We asked for your questions about our Good Housekeeping search and now we have answers straight from the GH team. We hope this post is useful as you prepare your idea submissions. Just be sure to get your ideas in before the search closes on Monday, January 14.
Q. The Good Housekeeping Research Institute (GHRI) is known as a lab that tests consumer products, but does this search mean that you now want to manufacture as well? Is this something you already do?
A. We do not manufacture products and have no intention of doing so. However, we do license the name Good Housekeeping for consumer goods that live up to our standards for safety and high quality. Edison Nation will secure a manufacturer to develop the product(s) and license the Good Housekeeping name.
Q. How simple or complex can product ideas be? Are you looking for as simple as a toothpick holder all the way up to high-tech appliances?
A. While we’re open to all ideas, we expect that the ones that are most likely to be good candidates will be more complex than a simple toothpick holder but not as complicated to develop and manufacture as a refrigerator, television, or computer. We’re looking for ideas for products that solve a problem that can’t be easily solved by an existing item but that will not take many years of sophisticated engineering to develop.
Q. Would a product that makes things easier, better, faster, and safer around the home accurately describe what you’re hoping to find? If not, could you specify the characteristics you’re looking for?
A. You’ve hit the nail on the head in describing what we’re looking for. When one of our selected ideas finally comes to market it should make a consumer say, “Why didn’t someone think of this sooner? It solves a problem that’s been frustrating me.”
Q. Will the selected product(s) automatically receive the coveted “Good Housekeeping Seal”?
A. No, the selected products will not automatically receive the Seal. The Good Housekeeping Seal is granted to products that are both satisfactorily reviewed by GHRI and advertised in Good Housekeeping magazine. If any of the products that are developed as a result of the search are advertised in our magazine, they could apply to use the Seal. http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/product-reviews/history/welcome-gh-seal
Q. Is there a target demographic product ideas should appeal to?
A. Our readership consists of women ranging in age from their 20’s to their senior years. They’re likely to be married, own their own homes, and have a few children. In brief, ideas should appeal to the average American woman.
P.S. Looking for an additional resource for to help as you prepare your submission? Then, be sure to join us for a live brainstorming session with the Good Housekeeping team during our monthly #InventChat.
Tags: Good Housekeeping, Live Product Search, Q&A
Thank You for more in-depth responses.
Brainstorming now…