Two Lightspan Clients Earn Chicago Innovation Award Nominations

People often ask me what the best part of my job with Lightspan Digital is, and without fail my answer is the same:  I love working with such a diverse group of entrepreneurs.

Some are restaurateurs, some tech whiz kids, and some are grizzled, decorated industry vets ever in search of a new challenge. This month two of our clients received special recognition, earning a place in the final cut of nominations for the Chicago Innovation Awards (Vote Here).

I’ve had the pleasure of working exhaustively with both of these companies, the iconic Smith Brothers cough drops brand, and the hard-charging startup SimpleRelevance. Each couldn’t be more deserving, and each couldn’t be coming at innovation from more opposite perspectives.

Innovation through reinvention:  Smith Brothers Cough Drops

Smith Brothers was launched in 1847 in upstate New York and would grow to become one of the most recognizable brands in America as our country’s first cough drop company. The bearded faces of the two brothers, Andrew and William, became synonymous with their cough drops and famous worldwide.

But the brand faded into obscurity for the better part of the last three decades before Steve Silk came along to introduce them to a new generation (check out this week’s Crain’s feature on Silk’s drive to reinvent the brand). The company has since introduced several innovative products to the cough and cold category, including cough drops specifically formulated for day and night to help people stay productive while fighting cough and cold symptoms.

They’ve also rolled out Warm Apple Pie cough drops to soothe the throat and mouthwater tablets to stimulate saliva glands and moisten your mouth.

Working with Smith Brothers has been inspiring – a classic brand brought back to life, but on a platform of new innovation, not simple repackaging.

Using tech to get the incremental advantage

On the other hand you have SimpleRelevance, a tech startup housed in Chicago’s 1871 tech incubator. The company, founded by Erik Severinghaus just two years ago, is revolutionizing the retail approach to email marketing.

By creating software that plugs into your email system (such as Constant Contact or MailChimp) SimpleRelevance makes your email smarter. It pulls in data about customer purchase history, demographic profile, and many other data points to create a message tailored to the individual customer.

In short, your customers get the right email, with the right products, at the right time. That leads to more opens, clicks and ultimately, to more sales.

One is inventing a brand from scratch, another is redefining a classic – both are among Chicago’s leading innovators. We’re proud to work alongside each of them.

Cast your vote for the Chicago Innovation Awards