Brand Box 4 - What's The Big Idea? The Marketer's Ultimate Toolkit

WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA?
2
GROWTH
Know Your Business
Brand Architecture
Branding
Positioning
Know Your Consumers
Profiling
Segmentation
Insights
Pricing
Know Your Market
Competitive
Environment
Binary Analysis
Predatory Thinking
What’s the Big Idea?
Launch or NPD
Innovation
Communications
How to Say It
Advertising Idea
Tone & Messaging
When and Where to Say It
Media Strategy
Connection Idea
Channel Planning
ACTIONS from INSIGHTS

3
Woody Allen said, “Relationships are like sharks, if they stop moving forward they die”,
and brands are no different.
Most CEOs will tell you how critical innovation is to their business, yet if you ask them how
their innovation plan is looking, you’ll tend to get a blank look.
This section looks at how things are shaping and moving; and if you conducted any of the
trends exercises from the Know Your Market and Know Your Consumers sections, you’ll
note how scary the rate of change truly is.
If you want to be a growing brand then best practice probably isn’t going to be enough...
you’ve got to start thinking about next practice and where you need to be to position
yourself for success.
The next section will help get you thinking
Why
Innovation?
“Relationships are like sharks, if they stop moving forward
they die” ... and brands are no different.

“We always overestimate what will change in the next 2 years,
and underestimate what will change in the next 10.”
Bill Gates

INNOVATION CONTEXT
6
Corporate and Social Responsibility
Corporate responsibility is shrouded with cynicism. The default starting position should
be: “don’t do bad, before you do good”.
Currently, the bigger the company, the larger the responsibility is becoming for them to
“give back”.
The thing to remember is that corporate responsibility is “extra credit” available only
once the consumer is satisfied with the quality of the product/service (and treatment of
staff).
So what constitutes being “responsible” these days? A couple of very topical areas
are;
• The environment. This is seen as the ultimate social cause, and visibility around
taking affirmative action is highly praised
• “Australian made”. Despite being around for a while, this still has kudos, especially
around food.
It is no longer a case of asking if you should be involved in this area; consumers are
already committed to corporate and social responsibility, they are now looking for the
easy way to contribute. Staff are also becoming increasingly important as an access
point to educate and involve corporations in social responsibility initiatives.
At the core of the issue is trust; the beneficiaries vs. the benefactors should be telling
the story.
Ipsos Mackay Report 2008

INNOVATION CONTEXT
7
Successful Innovation
Innovation is usually a direct result of one of the following triggers:
The Power of Context
What alumni are saying to us is: “Tell me something that I didn’t know I needed to
know. Challenge me. Astonish me.” If the session is led by a well-known professor,
they do not want well-polished presentations based on his well-polished theories.
They want him to explore dangerous territory and ideas on the cutting edge, where
they can make their own contribution to emerging concepts and be present while
they emerge.
• Pressing issues driving necessity
• A new, unique perspective on something
• Influences, internally and externally
• Development of a contemplative environment

INNOVATION CONTEXT
8
Purpose of Creativity
The overall purpose of creativity is to change ideas or produce
additional new ones. These two processes are often mixed up
together, but they can be separated out as follows:
1. Escape from old ideas
2. Generation of new ideas

INNOVATION CONTEXT
9
Importance of Innovation
Where are we now?
Product Age
Post-war, supply and
awareness was the
main game
Brand Age
Not all products were
good, the brand was
the assurance of
quality
Information Age
Products are no longer
taken at brand value,
but real information is
required
Innovation Age
Insights and ideas
drive differentiation
and success
Experience Age
The age of stories and ideas
Money is no object and people are looking for escapes and indulgences
Ads alone are not sufficient to create a brand
Communication

INNOVATION CONTEXT
10
Importance of Innovation cont...
The more innovative the product or category, the
higher the level of engagement seems to be.
The Experience Age is being driven by brands
responding to consumers’ needs for richer and
more engaging experiences around their products
and services.
Commodities
Goods
Services
CustomisedGoods
Experiences

INNOVATION CONTEXT
11
Innovation Driving Growth
To drive growth, innovation is required; and
what is the currency of innovation? Ideas.
You need to plan your communications by
looking at where innovation will add the
most value.
Innovation
Positioning
Development
Customer
Experience
Audit
Channel
Pricing
Customer
Comms.
Internal
Comms.

