Aloha.

@farrahbostic
#planningness

i’ve been a...

i’ve been a... copywriter website
maker account planner brand strategist qualitative researcher innovation specialist entrepreneur

This place pays me to
be a Group Planning Director

But what I do is
make digital things for clients... that are increasingly centered on mobile & social experiences.

I’m a little bit of
an adland nerd.

I’m a little bit of
an adland nerd. So bear with me.

Adland 1.0:
Persuasion &
Positioning

Adland 2.0:
Culture & Emotion

Adland 3.0
Participation

Adland 4.0?
APIs

LEGO: They give you the
parts, you decide what to make

Apple: A tightly controlled product
& brand that you can project yourself onto

Think of brands as APIs,
& platforms as middleware

How do we create API-like
things for the brands we serve?

Our business: Ads. Commissioned by
clients. Designed by agencies. Executed by vendors. We know what they’re for. We know when they’re over.

A quick horror
story.

“You need to add value
to people's lives, not just expect them to participate because you goddamn well asked them.” Mel Exon, BBH Labs http://anjalir.wordpress.com/2011/04/12/sxsw-in-retrospect-the-last-of-the-launch-and-leave-ems/

I  Start-ups I pitched
at StartUp Weekend in NYC last fall and learned a lot about how people get from an idea to a prototype... in less than 48 hours. I’m also involved with Women 2.0, which is more generous - you go from concept to launch in 5 weeks. Imagine if we could work so fast!

What we’re going to do
together

What we’re going to do
together While I’m blathering on...

What we’re going to do
together While I’m blathering on... Think about a problem you have.

What we’re going to do
together While I’m blathering on... Think about a problem you have. Then think of a possible solution a brand could offer - could be a product, a service, an experience.

What we’re going to do
together While I’m blathering on... Think about a problem you have. Then think of a possible solution a brand could offer - could be a product, a service, an experience. You’re going to pitch your idea at the end.

What we’re going to do
together While I’m blathering on... Think about a problem you have. Then think of a possible solution a brand could offer - could be a product, a service, an experience. You’re going to pitch your idea at the end. Well - about 12 of you are.

What we’re going to do
together While I’m blathering on... Think about a problem you have. Then think of a possible solution a brand could offer - could be a product, a service, an experience. You’re going to pitch your idea at the end. Well - about 12 of you are. You’ll get :30 to pitch it.

What we’re going to do
together While I’m blathering on... Think about a problem you have. Then think of a possible solution a brand could offer - could be a product, a service, an experience. You’re going to pitch your idea at the end. Well - about 12 of you are. You’ll get :30 to pitch it. Just FYI. :)

What we’re going to do
together

What we’re going to do
together Then we’re going to vote on those ideas.

What we’re going to do
together Then we’re going to vote on those ideas. We’re going to generate a model for 6 of them.

What we’re going to do
together Then we’re going to vote on those ideas. We’re going to generate a model for 6 of them. And you’re going to have to leave the building and (uh oh!) talk to at least 5 people.

What I promised...

What I promised...

But then...

But then...

But then... 3,377 hits so
far

So.
No “insights”.

Anyway...
What is lean?

Principles of Lean Start-ups Continuous
customer interaction Revenue goals from day one No scaling until revenue Assume customer and features are unknowns Low burn by design, not crisis

Well, when you put it
that way...

Requirements
Design
Implementation
Testing
Maintenance

The results for start-ups: High
burn rate Swinging for the fences Full management teams Assuming the customer is known Assuming the features are known Assuming growth happens by execution

Seem familiar? Client Brief Research
Creative Brief Creative Development Production Media!

The results for agencies: High
burn rate Swinging for the fences Throwing people at the problem Assuming the target is known Assuming the messages/media are known Assuming growth happens by execution

“The best place to get
started making things is to solve your own problems.” Noah Brier, Percolate http://www.slideshare.net/nbrier/thinking-about-innovation

So, where are the lean
agencies? http://theleanstartup.com/

Can there be only one?
http://www.madebymany.com

Lots of people are talking
about it... Do Agencies Need to Google Think Like Software #Firestarters: Companies? Agile Planning

But they can start to
sound like this.

Prototype!
Iterate!
#Buildshit!

Creative Briefs?

We have an ownership problem.
The client owns the brand. Accounts owns the client. Planning owns the brief. Creative owns the idea.

Client Brief Research Creative Brief
Creative Development Production Media!

by Th -p e Client
Brief ro cre du a ct tive of b Research th rie is f pr is oc a es Creative Brief s. Creative Development Production Media!

