1. Rachel Patterson
From: Rachel Patterson [rpatter3@chicagogsb.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2010 4:53 PM
To: 'Consultingroundtable@lists.chicagobooth.edu'
Subject: REMINDER: Consulting Roundtable Mar 25 - What's the Big Idea?
Hope to see you this Thursday.
Please also check out and register for the upcoming Management Conference
April 29 Chicago Booth’s 58th Annual Management Conference; learn more and register at
http://www.chicagobooth.edu/mc/2010/
Consulting Roundtable Mar 25 - What's the Big Idea?
When we are creating a business or brand, or re-launching a product or service, we know it needs to satisfy a market need,
but it also needs a descriptive message to capture the imagination of its customers and communicate it’s value proposition.
How do you tap into your product’s identity and come up with that “Big Idea”?
Come to this interactive, fun workshop to experience seizing that analysis and creativity and channeling it into creating a
compelling, get-noticed response to being new, being in a crowded marketplace, or a hypercompetitive industry.
Chicago Booth Consulting Roundtable
Thursday, 25 March 2010
Gleacher Center, Room 600
450 North Cityfront Plaza Drive
Chicago Illinois 60601
6:00 pm – 6:30 pm networking
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm presentation and Q&A
8:00 pm on cash bar at The Midway Club, Fifth Floor
Please share with other professionals you think may be interested
What’s The Big Idea?
To Register
https://survey.chicagobooth.edu/ViewsFlash/servlet/viewsflash?cmd=showform&pollid=alumni_roundtable!Cons_
Rndtbl
Questions Rachel Patterson ‘03
Event Details
That’s the question all good consultants ask their clients because it takes a clear, powerful Big Idea to create effective
advertising and marcom. Anything less, and clients risk wasting time, money and brand equity with confusing scattergun
communications.
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2. Vince Vassolo has been creating Big Ideas for a wide variety of clients for over 40 years, both as an ad agency Creative
Director and corporate MarCom Director. He knows that effective branding starts with creating a Big Idea that customers can
quickly and easily wrap their minds around and act on. That’s why he created the Big Idea Blueprint decades ago.
Tonight’s assignment will be to create a Big Idea for a brand that’s in Big Trouble. No, not Tiger, but Toyota. We’ll do an
actual Big Idea Blueprint to come up with a credible, creative theme that can be used as the basis for the company’s
advertising and marcom. One that will help this once stellar brand win back customers.
So bring your creativity and be prepared to participate, because the best way to learn how to brainstorm and create Big Ideas
is to actually do it using a tool like Vim, Vigor & Vassolo’s “Big Idea Blueprint”.
Big Ideas are almost always expressed as a theme of no more than a dozen words, rather than lots of marketing platform
statements. After we’re done with the exercise, if time permits, we can talk about some of your Big Ideas, so bring some
examples.
For any questions contact Rachel Patterson at rpatter3@chicagobooth.edu or at cell 773-218-8270
To Register
Presenter Bio
VV&V (vvandv.com) is an advertising agency specializing in marketing to the Boomer Consumer. Vince Vassolo, it’s
founder, is an advertising and marcom veteran with a master’s and post-graduate professional certificate in clinical
gerontology. That unusual combination of experience, expertise and training have established him as a pioneer in the field of
Creative GeroMarketing™.
Vince has decades of experience creating advertising and marketing communications on both the agency and client sides.
As a copywriter and creative director he’s worked at some of the world’s most demanding ad agencies, including Leo Burnett,
Y&R, McCann and Foote, Cone. He’s also served as director of marketing communications with companies like Verascape,
FansEdge and Rockwell International.
Drawing on decades of brainstorming and Big Idea-generating experience, Vince will take you on an exciting journey that will
challenge your creativity, broaden your perspective, and help you bring more imagination to your clients now, when they
need it most.
---------------------------------------------
Mark Your Calendars
Consulting Roundtables are the 4th Thursday of each month
April 22 “Strategy in a Box” -- Abacus Leaders’ Gary Teuber and Tim Knaus present on a tool for affordable strategic
planning for small and medium size companies.
April 29 Chicago Booth’s 58th Annual Management Conference
Keynote panel “What does the future hold for finance?”
See the attachment and/or learn more and register at http://www.chicagobooth.edu/mc/2010/
To see select past presentations
http://www.chicagobooth.edu/alumni/roundtable/consulting check out links to events and news
Join our LinkedIn Group at
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=1858175&trk=anet_ug_grppro
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3. Rachel Patterson
Subject: FW: UofC Consulting Roundtable-- Toyota Big Idea Blueprint
Attachments: VV&V-Email-Sig.png; ATT00031.htm; ToyotaBigIdeaBlueprint.pdf; ATT00034.htm
From: Michael Vassolo [mailto:michael@vvandv.com]
Sent: Thursday, April 01, 2010 10:31 AM
To:
Subject: UofC Consulting Roundtable-- Toyota Big Idea Blueprint
Thank You for attending and making the night a lively discussion, we had a great time and hope you did as
well.
As promised here is the Toyota Big Idea Blueprint that we all brainstormed. We have done our best to
incorporate all of the important points that you contributed and synthesized them into a tight marketing
strategy.
A note of caution: Don’t mistake this marketing strategy for a creative execution- it’s not. This is the beginning
of the solution. What you have is the blueprint to help guide your creative executions. The next crucial step is
turning this into a unique, dramatic selling proposition that will motivate consumers. That’s where the real
magic happens.
For those of you that want to use this tool we would love to continue the conversation, so feel free to contact
us with any questions, big or small.
Thanks,
Vince, Michael & Liz
(708) 979-2281
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4. Big Idea Blueprint ™
For Toyota Corporate
Key Facts
The auto industry is facing its most turbulent time in history with customers
seeking top value for dollars spent. In addition, thereʼs an unprecedented
political overlay to the industry that complicates the marketing of foreign cars.
" Specifically, Toyota, as a company, seems to have strayed from its core
value of uncompromising quality by cutting corners in key areas, especially those
related to safety. Their attempts to cover-up the ensuing problems without
directly addressing customer concerns makes them seem incompetent, arrogant
and deceptive. Consequently, there is much trust building that must be done
before the company can once again be perceived as a leading automobile
manufacturer.
Whoʼs The Ideal Customer?
Given the number and diversity of product lines under Toyotaʼs corporate
umbrella, the target markets for the company as a whole span a wide variety of
socioeconomic classes. The question all of them will ask is, “In light of current
circumstances, why choose Toyota?”
Copyright © 2010 Vim, Vigor & Vassolo LLC. All rights reserved.