INNOVATION CONTEXT
12
Applied Innovation
How can it be done?
New products
• Extensions and variations
• Consumer “need” satisfaction and problem solving
• New experiences
New communication opportunities
• Positioning for growth or share
• Methods
• Mediums
• Integrations
New ways of doing things
• Moving from best practice to next practice
• Application of parallel sector thinking

INNOVATION CONTEXT
13
Limitations of Accepting Status Quo
Accepting the status quo is simply a form of arrogance centred around one of
three beliefs:
1. That there are no alternatives -
There is only one possible way to look at things and everything is
dismissed as being wrong.
2. That no change is required -
A particular idea is so perfect that it is beyond change or improvement.
3. That there is no escape -
The idea is so absolutely right that everyone must work their way towards it.
Edward de Bono

INNOVATION CONTEXT
14
Knowledge vs. Creativity
This graph shows the relationship between knowledge and creativity.
Knowledge is not creativity, but within any particular field it is difficult to
come up with new ideas unless you have some ideas to play around with in
the first place. At the beginning of idea generation, the more knowledge you
have leads to increased creativity.
On the other hand, too much experience within a field may restrict creativity
because you know so well how things should be done that you are unable
to escape to come up with new ideas. As knowledge grows high we see
that creativity dwindles.
Creativity
Information
de Bono study 1969 - 1971

INNOVATION CONTEXT
15
Innovation as a Habit
The best way to grow and innovate is to embed innovation as a habit within
your business. This often sounds easier than it is, but it can be helped by
the steps below:
• Stimulate - Constantly source new stimulus
• Practise - Regularly brainstorm, problem solve and stretch your mind
• Freedom - Keep free time and keep yourself free of excuses
• Constantly Innovate - Not imitate
Best Practice Same Practice Commodity= =
Next Practice Innovation Leader= =

INNOVATION CONTEXT
16
5 Roles in Ideas Development
Spark
Someone who “sparks” the creative process
by spotting or coming up with the idea,
creating the vision or defining the need
Often undertaken by anyone employed by,
or associated with, the organisation; often
comes from the least expected area
Sponsor
Someone who promotes the idea or project
inside the organisation, ensuring that it is not
dismissed, and who sustains interest during
difficult or lean times
Senior line managers, members of the
board, non-executive directors
Shaper
Someone who makes the idea or project
“real”, using their own creativity to flesh out
the premise and/or find practical means to
achieve the objective
Members of the project team appointed
to implement the idea, process-oriented
consultants, R&D staff from principal
suppliers
Sounding
board
Someone outside the project whose
objectivity and broader knowledge can be
drawn on to inform and validate the premise
or to comment on the practicalities
Informal or formal members of personal or
professional networks, trusted colleagues
or company mentors, appointed academics
or researchers in the field
Specialist
Someone who draws on their specialist skills
to shape the idea or project from a specific
standpoint and uses the opportunity to break
new ground in the field
Members of the project team, consultants,
academics and researchers, R&D staff from
principal suppliers

INNOVATION CONTEXT
17
The Triangle for Successful Innovation
The presence of a problem or business
imperative that needs solving, often involving
the need to reconcile contending opposites or
trade-offs and a solution not based on either/or
but rather on both and thinking.
The perspective that comes from a wide range
of formative influences, not all connected with
work, including feedback from professional or
personal networks, conference presentations
or input from tutors on courses, benchmarking
exercises, leisure pursuits, private reading,
community activities and family life.
An environment where individuals can “drift
and dream”. This is nearly always away from
the office and can be used as a creative
resource as the mind associates it with
innovative reflection, thus enabling individuals
to “fast-track” the process.
Successful Innovation, The Economist, Michel Syrett 2002
Successful
Innovation

