The Fog

Eddie Obeng, A leading authority on project management and Director of Pentacle (The Virtual Business School) categorises projects into four types.

Painting by numbers

A project where you know what to do and know how to do it.

Making a movie

A project where you don’t know what to do but know how to do it.

Going on a quest

A project where you know what to do but don’t know how to do it.

Walking in the fog

A project where you don’t know what to do and don’t know how to do it.

I have worked in design for nearly 30 years and in my experience, at the beginning of every project, with the exception of a one you have done many times before (‘painting by numbers’), there is always a certain amount of uncertainty or as Eddie calls it, ‘fog’. This is when you know the least but often when you need to quantify a project and are often faced with questions like: What resources do we need to deliver this?; What technology will we use?; How long will it take?; How much will it cost?; What is the market?; and How can we ensure it delivers a return on investment?

Having identified a problem you require an innovative solution. But how do you get to where you want to be if you don’t know which direction to go?

The answer lies in Design Thinking and Lean methodologies which both promote the use of experiments or in other words; trying something, testing it and learning from it – then making changes and testing again to see if the changes have made a positive difference. Sometimes called the Lean feedback loop or ‘build, measure, learn’ in the case of product development this would involve deploying a minimum viable product (MVP), getting it to market and seeing how customers respond.  An MVP may not have all of the features customers want but it is the best way to test if you are on the right track.

A great example of this is the iPhone. The original iPhone was launched without many of the features we associate with it today. Apple launched it as an MVP and the market responded positively. Apple learned directly from its customers which features they liked, which to drop and which to include in further iterations. When the company came to launch iPhone 2 there were some 1400+ differences and improvements between it and the original. The success of the iPhone has been phenomenal and Apple have continued to improve the product further with every version.

Of course not all design projects are as sexy or high profile as the iPhone but in branding, application design, service design and manufacturing systems the principle is the same. The design process involves coming up with an idea (or hypothesis) and testing it. Feedback helps you decide whether to abandon the idea or develop and test it further.

The insight this approach offers is invaluable because it quickly validates (or invalidates) your hypothesis or idea. It’s like taking one step at a time. It lets you know if you are heading in the right direction or if you need to turn around.

Great advice when walking in the fog.

Why we all need to be T-shaped

The concept of T-shaped people has been around for some time. It was first used by management consultants McKinsey & Company to describe the type of people they wished to hire. The term has since been embraced by Tim Brown, CEO and president of global design company IDEO and a raft of marketing professionals across the world.

The idea it that the vertical stroke of the ‘T’ represents the depth of a persons expertise in a single field and the horizontal span represents their knowledge of wider disciplines and their ability to be empathetic and collaborative.

It is important to understand that T-shaped people are not a ‘Jacks of all trades’. They have a deep understanding of one discipline but combine this with an understanding of other disciplines with a willingness to continually learn and share their knowledge. The pace of change in all of today’s markets means opportunities are opening up for people who can work collaboratively and develop and build upon other people’s ideas.  Companies such as Apple, Nike and Proctor and Gamble are all looking for T-shaped people to drive innovation.
Innovation of course is not only the preserve of the corporate giants. I believe that in order to succeed in whatever field you operate in we must all become T-shaped. Organisational and commercial landscapes are undergoing seismic changes driven by the current economic situation and/or the influence of digital technology. Jobs for life no longer exist and the old ways don’t seem to work anymore. With continual downward pressure on all sectors from publishing to the music industry, from the high street to health and public services. New thinking and innovation are required and this will be delivered by the T-shaped.
So how do you become T-shaped?

• Always remain inquisitive and creative.
• Develop a broader set of skills.
• Build a mentoring relationship with a specialist in the discipline you’re interested in.
• Broaden your skill set to include interpersonal communication skills such as leadership and active listening.
• Be open to life-long learning.

Do this and yourself, your colleagues and the teams you form will generate stronger ideas. Ensuring you will deliver the solutions you need to the challenges you face.

Everyone's a designer

In a recent article published in the Harvard review. Tim Brown, CEO of the global design company IDEO, argues that in order to succeed today businesses must embrace innovation and the best way to do this is to think like a designer.

