There’s clearly excitement in the research and advertising world when it comes to the social media power of online co-creation. In fact, over the past decade online crowdsourcing and communities have become an important concept in social media marketing. They’ve given consumers a direct voice into decision-making and have increased their engagement with the brand. In a world where advertising is now a “one-to-one-to-many” proposition, this is an important contribution.
Yet, there’s something fundamentally missing with today’s crowdsourcing and online communities.
There’s an artificial barrier that exists that’s similar to the way a two-way mirror separates consumers and clients in a focus group setting. There’s no real intimacy, no real sharing, no real listening. You view and study and interact from a distance. As a result, true collaboration is lacking — the kind of collaboration that’s only possible when people get together, in-person, and work together to create something of value that works for everyone.
Co-creation workshops open both hearts and minds to new possibilities
There is a very real, personal interaction that takes place in a co-creation workshop setting.
People begin to see the world through a different lens. The shared understanding that develops energizes the room. Trust is created. Customers openly share their problems and ideas as brand managers and brand designers enthusiastically look for solutions they know will work. This new found trust adds speed, power and precision to the process. People feel like they’re being listened to and taken seriously as equal partners.
Microsoft openly points to the eye-opening success they have had with in-person co-creation workshops. “Some of the most effective marketing solutions originate from real conversations with consumers” notes Andy Hart, Microsoft’s Vice President for advertising and online Europe.
What companies like Microsoft and others are finding is that collaborating with customers in a face-to-face environment makes great things happen, quickly.
The future belongs to brands that co-create with their customers
One of the most important questions that brands must continually answer in order to remain competitive is how they will build a unique relationship with their customers. Co-creation workshops provide that opportunity. They give brands, in this ever-changing world, a new ability to stay relevant and gain an advantage in the mind and the market. The Blake Project, the brand consultancy behind Branding Strategy Insider specializes in this meaningful work and offers a one-of-a-kind strategy workshop centered on co-creation.
The Brand Positioning Strategy Co-Creation Workshop
Designed to be conducted in advance of The Brand Positioning Workshop, this deeply impactful workshop will engage customers and brand representatives in a collaborative session of mutual discovery and agreement around the category-specific issues and opportunities that will have the greatest effect on brand positioning.
Staying brand-neutral, this highly-facilitated workshop will involve the brand team as active participants as they imagine, work and strategize with their customers.
The Brand Positioning Strategy Co-Creation workshop is organized into three major segments:
- The opening segment uses means-end laddering, creative visualization and guided imagery storytelling to help participants articulate, map and prioritize:
- Customer motivations and associated personal values.
- Category attributes and benefits (functional, experiential, emotional and self-expressive) that drive personal motivation and decision making.
- Pain points, frustrations and related opportunities that represent the greatest opportunities for differentiation.
- The second segment focuses on an in-depth exploration of the imagery, associations, values and benefits connected with the sponsoring brand and the category’s competitive brands.
- The day will end with a strategic co-creation session developing and prioritizing the core components of brand differentiation for the sponsoring brand.
At the end of the day brand marketers gain:
- Powerfully in-depth insight.
- Shared buy-in and consensus — adding speed, precision and power to positioning.
- Energized sense of purpose and direction – a team ready to run.
Ideal For: The brand, marketing, research and advertising team responsible for brand positioning.
Participants: Ideally, 6-12 brand team participants and 10-16 customers will attend the workshop.
Deliverables:
- Powerful insight and a shared buy-in on the brand positioning strategy elements that will form the basis for a market-differentiating brand position.
- A comprehensive overview of findings.
Timeframe: 1 full day workshop. Preparation and customer recruitment will take 2-3 weeks.
Outcomes: Clarity and confidence in developing a market-differentiating brand position.
Learn about The Customer Experience Co-Creation Workshop.
The Blake Project is a leading brand consultancy with a history of helping brands overcome high-stakes marketing challenges, create new value and build an advantage in the minds of those most important to your brands future. Customer Co-creation is a core competency.
Please email me, Derrick Daye for more about how The Brand Positioning Strategy Co-Creation Workshop can benefit your brand.
