CHANGE MAKERS MICHELE KIM I @MICHELEBKIM I [email protected] PLANNERS AS MIAMI AD SCHOOL ACCOUNT PLANNING BOOTCAMP FALL 2014
CHANGE MAKERS
MICHELE KIM I @MICHELEBKIM I [email protected]
PLANNERS AS
MIAMI AD SCHOOL ACCOUNT PLANNING BOOTCAMP
FALL 2014
the candle problem
1 candle1 book of matches1 box of thumbtacks
how do you fix the candle to the wall in a way so the candle wax won’t drip on the table.
the candle problem
low-drive individual: offered no prize
high-drive individual: offered incentive based on performance in competition with rest of group
BEING CULTURALLY RELEVANT CREATING CULTURE
VS
CHASING TRENDS ENFORCE EXISTING BEHAVIOR
FOLLOWING THE HERD MOST COMMON DENOMINATOR
KEEPING STATUS QUO LOW HANGING FRUIT
PLAYING SAFE
CHANGING PERCEPTIONS CREATING NEW BEHAVIOR
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP INSPIRING CORE ADVOCACY
DRAWING IN NEW BLOOD FINDING WHITE SPACE
TAKING RISK
AS BRAND STRATEGISTS WE MUST BE THE CREATORS OF CHANGE NOT THE CHASERS
influencers subcultures masses
TRENDS VS NICHELONG TERM, MASSIVE 10 YRS,
GLOBAL REACHINGPOCKETS OF INFLUENTIAL
SUBCULTURES
A LOT CAN GET IN THE WAY OF CREATING CULTURE, DISRUPTIVE
CREATIVE & CHANGE
[NAMELY: DATA, TESTING & EXPERIENCE]
data can only tell you what already exists
it can’t alert you of the white space
TARGET
[or only answers to the questions you ask.]
“The more digital we get the more human we have to be. Why would a normal human being care? Thinking like a human being is a talent in this industry.”
- Gautam Ramdurai Strategist at Google Creative Lab
Data connects things that didn’t know it was connected – meta data creates relationships for separate pieces of data, creates meaning.
We should strive to find ways to use data as part of creative solutions - not just for informing decisions.
Start with the most fundamental unit of your brand. Inherent metadata, transactional metadata, environmental metadata. Create something useful from it.
use data like a human
pumpkin spice latte: the drink that tested “meh”
outshined by chocolate caramel, starbucks says fuck the tests. it’s gonna be big.
the influencer
“The flavor itself is now so popular that incidence of “pumpkin spice”—that distinctive mix of pumpkin, nutmeg and cinnamon—in food served by restaurants increased 234% from 2008 to 2012. It’s everywhere in the US, from air fresheners to tortilla chips, and the drink itself has been copied by Dunkin’ Donuts, McDonald’s and home chefs.” -WSJ August 2013
TESTING LEADS TO MOST COMMON DENOMINATOR RESULTS
the office scored worse than women’s lawn bowlinga show built on silence, awkward pauses and to make you feel uncomfortable fails in testing.
the influencer
“When we first showed The Office to test audiences in Britain, we received one of the lowest scores ever – the only show that beat ours was one that featured women’s lawn bowling. That’s why you can’t judge these focus groups.” - Stephen Merchant, And Here’s The Kicker
RELYING ON TESTING CAN MISS OPPORTUNITIES TO BECOME AN INFLUENCER
SOME THINGS WON’T COME UP IN TESTING
“rational” bias - most people won’t bring up packaging or even admit
to being effected by it.
“When I did Legends of the Fall, I was always quite at odds with the romance in the movie, but that’s the way the film went. Then, after the movie was shot, the scene I loved the most was taken out of the film. They told me the reason was that, in market testing, the audience disliked it. This is when I first became hip to marketing tests. I said, ‘Show me.’ It was the second most-disliked scene. But it was also the most-liked scene. My argument then—and it would still stand today—is that what you get from testing people is a visceral reaction, good or bad. You’re asking them if they dislike it, when maybe it’s that they’re uncomfortable with it. And that’s a good thing.”
-Brad Pitt
what are you really asking & measuring?sometimes negativity can be a good thing.
testing art won’t usually make it more interestingTESTING CAN BE MISUNDERSTOOD OR MISUSED
TESTING IS A NECESSARY EVIL. FOR SOME CATEGORY LEADERS, ESPECIALLY IN CERTAIN INDUSTRIES, THEY JUST CAN’T AFFORD TO PISS PEOPLE OFF.
IMHO TESTING SHOULD BE USED FOR “DISASTER CHECKS” OR “EXPLORATORY” INSTEAD OF MICRO-DECISION MAKING. TESTING HELPS ENORMOUSLY IN THESE CASES.
AS PLANNERS, WE SHOULD STRIVE TO HELP ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS AND INTERPRET THE RESULTS TO USE TESTING TO OUR ADVANTAGE.
so think less like an mba...
“Among the worst are recent graduates of business school. It's actually amazing to watch them: They fight. They cheat. They produce lame structures.”
“Business students are trained to create a single right plan, then execute on it. When they put a marshmallow on top and the structure topples over, there's no time to fix it and that creates a crisis!”