INNOVATION CONTEXT
18
Sources of Inspiration
The results of a survey below show what inspires senior managers (% of respondents)
The results?
Over 90% of the managers interviewed say that their ideas initially occur away from
the workplace and are later aired and shaped during office hours.
Creative breakthroughs generally occur when individuals make a connection between
two previously unrelated concepts, facts or insights.
Discussion with friend/colleague in this country
Conference speaker
Discussion with friend/colleague in another country
Private research
Non-executive directorship
Business school tutor
Personal activity (museum visits etc.) during a business trip abroad
85
54
51
51
32
29
27
Source: Roffey Park Institute 1998

CROWD SOURCING
20
Remember the dusty old (empty) suggestion box that used to sit in corporate HQ and be
only attended by a lonely receptionist to empty out the trash occasionally placed in there?
Well, welcome to the web!
Crowdsourcing.com has taken that concept and opened it up to everyone and anyone.
They not only suggest, but they rank ideas openly – so the best rise to the top.
Crowdsourcing.com focuses on improvement, and passionate loyalists love being invited
to participate with the development of their favourite brands.
It allow brands to look at what customers want then:
1. Do it
2. Say why they can’t do it
3. Explain what would need to happen for it to be possible
It’s Public Relations (PR), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and New Product
Development (NPD) rolled up into one neat little bundle.
If you’re interested in it then read Wikinomics (Tapscott) and Groundswell (Forrester).
Where’s
your
Suggestion
Box?

CROWD SOURCING
21
What is Crowd Sourcing?
Crowd Sourcing is the act of taking a task traditionally
performed by an employee or contractor, and
outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of
people in the form of an open call to arms.
For example, the public may be invited to develop a new
technology, carry out a design task or join in a think-tank.
LEGO factory is a website where enthusiasts are invited
to design models and take part in competitions. One
of the popular contests entitled the winner to have their
model mass produced and sold online, receiving a 5%
royalty on each set sold.
Wikipedia 2008

Consumer Generated Content
gives many different ways for customers to be involved
Consumer Marketers
Re-mix Culture
Expert Outsiders
Amateur Outsider
Consumer Generated Content 2.0
Pay me!
http://www.trendwatching.com/trends/CUSTOMER-MADE.htm

CROWD SOURCING
23
Share with the masses...
receive massive returns
Here are some brands who are doing it particularly well

CROWD SOURCING
24
Generation C
Examples of consumers being paid for content
Revver
Members upload their video to Revver who then attach
an ad to the video as well as tracking software to tell you:
• how many times it was viewed
• how much money it has earned
Every time an ad gets clicked, Revver shares the ad
revenue on a 50/50 basis.
Metacafe
Members are paid US$5 for every thousand views their video gets. Payment starts when
a video reaches 20,000 views and has a rating of 3 or higher. Licensing is non-exclusive:
makers retain ownership of their video.
(ash)

CROWD SOURCING
25
User Generated Content Radar
Inner Circle
Word on the Street
Co-existence
Brands that Resonate
e.g. Wall Street Journal / BBC News
Credibility created by strong corporate brand management
e.g. Citysearch.com / Amazon.com
Credibility created by number of users, divergent options
e.g. TripAdvisor.com / Yelp.com
Credibility created by timeliness of information
e.g. Facebook / mySpace
Credibility created by content contributions that align with community
values
Trust
EditorialcontrolgiventoUsers
High
Low
Low

CROWD SOURCING
26
Case Study: Smith’s “Do us a flavour”
Smith’s needed both a flavour that would be popular with consumers and
a campaign to drive sales. They came up with a viral campaign on the
idea "create us a flavour and we'll give you 1% of the profits".
Public voting on the winning flavour added a participatory element,
involving consumers in the brand and voting stages, which led to the
creation of partisan flavour support groups and moved this discussion
online.
Results?
The campaign attracted nearly a quarter of a million entries, capturing the
imagination of the nation.
Consumers were driven to try all four flavours and vote on which one they
thought was the best.

