The Griffin Farley Search for Beautiful Minds in New York City is an advertising strategy and planning bootcamp program created and managed by BBH NY. I spent the weekend masterclass with 44 other aspiring planners from the US and beyond. My team and I created a strategy for the business, KitchenSurfing and were selected to be 1 of the 4 Finalist presenters out of 11 teams to present to a room of 200+ at Google NY. Our hearts are still pounding and pulse still racing from this beautiful experience.

1. Create your own restaurant at home
Team “F” Bomb

2. Team:
Jineen Carcamo Devin Desir Eroica De Souza Sue Kim

3. “Food can connect people in a forever sort of way...There's nothing like
a home-cooked meal - nothing! When people ask me what the best
restaurant in LA is, I say, 'My house.' It's more intimate. ”
- Giada De Laurentiis
tt

4. Mission
Give people unparalleled access
to the food they love.

5. Goal
Reinvigorate growth in NY by 15%
30,000 new members.

6. Who are we trying to reach?

7. We’re speaking to
The Connectors
“...people with a special gift for bringing the world together”
-Malcolm Gladwell,The Tipping Point

8. Demographic:
New Yorkers – from all over the country and world.
Late 20s to 40s
Income: 75k+
Psychographic:
They openly express their creativity through their passions -
food, creative outlets and travel.
They are inherently social.
People who value people – they love the opportunity share
new experiences with friends.
A little bit about them

9. Challenge We need to give our
Connectors a compelling reason
to try Kitchen Surfing.

11. Strategic Platform
Kitchen Surfing helps you
express your personal story through
the universal language of food.

12. Stories are being told
by current Kitchen Surfer users.

13. Story of Family:
Appreciating the important people in your life by hosting a special event
“I worked with Mary for several weeks to plan a
20 person surprise party...
she was extremely helpful in customizing the right
menu for my parents and their friends.
My parents were overwhelmed with how
incredible of an evening it was.”
- Randi

14. “Imnet’s food is incredible and I love that its food of someone’s home
and country rather than a restaurant version. Her love of the cuisine
and her country is evident - “a big part of the night was learning
interesting things about Ethopia, a country rich in culture with
plenty to learn and discover”
- Morgan
Story of Cultural Exploration:
Traveling to a place through food

15. “I wanted to share one of my favorite dishes from
childhood with my girlfriends and worked with
my chef to plan it… he was extremely helpful in
creating the right atmosphere for me and my friends”
- Xin
Story of Personal Heritage:
Connecting back to your culture

16. How does this come to life?

17. “Stories”
as Content

18. This is my story of
Family.
What’s yours?

19. This is my story
of Travel.
What’s yours?

20. This is my story of
Heritage.
What’s yours?

21. Dinner shouldn’t end at dinner.
Amplify brand advocate’s voices and highlight
aspirational stories.
Engage with guest “Connectors” after they experience
a friend’s KS dinner and convert them into KS hosts.

22. “Story Telling to Story Sharing”
Connection model

23. Engage Guest Connectors
when they feel inspired to tell “their” story
Use an array of tactics to increase the likelihood that the transition from guest “connector” to
Kitchen Surfing Host will be completed.
Experiential

24. How does this play out?

25. Reframe “Give $50, Get $50” referral
as an incentive for guests to share their story

26. Digital
Drives to site and offers discount for first users

27. Digital: Story Banner Page Takeover
Promote our ads on food-centric websites

28. Stories as Sharable Content
Communicate to users that some
of the vivid “stories” posted could be featured
on social.
Leverage owned Social channels
to promote the best articulation of
user generated content.

29. OOH
Raise Awareness

30. Promote “Every New Yorker has a story to tell.”
All OOH should be concentrated in areas
that already have a sizeable Kitchen Surfing
user base, where guests live as well.
Downtown Manhattan, Tribeca, Upper West Side,
Williamsburg, Brooklyn Height, East Village,
West Village, Lower East Side etc.
OOH: Billboards

31. Should be concentrated in areas that
already have a sizeable Kitchen Surfing user
base, where guests live as well.
Downtown Manhattan, Tribeca, Upper West Side,
Williamsburg, Brooklyn Height, East Village,
West Village, Lower East Side etc.
OOH: Street Furniture
This is my story
of Travel.
What’s yours?

32. Since people have more time to engage
with ads on the subway, we can place vivid
stories of the experiences throughout
the trains.
OOH: Subway

33. Re-engaging our Kitchen Surfing Host
Placing vivid reviews of the experiences/story
told at JFK and La Guardia
Subway ads that highlight bringing back
a part of the culture they couldn’t take
on the plane, the food.
OOH: Airports
This is my story
of Travel.
What’s yours?

34. Home goods can serve as inspiration
for hosting a party
Events partnered with IKEA that showcase
how chefs can utilize their space provided
and they can help someone tell their story.
Experiential
Experiential

35. Opportunity

36. Closing note on Storytelling
“Storytelling may seem like an old-fashioned tool, today — and it is. That’s exactly
what makes it so powerful. Life happens in the narratives we tell one another.
Data can persuade people, but it doesn’t inspire them to act; to do that, you need to
wrap your vision in a story that fires the imagination and stirs the soul.”
Source - Harvard business review

37. Kitchen Surfing helps you express your personal
story through the universal language of food.

38. Photo’s courtesy Humans of New York