Pascal Beucler, chief strategy officer, MSLGROUP, was recently invited to speak at Parson's school of design. He chose the hot topic of crowd-sourcing and how brands such as Coca Cola and Nissan are using it to design logos and products.
1. Design & Crowdsourcing
Power Shifts in The Conversation Age: a Social Marketing view.
Pascal Beucler, SVP & CSO MSLGROUP,
Paris College of Art/Ecole Parsons à Paris,
Oct. 22, 2012.
2. • By culture, tradition, sometimes
« ideology », designers are not very comfortable with
the new peer to peer culture, where
collaboration, co-generation and co-creation are
cornerstone realities
• How can the « genius of one » cope with the wisdom
of crowds? Would Starck crowdsource???
• Let’s share a few facts & figures on this, and discuss!
4. • Crowdsourcing is a distributed problem-solving and
production model
• An open call for solutions: users submit solutions.
Solutions are then owned by the entity that broadcast the
problem in the first place—the crowdsourcer
• The contributor of the solution is, in some
cases, compensated either monetarily, with prizes, or with
recognition
• Crowdfunding, Open Innovation, Collaborative Social
Innovation are other fast-growing parents of
Crowdsourcing at large
6. • The growing power of insights & foresights
• A « People’s inside » Age
• The will to inspire and innovate by bringing the voice of the
people to life
• Turning people’s intelligence and passion into innovation: this
is what the digital & social revolution makes possible
• Innovation is not anymore a top-down/guru process: it’s no
surpise that P&G, Unilever and many other leading companies
use crowdsourcing massively
7. • Collaboration leads creativity, innovation and
growth: the best and more sustainable growth
needs to be people-led, today
• People do expect, more and more, to be involved
into the content/substance as well as into the
form/shape of projects/objects which at the end
of the day will touch their life
• It is crucial for brands to generate people-centric
solutions, not just « products »: solutions in terms
of concept, design, function, packaging, and
messaging/telling stories that matter
8. Dell pionnered in this area, opening its sharing and
collaborative platform years ago
9. http://www.ideastorm.com/
• « IdeaStorm was created to give a direct voice to our
customers and an avenue to have online “brainstorm”
sessions to allow you the customer to share ideas and
collaborate with one another and Dell. Our goal through
IdeaStorm is to hear what new products or services you’d
like to see Dell develop. We hope this site fosters a candid
and robust conversation about your ideas. »
• « Since Launching, IdeaStorm has crossed the 16,000 idea
mark and implemented nearly 500 ideas! As Dell is always
moving forward and innovating, so is IdeaStorm. In
addition to the open discussion IdeaStorm site, in December
2009, Dell added “Storm Sessions” where Dell posts a
specific topic and asks customers to submit ideas. »
10. Mastering the Art of Crowdsourcing is what
helped make Starbucks the Top Brand on FB
Starbucks digital strategy director, Alexandra Wheeler, gives a few
hints:
–The journey really began with the launch of My Starbucks Idea in
March 2009
An online community where customers and employees can
submit their ideas, vote for other people’s ideas or add to ideas in
the community. They can also see what Starbucks is doing with
those ideas through their “Ideas in Action” blog
–It’s a pretty robust community. It has over 75,000 ideas in it
In its first year, 25 ideas were activated through that program. It’s
a significant way to co-create, to inform business decisions
–It was important for them to go where consumers are and to
provide a valuable and meaningful brand experience
12. From Ideas to Action
• "You know better than anyone else what you want from Starbucks. So tell us.
What's your Starbucks Idea? Revolutionary or simple – we want to hear it. Share
your ideas, tell us what you think of other people's ideas and join the discussion.
We're here, and we're ready to make ideas happen. Let's get started".
• Submit Your Idea
• « Ideas In Action
• What are we doing to make your Starbucks experience better? These are some of
the things you've asked for ».