CROWD SOURCING
27
Case Study: Goldcorp
In March 2000, Goldcorp launched the “Goldcorp challenge” with
a total of $575,000 in prize money available for the best methods
and estimates about the prospects of gold deposits on a 55,000
acre property.
News of the contest spread around the internet and within weeks
submissions began to flood in from countless sources; geologists,
grad students, consultants, mathematicians and military officers all
sought a piece of the action.
Results?
The contestants discovered 110 deposits on the property, 50% of
which had not been discovered by the company.
Goldcorp estimated that 2–3 years had been wiped off exploration
time and the contest transformed Goldcorp from a $100 million
company to a $9 billion company.
www.goldcorp.com
Wikinomics, 2006

CROWD SOURCING
28
Case Study: Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi launched their Lancer Supershot Series, aimed at
changing consumer perception of the Lancer as being non-stylish.
To achieve this Mitsubishi created a series of 6 short films that were
advertised across a range of media, from television commercials to
magazines. The films were showcased on a specific website and
consumers were encouraged to create their own film to add to the
website.
Results?
As a result Mitsubishi experienced:
• 59,909 different visitors viewing the films
• 40,741 consumers casting votes for their favourite film
• 50% increase in traffic to the Lancer web page
• 37% sales increase on previous year
• Market share increase of 8.7% – from 2.4% to 11.1%
Knowledge Focus: Creative Consumer Participation
Mediaedge: Cia Active Engagement 2008

CROWD SOURCING
29
Case Study: InnoCentive
InnoCentive is an “open innovation” company that takes
research and development problems in a broad range of
domains such as Engineering, Computer Science, Maths,
Chemistry, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Business,
frames them as “challenge problems”, and opens them up
for anyone to solve them. It gives cash awards for the best
solutions to solvers who meet the challenge criteria.
Results?
Solutions come from all over the world and cash awards
for solving the problem are usually between $10,000 and
$100,000.
www.innocentive.com
Wikinomics 2006 - see also Ideagoras

CROWD SOURCING
30
Wikipedia is now the largest encyclopedia in the world offered for free and
is created entirely by volunteers on an open platform that allows anyone to
be an editor.
“Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free
access to the sum of all human knowledge. That’s what we’re doing.”
Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales
Results?
Wikipedia now contains almost 4 million articles in over 200 languages and
has become one of the most visited sites on the Internet.
Of the almost 16 million registered users, there is a group of around 20,000
who gladly accept responsibility for the large variety of tasks that keep
Wikipedia humming.
Each Wikipedia article has been edited an average of 20 times, and for
newer entries, that number is higher.
Case Study: Wikipedia
www.wikipedia.org
Wikinomics 2006

CROWD SOURCING
31
Case Study: The London Bombing
On 7 July 2005, London came to a standstill as 4 synchronised
bombs exploded in its transportation system.
Eighteen minutes later, as media outlets scrambled to cover the
story, the first entry appeared on Wikipedia.
A wiki enthusiast from Leicester, England, wrote, “On July 7 2005,
explosions or other incidents were reported at various London
underground stations in central London, specifically Aldgate,
Edgware Rd, Kings Cross St Pancras, Old St and Russell Square
Tube station. They have been attributed to power surges.”
Within minutes other users were adding information and
correcting spelling. By the time North Americans woke, hundreds
of users had added to the entry.
By the end of the day, over 2,500 users had created a 14 page
account of the event in much more detail than any news outlet.
Wikinomics 2006

INNOVATION TOOLS
If you’re after brainstorm tools we have another book called “Collaborative Creativity”.
Visit www.stepchangemarketing.com to find out more.
The following is a collection of tools that will help you identify opportunities around
people, product, process and communication.
We have included one brainstorm tool around innovation called SCAMPER.