Design thinking is not the product of a 'lone genius' nor is it the reserve of trendy types in turtle neck sweaters. It is a process that uses a designer's sensibility to match a real need with a viable business case and turn it into an opportunity which will ultimately deliver value.

The article cites examples of how IDEO used this methodology to help a US healthcare provider save time and staff resources while increasing patient contact. They also worked with a Japanese bicycle manufacturer to develop a new type of bicycle designed for 'coasting'. Rekindling the American public's childhood love of cycling and getting more of them back onto two wheels.

The design thinking process has three phases:

Inspiration
A project begins by assembling the project team. This is made up of designers, project managers, clients, writers, and other specialists. Although roles and responsibilities are defined everyone contributes and the approach is one optimism, honesty and openness. The entire team understands who the target audience is and what their needs are. Initial research is undertaken and inspiration sought from a variety of sources.

Ideas
Here initial ideas are discussed and explored - many are rejected but the process continues until, collectively, the team decides upon ideas worth further development. The chosen idea is then developed through sketches and prototyping. It is then tested, tweaked and refined until a solution is reached.

Implementation
The execution phase - bringing together the concept and the creative into the chosen outputs. Close attention is paid to detail and quality.

This collaborative approach ensures buy-in at all stages of a project and builds a sense of ownership amongst the entire team. And because clients are involved in the process they understand the rationale behind the thinking and how and why solutions are reached.

I agree with Tim Brown when he says design should not just be seen as just adding a veneer or aesthetics. Design is more effective when it is introduced earlier in the life of a project and there is more chance of success when everyone thinks like a designer.

To read the original article click here.

DIY – the end of the expert?

It is tempting in these tough economic times for marketing managers to reduce their reliance on external expertise when developing communications.

Advances in technology mean the power to create is now in the hands of everyone. So why go to the expense of engaging professionals when you can keep it in-house?

• Social networking means you can keep in touch with your audiences.
• Easy to access software packages allow you to do your own graphic design.
• Affordable digital cameras mean you can produce photography and videos.
• The internet offers a myriad of copy styles from which to crib.

Of course businesses should utilise internal resource wherever possible as long as the output quality is high. But in my experience when materials are produced this way managers tend to be more forgiving of poor quality than they would be if external expertise was employed.

“Yeah our pictures aren’t great but at least we didn’t have to pay for an expensive photographer.”

“OK the typography on the brochure isn’t good but our team are really busy and at least we didn’t have to employ an expensive design agency.”

“Why pay for a writer? There’s nothing wrong with our own copy.”

This approach can lead to a change in mindset and ultimately a lowering of the bar – towards mediocrity.

Whatever market you are in the chances are it will be mature and your competition fierce. Standing out means you need be remarkable – mediocre simply won’t cut it.

Accepting mediocrity says “I don’t care” and if you don’t care about your message then why should your audience.

90% of design companies are cr*p

Theodore Sturgeon, an American science fiction author, coined a phrase that became known as ‘Sturgeon’s law’. It states that ‘90% of everything is cr*p’. If this is true then it follows that 90% of design companies are cr*p too.

Without casting (too many) aspersions on my profession I first have to say there are many great design companies producing creative and effective work for their clients. That said, there are an awful lot more out there producing work which on the surface may look good but, in the end, does not deliver.

These are the ‘stylists’ and they start a project with the solution already in mind. Their methodology involves searching the internet or design magazines for the latest design trend or idea to repurpose and sell to a client as 'their' creative solution. Their clients are taken in by this approach only to become hugely frustrated, when at the end of a project, they don’t achieve their objectives or any tangible return on their investment.

This is because ‘stylists’ don’t question a client or think around the brief. They don’t get under the skin of a project or take the time to really understand a client’s business and they never ask how success will be measured.

'Stylists' only think in terms of short-term personal gains not long-term relationships. They concentrate on what will look good in their portfolio and not what will make their clients more successful.

I have ran a design company for over 20 years and, if Sturgeons law does apply, I have always strived to ensure we are in the other ten percent.

I am not normal – neither are you

Brands are such a part of the fabric of our world that it is difficult imagine our lives without them. Major products and services have embedded themselves into our phyche fashioning and communicating their values and connecting with us the audience.

