British Columbia Innovation Council

This case examines the marketing of an innovative new product. In July 2008, Greg Miller, Market Development Manager at Carmanah Technologies, was contemplating the potential of Carmanah's new solar LED lighting package. Just two weeks earlier, Miller had introduced the package at the annual industry conference, LightFair, in Las Vegas.

To his surprise, the product won the prestigious Judge's Citation Award. Miller already had his hands full with developing a quality product and cultivating a strong, working relationship with the new LED supplier and partner, Beta Lighting, but now he also had to decide how to market this exciting new product before competitors could catch up. He thought it would be possible to target new potential markets:

"Up until now, we've focused on selling products to those who have a business reason to be off- grid, because the grid isn't available or because it is too expensive to run cables to remote areas. Now we want to focus in on a market that values the social and environmental properties of our solar LED lighting, and we feel it has much broader application."

Solar LED lighting had many uses, including providing lighting for public parks and gardens, gate lighting in stadiums, restroom lighting in campgrounds, parking lot and security lighting, and garden lighting for estate owners. Miller felt the growing interest in climate change mitigation among businesses and governments around the world virtually guaranteed some interest in the product, and that the green market represented an enormous opportunity.

Downloads: Business Case Study (PDF) | This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it | Carmanah Technologies website