INNOVATION TOOLS
33
SCAMPER
SCAMPER is a checklist of idea-spurring
questions.
To use SCAMPER:
1. Isolate the challenge or subject you
want to think about.
2. Ask questions about each step of the
challenge or subject and see what new
ideas emerge.
Substitute something
Combine it with something else
Adapt something to it
S
Modify or Magnify it
Put it to some other use
Eliminate something
Reverse or Rearrange it
C
A
M
P
E
R

INNOVATION TOOLS
34
Substitute something
Example:
Think of a spoon.
Substitute flexible wire for the handle. You could
attach it to your foot and eat!
Combine a spoon with a fork to create a utensil good
for poking food and eating soup.
Combine it with something else
Adapt something to it
S
Modify or Magnify it
Put it to some other use
Eliminate something
Reverse or Rearrange it
Adapt the spoon to eating tall glasses of ice cream –
make the handle much longer.
Magnify the spoon and you could have a huge, shiny
water slide.
Put the spoon to another use: you could use it as a
musical instrument or as part of a wind chime.
Eliminate some parts of the bowl of the spoon and
you can use it as a strainer.
Reverse the way you hold the spoon and you could
have a round-handled tool for sculpting or marking clay.
C
A
M
P
E
R
SCAMPER: An Example

INNOVATION TOOLS
35
SCAMPER: Adapt something to it
What else is like this?
What other ideas does
this suggest?
What could I copy?
Does the past offer a
parallel?
Who could I emulate?
What other process
could be adapted?
What else could be
adapted?
What ideas outside my
field can I incorporate?
What idea could I
incorporate?
What different
contests can I put my
concept in?

INNOVATION TOOLS
36
SCAMPER: Magnify it
What can be magnified, made
larger, or extended?
What can be exaggerated
or overstated?
What can be added? Can it be
made stronger, higher, or longer?
What can add extra value?
What can be duplicated?
How about greater frequency?
Extra features?
How could I carry it to
a dramatic extreme?

INNOVATION TOOLS
37
SCAMPER: Modify it
How can this be altered
for the better?
What can be modified? Change name?Is there a new twist?
What changes can be made
to the plans? To the process?
To marketing?
What other form could this
take? What other package?
Change meaning, colour,
motions, sound, odour,
form, shape?
Can the package be
combined with the form?

INNOVATION TOOLS
38
SCAMPER: Put it to some other use
What else can this be used for? Are there new ways to use it as is? Are there other uses if modified?
Other extensions? Other markets?What else could be made from this?

INNOVATION TOOLS
39
SCAMPER: Eliminate something
What if this was smaller? What should I omit? Understate? Streamline?
Should I divide it or
split it up?
Subtract? Delete? Can the rules be eliminated?
Make miniature?
Condense? Compact?
What’s not necessary?

INNOVATION TOOLS
40
SCAMPER: Reverse it
Can I transpose positive
and negative?
What are the opposites? Should I turn it around?What are the negatives?
Consider it backwards? Reverse roles?
Up instead of down?
Down instead of up?
Do the unexpected?

INNOVATION TOOLS
41
SCAMPER: Rearrange it
What other arrangement
might be better?
Interchange components? Other pattern? Other layout?
Transpose cause and effect? Change place? Change schedule?Other sequence? Change the order?

INNOVATION TOOLS
42
Parameter Analysis
Before you innovate you need to know where you’re at.
Use this tool to do an audit around what is “fixed”, “flexible” and “inconvenient” around your brand.
Fixed Flexible Inconvenient

INNOVATION TOOLS
43
Sensory Overload
Sight
Smell
Taste
Sound
Touch

INNOVATION TOOLS
44
Future Casting Ideas Generation
This tool looks at different origin points for innovation, allowing you to project potential ideas for future commercial gain.
Currently In 3 to 5 Years
Customers
Competitions
Margins
Channels
Suppliers
The Idea Generator, Ken Hudson 2007

INNOVATION TOOLS
45
Process Review
Consider any processes greater than 2 years old and how they could be radically improved.
Current Process Radical Redesign
Who?
When?
Where?
Why?
How?
What?

