Italy is the “country of inventors”. We learn it at school. Growing-up we discover that other countries also gave birth to a lot of burning brains. Landing on Quirky, the inventor’s community, for the first time I have asked myself why this idea doesn’t come from an Italian mind. A faint memory of ancient inventors’ glories suddenly took shape in my mind and I embraced it into everyday life.

Quirky define itself “social product development company”. Where the social term is used to identify people participation, co-creation and not the welfare purpose of the company.

A video is worth a thousand words. Ben Kaufman, Quirky founder, tells the story about his company.

In this video, a sentence particularly important with regards to the topics we usually deal with on iMagazine is: “We took the product out of it and made the process our business”. It is an interesting approach as it identifies what I use to define a company’s “neutral factor” – the ability to identify the process that becomes a clear and tangible way to express company’s vision. A process around which (and thanks to which) the company generates value and revenues.

And here it is, the Quirky process, visually illustrated.

The business model is equally interesting considering its development model and revenue distribution. Besides the inventor’s shares as well as the revenue for Quirky that is responsible for transforming an idea in a actual product running the market, there is a share for the members of the community who participate to the project’s improvement, known as INFLUENCERS.

And here is a selection of the most rewarded influencers:

The involvement in the community a san influencer is payed back. You only need to be proactive, give opinions and suggestions and finally vote. In addition, the entire quirkers community can provide a contribution to what they say “Social Sales” that is sharing the link of the product to be sold in order to support its market success.

This is why the special value of the Quirky platform is the company’s ability to develop and push into the market the community members’ best ideas sharing with them successes and failures. This is the main feature of the crowdsourcing model very well embraced by Quirky: “Everybody invest in an idea, someone more than others, making sure it can be ready and reliable to face the market. If it would be an economic worthy decision we all would take advantage from it, otherwise we shift to another idea starting again from the beginning.”

Finally, I would like to end this post sharing an idea that became an actual product available on the market thanks to Quirky. The inventor is Mrs. Andrea Zabinski from Pittsburg. 721 people contributed to shape and improving Mrs. Zabinski’s first idea.

VENTU: Strain and Serve. $49.99

Please, tell me why this does not come from an Italian mind?

I invite you also to visit the Quirky channel on YouTube to see how much important it could be and interesting to use social tools in a constructive and smart way. Is that social media marketing? I guess no, it is a creation made of relationships.