst for transforming internal practices, enabling a shift from an idea-driven approach to a structured and shared evaluation process.
“The goal is not to replace intuition—which remains essential—but to systematically supplement it by consulting with the client, in order to make decision-making more reliable and to more easily align the various stakeholders.”
Vincent Jullien
Head of Research & Customer Insights, Strategic Partnerships, and Key Accounts
Question 2: In practical terms, how did the methodology developed with the Banking, Finance & Insurance teams at Ifop Marketing enable you to compare and prioritize your various innovation ideas?
The methodology co-developed with the IFOP teams played a decisive role because it allowed us to transform a set of very diverse ideas into a comparable and manageable portfolio. One of its main contributions lies in the establishment of a common evaluation framework. Each idea is analyzed using two universal metrics—perceived value and differentiation—which provide a solid basis for comparison, regardless of the nature of the proposal. Whether we’re testing a product, a service, or an evolution of the customer journey, we’re all speaking the same language.
In addition to this common foundation, a third, specific indicator is added, defined based on the idea’s theme (intention to use, impact on brand image, etc.).
This approach balances standardization with analytical depth, providing a complementary, more operational perspective.
The robustness of the system also depends on the presentation protocol: each respondent is presented with a limited number of ideas from different categories, which ensures both the quality of the responses and the comparability of the results. At the same time, organizing the ideas by broad themes allows for analyzing performance on multiple levels: overall, but also within their competitive landscape.
Finally, the analysis of core target audiences adds a key dimension to prioritization.
It enables us to move beyond a purely average assessment and identify more targeted potential by pinpointing the populations most receptive to each concept.
Ultimately, the Ifop methodology allows us to position each idea within a shared framework, measure its relative performance, and move from an isolated evaluation approach to a truly structured prioritization process that can be directly leveraged to guide innovation decisions.
Question 3: Beyond the results obtained, what impact has this approach had on your internal innovation process?
Beyond the results themselves, OPTIN has influenced how we approach innovation internally.
The first benefit lies in the establishment of a new habit: that of systematically evaluating ideas from the customer’s perspective, even when they are still in a very early stage.
Until now, certain decisions could be based primarily on internal convictions or on our perception of customer expectations.
With OPTIN, we’ve introduced a form of collective discipline that involves objectively evaluating these intuitions before committing further resources.
This change is evident in several ways:
- A shift in internal discussions, which now rely more on shared data than on individual perceptions, facilitating alignment among teams;
- Smoother and faster decision-making, particularly when weighing various innovation avenues;
- Greater clarity regarding the portfolio of ideas, with the ability to distinguish between those with immediate potential and those that need to be reworked or approached differently.
Furthermore, the system has served as a catalyst for collective innovation. Opening up the idea submission process to different business units and then presenting the results in a structured and accessible way strengthens team engagement and provides visibility into the future of the proposals.
Finally, OPTIN aligns us with a more sustainable approach. The challenge now is to build on these results over time by establishing benchmarks. This paves the way for a more continuous, managed, and well-equipped innovation process. In this sense, OPTIN is not just a research tool—it is a lever that helps bring about profound changes in our practices by gradually establishing a culture of innovation that is more grounded in metrics and customer feedback.