UK-based full service agency SPA Future Thinking has launched Apollonius, a new sales forecasting model that combines research data, category data and marketing information to predict pre-launch sales values and volumes for a product’s first two years on-shelf.

The firm was formed last September as a result of the merger between specialist agencies SPA and Future Thinking (formerly known as TORAacquired the Munro Group, the parent of research agencies FDS International, Maven Research, M-Lab, and 3000ft Strategic Insight.

Apollonius, which uses a validated model first developed in 1980, offers a range of diagnostic outputs and scenario modelling to provide bespoke forecasts. It claims to optimise the factors unique to each particular launch - such as media spend, trade channels, pricing and timing - and can be applied at all stages of the innovation process to concepts, products, packaging, and the final NPD mix.

The service aims to answer such questions as whether a new product has the potential to succeed in market, whether there will be a return on specific launch investments, and what the sales impact of a rebrand will be.

Talking about the launch, Group Innovation Director Dan Hillyard comments: ‘We are particularly excited by the range of deliverables which address issues such as pricing, optimising promotional and media support and dealing with competitor responses; as well as full diagnostics to optimise concepts, products and packaging.’

Web site: www.spafuturethinking.com .

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