Cast Your Vote: The 2021 Forness® Awards
Welcome to ITG's first ever Forness® Awards, where we compile new products and services that sound questionable at first, but we love after trying. And we want your vote to see which one takes the top spot!
One of the most common phrases that can enter the discussion during an ideation is "Yes, but..." It's an acknowledgement of an idea, followed by a semi-polite statement about why the idea won't work. Hearing "Yes, but..." during a brainstorm leads to less ideas, less creativity, and an overall hesitant environment. ITG developed the Forness® mindset to overcome this bias towards the negative, and to unlock creative potential.
Forness® thinking is all about focusing on what is good in an idea and, instead of simply pointing out what's wrong, wishing for solutions—whether those wishes are specific or broad. To honor the creative ideas that made it to the market, each ITG Facilitator nominated a product or service they thought probably received some resistance at first, but the potential was realized and development pushed forward.
Below are 2021's top Forness® ideas that we LOVE! Once you have read through all 7 nominees, cast your vote for your favorite Forness® idea in the form below and we will announce a winner!
2021 VOTING HAS NOW CLOSED
Dog Brew
Headline: a beer for dogs.
This beer for dogs is actually made with bone-in pork butt, whole corn, celery, basil, mint, turmeric, ginger and water. Notably absent: alcohol. Busch obviously wasn't going to give alcohol to dogs, but we would have loved to have been in the room when someone on the team said, "Let's make a beer for dogs." I think Myles (see the video) would have preferred a chicken broth, but maybe that's the IPA Dog Brew in the pipeline.
HyperX FURY S Pro Gaming Mouse Pad
Headline: a mousepad that covers your entire desk.
Have you ever thought to yourself, "I need a mousepad that is ~35 inches wide and ~15 inches tall?" Probably not, but that's exactly what HyperX made. And ITG Facilitator Ryan Comins is glad he has it. While most people are fine with their small mousepads, Ryan sees the benefit of this extra large pad, all the way down to the fact that it is easy to clean.
Thermacell
Headline: a 20-foot mosquito shield.
With delicious blood, ITG Facilitator Monica Grant can't keep the mosquitos away. No remedy seemed to work until she found her Thermacell repellent. An invisible shield that sits on a table sounded the "Yes, but..." alarm immediately, but Forness® thinking prevailed and won the bug shield a spot on the 2021 Forness® awards.
Kichwit Jar Opener
Headline: a tool that helps you turn jar caps counterclockwise.
"Open the jar," they said. "It will be easy," they said. We've all been there: the all-too-stubborn jar of pickles won't budge. You can try the at-home remedies all you want, like tapping a knife around the edges or running hot water over it. Or you could use the Kichwit Jar Opener, the unexpected savior of the day! ITG Facilitator, Beth Storz, thought the idea was a little far out and unnecessary, but with Forness® thinking the Jar Opener made its way into Beth's kitchen.
Vanillamint Supreme 2X Lip Shine
Headline: a breath mint that moisturizes your lips.
You might not think you need a lip balm that also freshens your breath, but the 2-in-1 combo ended up being exactly what Dina Pancoast wanted. Twice the moisturizing effects and minty fresh breath—you can't go wrong! After buying it because it was the only thing on the shelf, the Vanillamint Supreme 2X Lip Shine is now Dina's go-to.
Bug-A-Salt Insect Gun
Headline: an assault gun to kill ants.
Imagine you are in your bedroom and notice a slight black shadow moving across your wall. Dang recluse! You could get rid of the spider the normal way—grab a stool and some paper towel to squash it with your hand. Or you could kill it with a gun! It seems like a crazy idea, and maybe it even looks crazy. But after ITG Facilitator Greg Cobb got his hands on the Bug-A-Salt Insect Gun, he realized its potential. Maybe he'll start intentionally letting bugs into his house now.
RAK Contour Gauge Shape Duplicator
Headline: toy pin art for the DIY handyman.
If you thought toy pin art was just for kids, you were wrong. Some of us may not have seen the classic pin art toys in years, but there's actually a real world use for them! When Adam Hansen moved into his new home, the custom woodwork called for tricky measurements. The RAK Contour Gauge Shape Duplicator saved the day—and it's all because someone once thought in a meeting, "Let's use toy pin art as a precision measurement tool."
Which idea do you think is odd on the surface but actually has major potential in your life?