But a sea change is happening. Historically major brands grew because they could connect to the mass market though a single channel such as TV. Marketeers would develop and transmit their messages and we, as consumers, would respond accordingly.

In his latest book ‘We Are All Weird’ Seth Godin argues that the age of mass marketing is over. He says ‘The key to mass marketing is normal and normal was important because profits depended on it.

Normal diets made it easier for mass food manufacturers to generate a profit. Normal driving habits made it easier for mass car manufacturers to reach their production minimums. Normal behavior made us easier to control’.

Today they are many more channels and audiences have become more fragmented and harder to reach. As our lives have become more integrated with technology major players such as Apple, Google and Facebook have given us the control to decide what content we want and when (and in doing so have become some of the fastest growing brands of all time).

Social media means we can now connect to everyone, we can easily customize our messages, create and share our own content and, in doing so, express our own vision and values. This is the rise of brand you.

But what are marketers to do now that a one size fits all approach no longer works?

How much is your brand worth?

Have you ever thought how much brand is actually worth? Just because it is not listed on your balance sheet along with your building, stock, cash and fixtures and fittings doesn't mean that it  isn't one of your organisations most valuable assets. But how can you get your brand to deliver even greater value?

First of all you cannot not communicate. If you have been trading for any length of time your business means something to somebody be they clients, customers or service users - in other words you have a brand. You either ignore your brand  and let your audiences reach their own perceptions, outside of your control, or you manage your brand and all its elements to improve perceptions, build your business and improve your bottom line.

Businesses are sometimes reactive and operationally focused. Those at the top often think they don't have time to build their brands because they are too busy meeting the needs of their customers and growing their business. We believe this is the essence of building a brand.

Your brand is much more than your logo. It's the way you do business. It's the tangible and intangible assets that your audience attributes to your business. It's the factors that make your service offer, product lines, culture, language and appearance more desirable than your competition.

Even if you have given time and effort to developing your brand, continuity is required as over time incremental changes to collateral can lead to your brand expression becoming fragmented. The most successful brands also evolve. They must be thought of less as a set of fixed rules and more as a platform from which an organisation can communicate. 

Can you afford to invest in your brand? The question should be - can you afford not to?

Show me the pictures!

I have lost count of the number of times when either pitching for new business or meeting a prospective new client we are asked "Show me the pictures!" or, to put in another way, "Let's see your creative solutions now."

Whatever my professional opinion on the subject of creative pitches (free or not) it is my belief that producing creative solutions too early in the project is simply the wrong thing to do. No matter how talented the design team or how much a client 'likes' what he or she sees. Without a realisitic period of research, discovery and understanding. Without time to properly question and (sometimes re-write) the brief. Without a meeting of minds and collaboration between client and design team. Any solution will be mere styling and if it is chosen it will be for the wrong reasons.

I have a saying "We build the road before we drive it". Meaning we need to know where we are going before we set off. Every project has an objective - so what are we trying to achieve? Who is the audience? What else is out there? And what does success look like?

In Japan when they undertake a large civil engineering project like a tunnel or a bridge, for example, they spend 80% of the time planning the project and 20% building it - but in the UK it's the other way around!  Perhaps that's why so many UK projects are late and are invariably over budget.

Successful projects require a sound strategy. Do this first and the right creative solution will follow.

What's your story?

Positioning is about creating clear space between you and your competitors. It's about understanding the truths of what makes your brand different. It's having a clear strategy and a set of tactics that will constantly reiterate these truths and build brand loyalty in the minds of your audiences.

But how, when most markets are saturated, can you claim to be truly different? Marketeers often talk about a unique selling proposition (USP). In todays business landscape conventional points of difference such as  price, quality, choice, and customer service have become mere hygiene factors not differentiators. Your competitor's proposition and your own may be so similar it's difficult to know what distinguishes your brand from theirs. The differences can often be more subtle and intangible. They may be cultural or be about your customers emotional attachment to your brand.

Sometimes you can look too closely at your competitors, what they are doing and saying and the successes they are having. Monitoring your competition is fine but not if it leads to you emulating them. If your current strategy is to copy their best ideas, redress them and put them in front of your audience as if they are your own you will ultimately fail or at least come second. Your customers are not stupid. They know the difference between a brand that leads and one that follows. They know which brands truly innovate and which simply say 'me too'.