“Stop communicating products & start
making communication products.” Gareth Kay, Goodby http://www.slideshare.net/garethk/postdigitalbriefs2-august-2010

The brief is not the
product.

The brief is not the
product. The campaign is the product.

You can’t do it alone.
Planners, like start-up founders, can’t do it all themselves. You need co-founders. Creative and technical co-founders.

Remember. Our product is the
campaign. Our economic buyer is the client. Our end user is the customer. So we have to design with both in mind.

What’s a lean brief?

What’s a lean brief? It’s
not just ‘quick to make & quick to change’

Let’s focus.

Let’s focus. The problem facing
a lean planner is not ‘what about the creative brief’?

Let’s focus. The problem facing
a lean planner is not ‘what about the creative brief’? It’s ‘how do we seek an effective campaign model with as little waste as possible?’

Let’s focus. The problem facing
a lean planner is not ‘what about the creative brief’? It’s ‘how do we seek an effective campaign model with as little waste as possible?’ Or, ‘how do we build the minimal experience or utility that makes the most difference for our client’s customer (and therefore our client’s business) in the short term, that we can scale?’

Learning.
Understanding.
Empathy.

Prototyping. Testing. “Existing companies execute
business models, while startups search for a business model.” — Steve Blank Discovery.

“We always have a vision
that is clearly articulated, big enough to matter & shared by the whole team. “Our goal is always to discover which aspects of this vision are grounded in reality & adapt those aspects that are not.” The ‘brief’... Planning! http://www.startuplessonslearned.com/

Customer Discovery With thanks to
Steve Blank

The client brief is just
one input to campaign model seeking. It’s not the Bible.

5 steps

Step 0

Get buy-in.

Get buy-in. Together with clients,
we start with setting a mission - why are we about to spend all this money?

Get buy-in. Together with clients,
we start with setting a mission - why are we about to spend all this money? Then, we establish our values: we embrace the importance of learning, discovery & failure.

Get buy-in. Together with clients,
we start with setting a mission - why are we about to spend all this money? Then, we establish our values: we embrace the importance of learning, discovery & failure. Finally, we commit to the mission and our values, by budgeting for it with time & cash.

Step 1

Start guessing.

Start guessing. Again, with clients,
we generate hypotheses.

Start guessing. Again, with clients,
we generate hypotheses. About who the customer for this product or brand is.

Start guessing. Again, with clients,
we generate hypotheses. About who the customer for this product or brand is. About what matters to them and how they live their lives.

Start guessing. Again, with clients,
we generate hypotheses. About who the customer for this product or brand is. About what matters to them and how they live their lives. About how we can create

Write your guesses down.

Write your guesses down. About
your customer and their problem or desire.

Write your guesses down. About
your customer and their problem or desire. About what to make (the campaign).

Write your guesses down. About
your customer and their problem or desire. About what to make (the campaign). About where to place or build the campaign.

Write your guesses down. About
your customer and their problem or desire. About what to make (the campaign). About where to place or build the campaign. About how you’ll get people there.

Write your guesses down. About
your customer and their problem or desire. About what to make (the campaign). About where to place or build the campaign. About how you’ll get people there. About what the market is like.

Write your guesses down. About
your customer and their problem or desire. About what to make (the campaign). About where to place or build the campaign. About how you’ll get people there. About what the market is like. About who your true competitors are.

Step 2

Get out of the building.

Talk to people. Not a
lot. 5-10. Not in a facility. This ain’t Not through a recruiter. market research, so we don’t have to be Not the perfect ‘respondent.’ science-y.

In fact...

In fact... After 3 people,
prioritize your top 3 issues or questions.

In fact... After 3 people,
prioritize your top 3 issues or questions. After 5 people, start asking new questions.

In fact... After 3 people,
prioritize your top 3 issues or questions. After 5 people, start asking new questions. This isn’t about approval.

In fact... After 3 people,
prioritize your top 3 issues or questions. After 5 people, start asking new questions. This isn’t about approval. It’s about learning.

Step 3

Be honest.

Be honest. Are these really
your customers?

Be honest. Are these really
your customers? Is their problem really painful, or their desire really strong? Does it even exist?

Be honest. Are these really
your customers? Is their problem really painful, or their desire really strong? Does it even exist? Are they really making decisions the way you thought?

Be honest. Are these really
your customers? Is their problem really painful, or their desire really strong? Does it even exist? Are they really making decisions the way you thought? What do you need to change?

A reality check.

A reality check. Talk to
your co-founders.

A reality check. Talk to
your co-founders. Do you need to seek other customers that are a better fit?