18 minutes to build the tallest structure
MBAsCEOsKindergartenersLawyers
think more like a kindergartener
“Among the better teams are recent graduates of kindergarten. Not only do they consistently produce taller structures, theirs look like trees, and elephants and spiders.
But why? Peter likes to say that none of the kids spend their time trying to be CEO of spaghetti inc.”
iteration is a start to finish process of going from suck to nonsuck
"My strategy has always been: be wrong as fast as we can," says Andrew Stanton, Director of Finding Nemo and WALL-E
"Which basically means, we're gonna screw up, let's just admit that. Let's not be afraid of that."
Instead of starting with a script, film ideas begin on rough storyboards until they work through thousands of problems throughout the process. The first pass is always shitty. They’ve had 11 straight blockbuster movies.
ask pixar.
the best planners should be creative and the best creatives should be
strategic.
as a planner, work throughout the process alongside creatives.
bring them in early. agree on the brief. visit while they ideate. sometimes
they have a better idea. sometimes it’s not in the original plan. that’s okay, as
long as you can back out a solid strategy for it. you’re all on one team
and at the end of the day, you’re trying to sell good work.
fight for your creative.
THE LARGEST CULTURAL SHARED EXPERIENCES USED TO HAPPEN
THROUGH MAINSTREAM CHANNELS.
“THE DEATH OF TV”
“Now, even TV, the holy grail of every 90’s kid’s childhood, seems to be on the way out. There is no more asking your parents to watch TV, you simply download an app on your iPhone, and you’re there.”
- 20 Year Old Intern at Fast CompanyOne Millennial's Conflicted Feelings About Plugging Into The Digital Revolution
WE ARE IN THE COMMUNICATIONS BUSINESS.
AS WE MOVE FROM A WORLD OF CONTROLLED COMMUNICATIONS INTO A WORLD OF CHOICE, BRANDS SHOULD BEHAVE DIFFERENTLY TO GET
THEIR MESSAGES SEEN AND HEARD.
MOMENTS OF MEANING
MIRROR NEURONS
SAME PLACE SAME MOMENT
+ SAME EMOTION= EMOTIONAL
CONCORDANCE
ENGAGEMENT IS ATTENTION TO SOMETHING THAT EMOTIONALLY IMPACTS YOU
PUSHES BON JOVI CLASSIC BACK INTO BILLBOARD’S TOP 100
THE VIRAL PHENOMENON
NOTHING IS GUARANTEED TO GO VIRALTHERE ARE LOTS OF THEORIESTHE WHEELHOUSE EFFECT BEING ONE.
BUT WHAT POWERS VIRAL IS GOOD TO KNOW.
A DUDE. A DANCE. A PRAYER.
VIRAL EXISTED BEFORE PIPELINES FOR VIRAL EXISTED
“Only 7% of word of mouth
is online.” - Jonah Berger
author of Contagious
POWERING VIRAL: THE PATH TO 1 BILLION VIEWS
SOCIAL NETWORKS HAVE
JUST ACCELERATED THIS
IT’S THE DESIRE FOR INCLUSION IN SHARED MOMENTS THAT
DRIVES THIS
SHARED MOMENT VS CONTENT VEHICLETHE PATH TO 1 BILLION VIEWS
VS.
BUT IT’S THE EXPERIENCE ITSELF, NOT THE PLATFORM THAT DRIVES
ENGAGEMENT
POPULAR VS VIRAL
EVERY MONDAYMAY 23RD
SUSTAINING RELEVANCE AND ENGAGEMENT
PEOPLE STILL WANT SCHEDULED TIME TO SHARE EXPERIENCES
THE FUTURE OF TV
what does this mean for the future?
AS THE CONTROL OF THE NETWORKS ARE REPLACED BY THE NETWORKS OF THE PEOPLE, PEOPLE ARE BECOMING THE DISTRIBUTORS - CONNECTING OTHER PEOPLE TO CONTENT. BUT TIMING CAN INFLUENCE HOW AND WHAT PEOPLE CONNECT.
TIMING IS IMPORTANT: CULTURAL UNDERCURRENTS UPCOMING EVENTS
BRANDS SHOULD SEEK TO CREATE SHARED EXPERIENCES PEOPLE CAN RALLY AROUND, AND THINK OF “WHEN” THEY CAN DO THIS AS A KEY COMPONENT, RATHER THAN HOW.
create moments of meaning through episodic experiences
Shared Communication
Shared Knowledge
Shared Experience
Shared Creation
path of shared existence in P2P world
connectors are needed in P2P world& the new P2P frontier is in shared creation
ACT AS A UTILITY RATHER THAN THE ENTERTAINMENT ITSELF. BRANDS SHOULD HELP TO CONNECT PEOPLE TO OTHER PEOPLE AND THE THINGS THEY WANT OR NEED.
BECOME CONTENT CURATORS, AGGREGATORS AND HELP FACILITATE THE CONNECTIONS.
how can brands behave as connectors?
creative opportunitiesBRANDS AS CULTURAL INFLUENCERSBRANDS CREATING MOMENTS OF MEANINGBRANDS AS CONNECTORS
CURATORCONNECTORSHARED CREATIONCOLLABORATIVE CONSUMPTION