– However-you-want-it Frappuccino is Officially Here May 4, 2010 by Jennifer K
– New Highly Energy-efficient LED Lighting Coming to a Starbucks near You April 26, 2010 by
Sue Long
– Molasses Cookie Returns April 23 by sbx_mdro
– One Person Can Save Trees. Together we can Save Forests. April 12, 2010 by Heidi Durham
– Help us Develop a More Recyclable Coffee Cup – Join the Beta Cup Challenge April 2, 2010
by Sue Long
– Starbucks Card Mobile Payment Now Available at all Target® Starbucks Stores April 1, 2010
by Chuck Davidson
14. People’s Lab
• People’s Lab is MSLGROUP’s proprietary crowdsourcing
platform and approach that helps organizations tap into
people’s insight for innovation, storytelling and change.
1 2 3
Fast, cost Highly visual & Flows designed to
effective, lightwei Appealing maximise
ght platform participation
Visual representation of all
Built to share inputs with automatic video Built specifically for
information the embeds and URL collaboration use-cases
platform provides fast screenshots; image sharing the system-flows are
and secure processing. and file uploads are all very intuitive and the
Built in-house it is the available on the platform user interface is easy to
most cost effective from a single input box. master.
choice on the market.
• Image source : www.peopleslab.mslgroup.com
, http://ps.thomasnet.com/productsearch/results.html?pskwid=146&pskw=aluminum+b
ench
15. Why People’s Lab crowdsourcing
• MSLGROUP createdapproach?
platform & People’s Lab crowdsourcing
platform & approach in response to market
trends, competition dynamics and client needs.
1 2 3
Crowdsourcing is a Our competitors are Our clients are
strategic priority for crowdsourcing demanding new
global CEOs insights types of insights
Business leaders From holding More and more
believe that companies to PR clients expect us to
crowdsourcing agencies and creative share meaningful
people’s insights are agencies to startups: insights with
one of the main the need for insights them, not only tactics.
drivers for leading & foresights is In response, we
innovation and everywhere in the created People’s Lab
change. (PwC Global Communications to crowdsource
CEO Survey 2011) Industry insights.
16. People’s Lab crowdsourcing
• The People’s Lab crowdsourcing platform enables our
approach
three-part approach for distilling insights from
conversations and communities.
1 2 3
Organic MSLGROUP’s own Custom public or
conversation private insight private communities
analysis communities for clients
To identify themes To crowdsource To crowdsource
from public social solutions around insights in the context
web conversations specific client needs of a specific client
using third-party tools like crisis or need
like Radian6 and citizenship, or internal
Sysomos. themes like
storytelling.
18. And what’s happening, when it comes to
the world of design?
• The same CMO, who’s fond of crowdsourcing for
innovation and communication, may be tempted to
extend its use to design
• What’s the insight, in the CMO’s head? « Instead of
trying to make myself a logo for the company, or
spending mynmarketing budget on a design consultant
,who will provide limited design choices at the end of a
long design process, I can have hundreds of designers
work on my project for a fraction of the cost of a
traditional designer. I will have more ideas, more
routes, more freshness, for a much lower price ».
19. • In Design too, crowdsourcing is outsourcing to a crowd of
people via an open call for contributions
• Like David C. Baker from ReCourses puts it, crowdsourced
design is “an irreversible movement”, in fact just one of the
many forms of desintermediation which the digital and
social turmoil allows, and accelerates
• Baker adds that it gives a chance to designers who
otherwise wouldn’t be given a chance to show their talent
• His conclusion: “Terrifying or not, crowdsourcing is a reality.
Fear is only useful to the extent that it motivates you to get
your act together so that crowdsourcing isn’t a threat.; Here’s
another way to say that: If you’re terrified, well, you ought to
be, because the movement is highlighting how poorly
prepared you are. Consider this an early warning sign. »
20. • Other people are strong opponents to any form of
crowsourced design, for they believe it’s killing their
discipline
• Debbie Millman for instance, president of the design
division at Sterling Brands, and president emeritus of AIGA
(AIGA is the largest professional association for design:
http://www.aiga.org/), argues that crowdsourcing
« prevents designers from practicing the discipline of
design as a problem-solving process, and it fails to respect
the profession and the value it creates through designers’
creative gift and professional discipline ».
