crowdsourcing a brand’s purpose

big idea Our past is not our potential.

background Jacqueline Botting created WiseTribe just after the sudden passing of her father, realizing the wisdom she missed out on catalyzed her desire to bring diverse age groups together for meaningful, reflective exchange —but how exactly? Acquiring 500 followers in just 2 weeks on WT’s Facebook page, as well as inquiries pouring in to discover more, she decided it was a worthy pursuit.

goals 1] engage users emotionally with each other and the Brand’s potential 2] glean insights to clarify: primary content focus, segment profile, curriculum effectiveness, monetization strategies 3] evaluate process and scheduling 4] procure marketing content: participant feedback/photos/video.

medium partnering with Florida Atlantic University, WiseTribe conducted an all day Community Design Thinking Workshop developed to draw a wide range of local DelRay residents into activating local projects

role design thinking workshop planner, curriculum contributor, collateral producer, co-facilitator, creative director see more

RESULTS

55 participants, exit survey indicated 80% rated workshop 4 out of 5 stars, of the 7 projects formally launched, 5 remained in tact meeting their goals within an 8 week time frame, most enthusiastic segment: 21-35yrs. Monetization strategies included: 1] University level continuing ed course work together with primary level students 2] diverse age ThinkTank format working with Brands 3] offline compliment toward augmenting the online Timeline.com 4] a reinvigorated next generation AARP organization.

UNEARTHING CULTURE CREATION

big idea Culture shapes outcomes more than strategy.

problem statement If culture eats strategy...how might we better understand what culture actually is?

background with a passion for psychology, education and bringing diverse people together to break through boundaries, I facilitated a workshop to probe a topic I am curious about and fascinated by.

goal 1] identify the primary ‘ingredients’ of culture, 2] explore the ways in which it forms, 3] evaluate how you play a part in its manifestation.

medium 10 participants, extremely diverse in age, gender and ethnicity, using the Lego Serious Play methodology.

role workshop planner, designer, facilitator

results

The group quickly recognized the pervasiveness of culture across all realms, from different countries, religions, political parties, neighborhoods, families, workplaces and brands. The primary ingredients identified were: 1] values, 2] tension, 3] vision. General consensus around how culture is formed starts with the collision of diverse [values], catalyzing like-minded separate groups, which are then impacted by the innate personality traits [tension] of various people within a discrete group ranging from: relentlessly ambitious predator to apathetically following sheep, and throw in the level of natural resource or funding [tension also] at their disposal as a gauge of how easily they might or might not achieve their [vision]. General consensus also formed around the fact that when you do not stand strong for your values, along every minor confrontation/conflict due to intimidation or fear, others follow. Degradation of the original [vision] results, rendering the individual embedded in a disconnected culture and ineffectual to shift it back on course.

Insight Discovery using google trends

big idea discover the unfamiliar through a digital research tool and an information visualization experience.

background Bardolino Classico is an ubiquitous and popular table wine in Italy. Although it shares the same grape as Valpolicella and Amarone, both of which enjoy mid-level notoriety in the U.S., it is relatively unknown here.

problem statement how might we…better understand why that is by analyzing its digital footprint? 

process focusing on Google ‘trend’ searches of Bardolino vs. an extremely popular wine brand in the U.S., Yellow Tail

results

1] Yellow Tail is one entity, not a disparate collective of places or vineyards as is Bardolino. 2] Similarly, Yellow Tail is a carefully crafted Brand, unified in product, marketing, advertising and distribution. 3] When searching for Bardolino wine, it’s hard to tell if the result is a wine, vineyard, distributor or consortium. 4] Ultimately, Bardolino’s biggest challenge in the U.S. is that its best known as a tourist destination and, secondarily if at all, as a wine producing region.

It’s a given that profitable wines rely on consumer perception, both seen and talked about [the label, the marketing personality, the cost]. Therefore no matter how good a wine is, if it’s not seen, it simply doesn’t exist. A carefully constructed Social Media and SEO Strategy for Bardolino seems obvious, but the more difficult quest is how to unify Bardolino wines as a recognizable, desirable offering that promotes consensus on the supply side.