So what's your story? What is it that you do that is innovative and different? What can you say that your competitors can't? What is it about your products, service or culture that you can truly own? Once you begin to articulate and agree these truths you will gain a better understanding of what makes you - you. It's then easier to build a solid platform from which your brand can communicate and ensure there is a common thread running through every communication whatever channel or tactics you use.

Get off the stage and into the crowd

There has been a fundamental shift in marketing. We are all watching less television and reading fewer newspapers; combine this with the fact that as consumers we have become less trusting of advertising, direct mail and PR and its easy to see why traditional channels are no longer delivering the results they once did.

Word of mouth is still the most powerful of motivators with 71% of consumers saying they are more comfortable with a product or service if it has been recommended by a friend than compared to their own past experience (63%) or the influence of advertising (15%)*

Social Media is seemingly ubiquitous with companies scrambling to open Twitter accounts and Facebook pages in order to ‘connect’ with their audiences. The reality is, however, that many don’t understand how to successfully harness these channels let alone measure their effectiveness - so their efforts can be disappointing or, in the worst cases, damaging to their brand.

Organisations enter into Social Media because they feel “It’s so big we need to do something” but responsibility is often delegated down to junior members of staff who don’t have the authority or brand awareness to fully develop these channels. A Social Media programme is an important brand touchpoint and must support your marketing, PR, customer service and sales activity. Success should be measured not only in social media metrics (likes/fans/subscribers/followers) but in real business benefits.

So how do you get it right? Like most things success comes from the result of good planning. First you must decide what your goals are.

Do you need to:
– Generate sales/leads
– Reduce spending
– Increase awareness
– Offer added value
– Drive web traffic
– Extend your reach
– or anything else?

Once you have decided upon your goals these can then drive your activity and content. Be aware that social media users are savvy. This is not a place for direct selling. This is a place to connect and engage. You’re not on stage anymore, you are in the crowd. As people connect with you directly so it is up to you to respond in an appropriate manner. Handling all comments, positive and negative, in the same way with a tone of voice that is right for your brand.

There are three typical levels of engagement:
– Listen (Learn from your customers and adapt accordingly)
– Engage (Enter into a dialogue and grow your own community)
– Optimize (Deliver innovation and build loyalty)

Leading companies like Dell Computers have moved on from the hype of the individual Social Media tools to focus on the behaviors of their customers. This means they can drive innovation in order to generate revenue growth. See video.

Whatever your thoughts on Social Media it is fair to say the time for waiting is over, you need to figure out where these channels fit into your organisation, now. The rate of change and adoption by consumers, buyers and the competition is happening so fast, that coming into the world of Social Media late, could put you at a disadvantage.

*Source Media Lab

The pressure to be 'business-like'

These days the pressures on the not-for-profit sector are enormous. In the current economic climate income from voluntary donations are dropping as levels of individual incomes fall. The coalition government are tightening the purse strings while looking to charities and voluntary organisations to tender for the delivery of key public services.

In this environment, how charities differentiate themselves is vital in keeping their aims and needs in people’s minds. Some larger charities have become more professional not only in the way they operate but in the way they utilise their brand. They understand that their brand is more than a logo it’s a platform from which to communicate to their different audiences. A well managed brand ensures messages are consistent across all channels including internal, stakeholder and fundraising communications.

However there is a difference between being ‘professional’ and being ‘businesslike’. In her article Be professional always, and businesslike in some ways, Third Sector, 20 June 2011, Valerie Mortens says “Charities must cherrypick the ways in which they behave like businesses. The private sector is characterised by an overriding profit motive and cultural attributes that reflect this, but neither of these sit well in the voluntary sector, where the relationships between stakeholders and the charity are dramatically more complex and emotional”.

The danger is that charities can become too much like business and move away from their original ethos and culture. When developing a brand it’s worth remembering that it is not only the hard, rational factors that are important. Effective differentiators can also be softer and stem from deeply held organisational values. Consultation is also important during the  development stage as it retains a sense of ownership from staff, volunteers and wider stakeholders.

As charities change to meet today’s challenges they, of course, can learn a lot from the corporate world, but they also have the opportunity to develop new kinds of brands – brands that connect to people in an truly personal and emotional way.