22. • There are obviously different ways to crowdsource
design
• What you’ll see most, online, is about
creation/challenge: « Get more for less, as you’re a
small business »
– “Get the Most From Crowdsourced Design Competitions” is
the motto of many newcomers, like DesignCrowd
• Such an approach can indeed be seen as toxic, in
terms of business model, for most of Branding &
Design companies which have to deal with fixed
costs, and can hardly accept speculative (not
compensated) competition
23. • Quite different is the use of crowdsourcing for
collective ideation purpose
• The brand submits a brief to a community of
people who’re willing to raise their ideas, their
vision and even their sort of « sketch » in 3D
• Instead of a somehow « dry » words-only
brief, you provide art directors and their team
with more « right brain » (creative) ideas in
terms of forms/shapes, colors, look & feel
26. Refreshing your body, mind, soul and …logo.
• It is a logo that is plastered worldwide on cans, on drinks machines, and
around major sporting events, but Coca Cola want someone to re-imagine
their iconic logo.
• What is more, they are throwing it to the masses and are going to crowd
source the process
• The competition is going to be run in association with design agency Blank
You Very Much, and is open to US residents only. It is a good choice of
partner for Coke, as Blank You Very Much focus on reinventing iconic
brands and symbols that we already know
• As the competition is focused on crowdsourcing the BYVM community, not
Coke execs ,will choose the winning design. The person behind it will win
$5000 and have the design put on a limited edition t-shirt. The idea for
Coke is obviously to inspire their community to think about what they love
about the brand and engage with it more, and perhaps make the
monolithic brand feel a bit more personal for people
27. Refreshing your body, mind, soul and …logo.
• Even though the new logo is going to be
crowdsourced, the brief given is quite strict
• Rules include banning the use of the colour blue
and international flags, keeping the ribbon
running horizontally and keeping the bottle
pristine
• Coke also want to ensure that the design reflects
a balanced, healthy lifestyle and is targeted at a
demographic of 12 years and older
30. Nissan Innovation Garage
• A platform dedicated to crowdsourced innovation
– Everyone can suggest an idea, a project, his vision for
tomorrow’s car
– Best contributions will be recognized by Nissan, legally
protected and the author will be financially rewarded
• Nissan’s point of view is that only crowdsourcing may
ensure that all ideas will be given a chance to arise –
even the most unexcpected or disruptive one
• Already fond of User Generated Content, Nissan goes a
step beyond with this « Open Innovation »
initiative, which is by nature limitless
32. JR thinks so: Co-Creation in Art
• The French-born artist and his crew have
traversed more than 100 countries with their
crowd-sourced social-sculpture photo
projects.
• Whether in Israel/Palestine, in Rio, in Africa, in
Paris or in NYC today at the Ford
Foundation, it’s all about raising people’s voice
thru painting, pics, sculptures…
37. What & Who?
• What exactly should be crowdsourced?
Insights, ideas, elements of content for the
briefing …or directly graphic solutions?
• What would the SWOT be here?
• Who should manage?
• Should design companies themselves create
their own crowdsourcing solutions – even if
« just » design-centric?
38. Should dialogue be limited to two?
• Richard Grefe, AIGA's executive director, says:
– "Successful design work results from a collaborative process between a
client and the designer, developing a clear sense of the client's
objectives, competitive situation, and needs.
– (…) Design creates value for clients as a result of the approach
designers take in addressing the problems or needs of the client and
only at the end of that process is a "design" created. »
• Should really this « collaborative process » limited to a
dialogue between the client and the designer? Why shouldn’t
people – future consumers – be kept away from the
process, when people now can raise their voice on
everything?