A reality check. Talk to
your co-founders. Do you need to seek other customers that are a better fit? Do you need to rethink your positioning?

A reality check. Talk to
your co-founders. Do you need to seek other customers that are a better fit? Do you need to rethink your positioning? Is it possible to give people what they want?

A reality check. Talk to
your co-founders. Do you need to seek other customers that are a better fit? Do you need to rethink your positioning? Is it possible to give people what they want? Do you need to start over?

Step 4

Repeat.

Repeat.
Learn

Repeat.
Learn
Build

Repeat.
Learn
Measure
Build

Campaign Model Generation With apologies
to Business Model Generation http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/

Remember: It’s our job to
seek the campaign model With as little waste as possible.

http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/ http://thestartuptoolkit.com/

http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/ http://thestartuptoolkit.com/

Our client’s customers, prospects, and
their influencers or gatekeepers http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/ http://thestartuptoolkit.com/

Our client’s Solving a customers,
problem prospects, and their Satisfying a influencers or need gatekeepers http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/ http://thestartuptoolkit.com/

Branded experiences & utilities Our
client’s Solving a customers, problem prospects, and their Satisfying a influencers or need gatekeepers http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/ http://thestartuptoolkit.com/

Branded experiences & utilities Our
client’s Solving a customers, problem prospects, and their Satisfying a influencers or need gatekeepers People Software & APIs The client’s product or brand equity http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/ http://thestartuptoolkit.com/

Branded experiences & utilities Our
client’s Solving a customers, problem prospects, and their Satisfying a influencers or need gatekeepers People Paid, earned & owned media Software & APIs Distribution & The client’s product sales or brand equity http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/ http://thestartuptoolkit.com/

Time, place & Branded tone
experiences & utilities Our client’s Interactions & Solving a touch-points customers, problem prospects, and their Satisfying a influencers or need gatekeepers People Paid, earned & owned media Software & APIs Distribution & The client’s product sales or brand equity http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/ http://thestartuptoolkit.com/

Time, place & Branded tone
experiences & Freelancers utilities Interactions & Our client’s Solving a touch-points customers, Production Houses problem prospects, and their Media publishers Satisfying a influencers or need gatekeepers Clients People Paid, earned & owned media Software & APIs Distribution & The client’s product sales or brand equity http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/ http://thestartuptoolkit.com/

Time, place & Branded tone
experiences & Freelancers utilities Interactions & Our client’s Solving a touch-points customers, Production Houses problem prospects, and their Media publishers Satisfying a influencers or need gatekeepers Clients People Paid, earned & owned media Software & APIs Distribution & The client’s product sales or brand equity Pass-through costs Salaries & operating expenses http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/ http://thestartuptoolkit.com/

Time, place & Branded tone
experiences & Freelancers utilities Interactions & Our client’s Solving a touch-points customers, Production Houses problem prospects, and their Media publishers Satisfying a influencers or need gatekeepers Clients People Paid, earned & owned media Software & APIs Distribution & The client’s product sales or brand equity Client pays for strategy, development, implementation, media/hosting, testing Pass-through costs and iteration Salaries & operating expenses What if you could invent new revenue streams for your agency or client? http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/ http://thestartuptoolkit.com/

This is the new ‘brief’
“I don’t need any more ideas. We’ve got plenty of ideas. I need to know what to make.”

Prototype & Iterate

What’s a prototype? It’s not
a finished product. It can be a drawing. Or a description. It’s enough for people to react to.

Why prototype? Because, otherwise, we’re
still just guessing.

What’s iterating? It’s not starting
over. It’s not doing something else. It’s not adding on features. It’s evolving, refining, maximizing, optimizing...

The goal isn’t perfection. The
goal is the minimum you can make or do that provides the most perceived benefit to the customer, and is different enough from other options they know about. (MVP) Good enough might actually be good enough.

A note on pivots

Lean Pirates & Agile Ninjas
talk about ‘pivoting’ a lot

Pivoting isn’t a goal. It’s
a necessity.

It happens when you’ve done
all you can with the 1st idea.

And you make the intuitive
leap to a better one.

Where does this intuition come
from?

Empathy & Discovery.
Planning!

Empathy & Discovery.
Learn
Planning!

Empathy & Discovery. Learn Build
Planning!

Empathy & Discovery. Learn Measure
Build Planning!

Mahalo.

Your turn. 1. Pitch -
12 ideas, :30 2. Vote - for great ideas, not just good friends. 3. Join a team - be balanced, play fair. 4. Generate hypotheses. 5. Get out of the building. 6. What was your idea, did you find customers?