CES 2020: P&G says innovating, operating like a startup to compete with startups
At CES 2020, consumer goods giant Proctor & Gamble spelt out how it is innovating like a startup and operating with the agility of one to compete with startups. The company’s latest innovations on display at CES include digital diapers, tech toothbrushes, a toilet paper robot, and more.
P&G’s Chief Design Officer Phil Duncan, Global Baby and Feminine Care CEO Fama Francisco, and Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard spotlight the company’s latest innovations being featured at its PGLifeLab exhibit at CES 2020.
Proctor & Gamble (P&G) may be a 182-year-old global consumer products giant, but the company is innovating like a startup and operating with the speed and agility of one in order to compete with startups, the company said, as it unveiled some of its latest innovations at the CES 2020 consumer technology event in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“We strive to lead with constructive disruption,” said P&G Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard. “Our job is to disrupt in a way that creates value across the entire value chain for the people we serve and the categories we compete in.”
P&G LifeLab exhibit at CES 2020, the world's largest consumer technology trade show which is organised by the Consumer Technology Association
This year, the P&G LifeLab exhibit, which debuted at CES in 2019, features the company’s latest innovations in its consumer products portfolio, including its Lumi diaper by Pampers that offers parents a real-time, all-in-one connected care system for their babies, and a first-of-its kind robot, called RollBot, that delivers a fresh roll of tissue paper each time you’re about to run out.
The company also unveiled its P&G LifeLab website, www.PGLifeLab.com, that allows people to check out its latest products portfolio virtually, see product demonstrations, and even buy or pre-order products from the show.
“We’ll also showcase how P&G is creating value for consumers and shareholders by operating with the speed and agility of a startup fueled by more than 180 years of global business expertise,” Chairman and CEO David Taylor said in a statement.
Watch the video for P&G's latest innovations on display at CES 2020
P&G – home to brands like Pampers, Charmin, Oral-B, and Gillette – also unveiled improved versions of some of the products its debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last year.
These include the Heated Razor and Treo razor by Gillette Labs, its smart scent device called Airia, and its skincare product Opte, which scans, detects, and corrects hyper-pigmentation by bringing together proprietary algorithms, optics, and printing technology in one device.
Also on display is the new Oral-B iO power toothbrush series, which is one of CES 2020’s Innovation Award honorees. These connected, artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled toothbrushes, which feature smart pressure sensors that provides brushing feedback and an interactive display will be available for sale later this year.
The RollBot, a robot that, when controlled with a smartphone using Bluetooth, delivers a fresh roll of tissue paper to you just before you run out
Still, P&G’s RollBot, the tissue-paper delivering robot by Charmin, was easily the star of the show at the P&G press conference that was held ahead of the official CES 2020 launch.
“Car companies have concept cars. We have concept bathrooms,” joked Pritchard at the press conference, as he displayed the RollBot.
Throughout the CES 2020 week, P&G will be connecting with consumers, customers, and potential partners in its bid to continue innovating to stay ahead of evolving customer needs. P&G Ventures, the company’s early stage startup studio, is also hosting the P&G Ventures Innovation Challenge.
“The bar for innovation keeps rising, but what must be created must be a force for good and a force for growth,” said Fama Francisco, CEO, Global Baby and Feminine Care at P&G.