INNOVATION TOOLS
46
Using Experience to Drive Innovation
This is a technique that is used for
innovation steering committees to draw
out relevant experiences which can
overcome challenges or capitalise on
opportunities.
Question:
Clarifying Questions:
In My Experience:
Ask one question based on the problem.
Each member of the group has the option to clarify the meaning of the initial question.
After the initial question has been fine-tuned, each member of the group has the option of contributing
to the solution starting with “In my experience...”.
Source: Young President Organisation

INNOVATION TOOLS
47
Innovation Platforms
Use this tool to identify opportunities or areas for your business to innovate in.
Examples List Attributes
Descriptive
Substance, structure, colour, shape,
texture, sound, taste, odour, space and
density
Process
Marketing, manufacturing, selling,
function and time
Social
Responsibilities, politics and taboos
Price
Cost to manufacture, wholesaler, retailer
and consumer
Ecological
Positive or negative impact on the
environment

INNOVATION TOOLS
48
The Phoenix Checklist
The Problem
The Phoenix Checklist is a checklist developed by the CIA to get their agents thinking about ways to solve a problem –
great to apply to your business:
What benefits will you receive by solving the problem?
What is the unknown?
What is it you don’t yet understand?
What is the information you have?
What isn’t the problem?
Is the information sufficient? Or is it insufficient? Or redundant? Or contradictory?
Should you draw a diagram of the problem?
Where are the boundaries of the problem?
Can you separate the various parts of the problem?
Have you seen this problem before?
Do you know a related problem?
What are the constants of the problems?
If that problem has been solved, can you use the solution or the method?
Can you restate your problem? More general? More specific? Can the rules be changed?
What are the best, worst and most probable cases you can imagine?

INNOVATION TOOLS
49
The Phoenix Checklist cont...
The Plan
Can you solve the whole problem? Part of the problem?
What would you like the resolution to be? Can you picture it?
How much of the unknown can you determine?
Can you derive something useful from the information you have?
Have you used all the information?
Have you taken into account all essential notions in the problem?
Can you separate the steps in the problem-solving process? Can you determine the correctness of each step?
What creative thinking techniques can you use to generate ideas? How many different techniques?
Can you see the result? How many different kinds of results can you see?
How many different ways have you tried to solve the problem?
What have others done?
Can you intuit the solution? Can you check the result?
What should be done? When should it be done? Who should do it?
Can you use this problem to solve some other problem?
What milestones can best mark your progress?
How will you know when you are successful?

INNOVATION TOOLS
50
Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono
Hunches, Intuition, Impressions
When considering this hat look at the
decision with intuition, instinctive reaction
and emotion in mind. Think of how others
would react emotionally to this decision.
Don’t justify or explain, simply follow
hunches and intuitions. Satisfies the
emotions.
Objective Facts & Figures
When “wearing” this hat consider
information, data and facts. Learn what
these facts are pointing towards and
analyse any trends. Don’t have any
preconceived ideas, build your ideas on
facts only.
Leader
This hat is “worn” by the person who is
the leader of the group or meeting. The
person who is wearing this hat should
designate when the group changes hats
according to the success of the idea flow,
or what has to be considered.

INNOVATION TOOLS
51
Six Thinking Hats cont...
Creativity
When “wearing” this hat you should be
at your most creative. Let ideas flow with
little or no criticism. We can artificially
produce provocations rather than just
waiting for them.
Speculative Positive
This hat represents positive, constructive
judgement, not excessive optimism.
When considering this hat you should
look at the positive and most successful
points of your plan.
Logically Negative & Critical
You should be pessimistic when
“wearing” this hat. Be cautious and
defensive, look at the weakest point of
your plans and try to anticipate what
would go wrong. This is where you can
develop contingency plans. This hat
is not aiming at providing doubt, but
actually outlining true weakness.

EVALUATION METHODS
53
Potential Impact Plotting
You can use this chart to
evaluate the potential impact
your idea might have over the
short, medium and long term.
Short term Medium term Long term
Low Impact
Medium Impact
High Impact

EVALUATION METHODS
54
“Yes” Reasons
When assessing innovation it’s important to see what might be possible even though there will undoubtedly be many hurdles
and obstacles. This tool helps you predict possible blockades before they occur.
Idea Positive “Yes” Reason Negative Aspect

Congratulations on completing Book 4: What’s the Big Idea?
The next book in the Brand Box series is Book 5: How to Say It
Contact us to get yourself a copy hellostepchange.com | +61 2 8030 8655 | chat@hellostepchange.com
The Brand Box series

Brand Box 4 - What's The Big Idea? The Marketer's Ultimate Toolkit

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