5. What Does The Brand Stand For?
With breathtaking speed, the Toyota brand went from being one of the most
trusted and valued in the history of the automotive industry to one that now
conjures conflicted feelings, even among long-time customers. For too many
people, the brand increasingly stands for greed, incompetence, cynicism and
corruption. Even some of the companyʼs most loyal customers now have serious
questions about what Toyota has become.
Competition
GM, Daimler, Ford, Volkswagen, Honda, Nissan, Mercedes and BMW.
Problem The Big Idea Must Solve
Toyota must restore its brand integrity to regain public trust. Too many
prospective car buyers are considering other brands, including current Toyota
owners. To make matters worse, one of the brandʼs biggest, most consistent
cheerleaders, Consumer Reports, recently suspended its recommendation of
eight Toyota models in their annual April Auto Issue. This not only hurts sales of
the cars in question, it also has a reverse Halo Effect on the entire Toyota line.
Copyright © 2010 Vim, Vigor & Vassolo LLC. All rights reserved.

6. Communication Objective of The Big Idea
To convince the companyʼs target markets that Toyota is once again worthy of
their consideration because it has reassessed and realigned its priorities, as well
as its quality control. In short, Toyota needs to prove that it has returned to its
commitment to perfection. Historically, the brand has stood for excellence. Now,
it must prove that it has a renewed commitment to what made it great. They can
do this by honestly addressing why the current problems happened and assuring
prospects that they will never happen again.
What Important Benefit(s) Should The Big Idea Promise?
At todayʼs New Toyota, your safety and satisfaction are the bottom line.
Toyota is creating rigorous, innovative quality standards that will set new
benchmarks for the automotive industry. And, to ensure transparency, it will keep
the public informed of its progress every step of the way, as it maintains strict
checks and balances that ensure safety and security.
Why Should The Target Market Believe The Promise?
· Toyota will regularly and clearly describe the steps it is taking to restore
quality and earn the publicʼs trust.
· The company will usher in a new era of transparency by inviting prospects
to “come look under our hood.” This will prove that Toyota still makes the
safest, most dependable cars.
Copyright © 2010 Vim, Vigor & Vassolo LLC. All rights reserved.

7. · Weʼve consulted with the worldʼs leading automotive safety experts.
· We are reengineering all of our cars with a bottom-up approach that
ensures unparalleled safety and reliability.
· Weʼve established an advisory board that will work directly with top
management, including the CEO, to ensure that goals to increase customer
satisfaction are set and met in a timely way.
· Weʼve established a bonus structure for all employees that emphasizes
strict quality control over quantity of cars manufactured. “Whistle-
blowers” will be rewarded and promoted, not punished.
Other Considerations
The company will create an official symbol that will represent The Toyota
Unconditional Quality Guarantee, like L.L. Bean has. This graphic symbol will be
prominent on all advertising and marcom, serving as a reminder of Toyotaʼs
continuing commitment to customer safety and satisfaction.
Whatʼs the Big Idea?
Take a look at the New Toyota.
When it comes to safety and satisfaction, youʼre the bottom line.
Copyright © 2010 Vim, Vigor & Vassolo LLC. All rights reserved.