Incremental innovation is the most common form of innovation and consists of improving what already exists. Its interest is to rejuvenate and increase the lifespan of the offer, boost the attractiveness of the brand while reducing the cost and risk taking compared to other forms of innovation.
The specific situation of the brand in terms of image, market share and customer base in its segment will be decisive in considering the possibility of strong valuation or not of an incremental innovation.

The adjacent “market” innovation attacks an existing market but in part not or poorly addressed by existing players. It is developing in services with digitization, as evidenced by global successes in passenger transport, seasonal rental of housing, etc. The adjacent innovation is doubly interesting because often the investments are relatively low compared to existing players and the risks lower than for disruptive innovation.
The adjacent “product” innovation is a diversification of the existing into another field of application which may even create a new market.

Disruptive innovation innovates by improving usability, comfort or reducing the price. It is not revolutionary like radical innovation, but it introduces a novelty expected and coveted by many. In some cases it makes it possible to democratize a product. It is not necessarily the result of new technology. It strongly destabilizes the competition and the market, often demonstrating an excellent understanding of user expectations as well as the context. It presents a high risk associated with change in the market. Example: the most spectacular successes since 2000 (smartphones, streaming, etc.).

Radical innovation is often linked to the use of new technology. Its launch can create new uses, revolutions. It does not necessarily respond to a demand or a need expressed by the market, on the contrary. It is the riskiest form of innovation with spectacular successes that often overlook a high frequency of failures. It is rare because it is dangerous to implement: long and costly development, frequent drifts, uncertainty about the adoption of the novelty by society and by customers (many flops). Example: messenger RNA vaccines, the result of 3 decades of R&D and billions of private and public investments.