Quirky partnered with GE to revamp its brand and consumer technologies. GE granted Quirky a license to use a significant portion of its patent portfolio through our Invention Platform. This allowed our community of inventors to incorporate proven GE technologies into their product ideas. The collaboration between the Quirky community, staff, and GE brought excitement, combining GE's extensive experience, quality-assurance program, regulatory knowledge, and 100+ years of patents with Quirky's dynamic community and fast product development capabilities.
Created at Quirky, NYC
CREATING OUR FIRST FIVE SMART PRODUCTS
Our Quirky community submitted hundreds of new ideas, including a pet-food dispenser and a pollen-responsive air filter. Egg Minder (an intelligent egg tray) and Nimbus (a connected alarm clock) emerged as influential products, shaping the Quirky-GE relationship. We moved forward with five new products: Spotter, Nimbus, Pivot Power Genius, Porkfolio, and Egg Minder, reaching stores within four months.
FINDING A RETAILER
The Home Depot became the first major retailer to sell all Quirky + GE Smart Home products in nearly 2,000 stores nationwide. In just 18 months, Quirky developed a full ecosystem of Smart Products, including the WINK App, which connects with various devices from leading brands.
Sometimes, quirky couples are the most successful.
CREATING A SISTER COMPANY
The need for a powerful app became apparent to accompany the launch of these impressive connected products. Enter Wink! This new platform created a simple and efficient solution to connect you with all the essential home products you rely on daily.
THE WORLD’S SMARTEST AIR CONDITIONER
Our initial five products excelled, impressing GE and prompting us to develop a new line of connected products. Aros, the standout, was a stunningly smart air conditioner. We also created the Link light bulb, resembling incandescent bulbs but functioning as affordable smart bulbs at just $15, a feat GE had long pursued.
“Working with Quirky, I’m learning about Scale and Speed.”
—Beth Comstock, GE’s CMO
PACKAGING FOR A SMART CATEGORY
The new Quirky + GE packaging needed to be significantly different than Quirky's product line. We combined color and App illustrations to create differentiation at retail. This helped first-time buyers understand these were smart products. We also had photos of the inventors so the consumers would know that these products ‘were invented by people just like them.’
A PRINT MAGAZINE
We documented the exciting journey of our partnership, designing a magazine to show the results to potential investors and the GE and Quirky communities. Technology was moving quickly, so creating something tangible within this new category was nice.
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Designers
Quirky and Wink in-house teams
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Photography
Quirky in-house team & Marshall Troy
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Videos
Quirky in-house team