how to do lean planning

Aloha.

@farrahbostic

#planningness

i’ve been a...

i’ve been a... copywriterwebsite makeraccount plannerbrand strategistqualitative researcherinnovation specialistentrepreneur

This place pays me to be a Group Planning Director

But what I do is make digital things for clients...

that are increasingly centered on mobile & social

experiences.

I’m a little bit of an adland nerd.

I’m a little bit of an adland nerd.

So bear with me.

Adland 1.0: Persuasion & Positioning

Adland 2.0: Culture & Emotion

Adland 3.0Participation

Adland 4.0?APIs

LEGO: They give you the parts, you decide what to make

Apple: A tightly controlled product & brand that you can

project yourself onto

Think of brands as APIs, & platforms as middleware

How do we create API-like things for the

brands we serve?

Our business: Ads.

Commissioned by clients.

Designed by agencies.

Executed by vendors.

We know what they’re for.

We know when they’re over.

A quick horror story.

http://anjalir.wordpress.com/2011/04/12/sxsw-in-retrospect-the-last-of-the-launch-and-leave-ems/

“You need to add value to people's lives, not just expect them to participate because you goddamn well asked them.”

Mel Exon, BBH Labs

I Start-ups

I pitched at StartUp Weekend in NYC last fall and learned a lot about how people get from an idea to a prototype... in less than 48 hours.

I’m also involved with Women 2.0, which is more generous - you go from concept to launch in 5 weeks.

Imagine if we could work so fast!

What we’re going to do together

What we’re going to do together

While I’m blathering on...

What we’re going to do together

While I’m blathering on...

Think about a problem you have.

What we’re going to do together

While I’m blathering on...

Think about a problem you have.

Then think of a possible solution a brand could offer - could be a product, a service, an experience.

What we’re going to do together

While I’m blathering on...

Think about a problem you have.

Then think of a possible solution a brand could offer - could be a product, a service, an experience.

You’re going to pitch your idea at the end.

What we’re going to do together

While I’m blathering on...

Think about a problem you have.

Then think of a possible solution a brand could offer - could be a product, a service, an experience.

You’re going to pitch your idea at the end.

Well - about 12 of you are.

What we’re going to do together

While I’m blathering on...

Think about a problem you have.

Then think of a possible solution a brand could offer - could be a product, a service, an experience.

You’re going to pitch your idea at the end.

Well - about 12 of you are.

You’ll get :30 to pitch it.

What we’re going to do together

While I’m blathering on...

Think about a problem you have.

Then think of a possible solution a brand could offer - could be a product, a service, an experience.

You’re going to pitch your idea at the end.

Well - about 12 of you are.

You’ll get :30 to pitch it.

Just FYI. :)

What we’re going to do together

What we’re going to do together

Then we’re going to vote on those ideas.

What we’re going to do together

Then we’re going to vote on those ideas.

We’re going to generate a model for 6 of them.

What we’re going to do together

Then we’re going to vote on those ideas.

We’re going to generate a model for 6 of them.

And you’re going to have to leave the building and (uh oh!) talk to at least 5 people.

What I promised...

What I promised...

But then...

But then...

But then...

3,377 hits so far

So. No “insights”.

Anyway...What is lean?

Principles of Lean Start-ups

Continuous customer interaction

Revenue goals from day one

No scaling until revenue

Assume customer and features are unknowns

Low burn by design, not crisis

Well, when you put it that way...

Requirements

Design

Implementation

Testing

Maintenance

High burn rate

Swinging for the fences

Full management teams

Assuming the customer is known

Assuming the features are known

Assuming growth happens by execution

The results for start-ups:

Seem familiar?Client Brief

Research

Creative Brief

Creative Development

Production

Media!

High burn rate

Swinging for the fences

Throwing people at the problem

Assuming the target is known

Assuming the messages/media are known

Assuming growth happens by execution

The results for agencies:

“The best place to get started making things is to solve your own problems.”

http://www.slideshare.net/nbrier/thinking-about-innovation

Noah Brier, Percolate

So, where are the lean agencies?

http://theleanstartup.com/

Can there be only one?

http://www.madebymany.com

Lots of people are talking about it...

Google #Firestarters:

Agile Planning

Do Agencies Need to Think Like Software

Companies?

But they can start to sound like this.

Prototype!Iterate!#Buildshit!

Creative Briefs?

We have an ownership problem.

The client owns the brand.

Accounts owns the client.

Planning owns the brief.

Creative owns the idea.

Client Brief

Research

Creative Brief

Creative Development

Production

Media!

Client Brief

Research

Creative Brief

Creative Development

Production

Media!

The creative brief is a

by-product of this process.

“Stop communicating products & start making communication products.”

http://www.slideshare.net/garethk/postdigitalbriefs2-august-2010

Gareth Kay, Goodby

The brief is not the product.

The brief is not the product.

The campaign is the product.

You can’t do it alone.

Planners, like start-up founders, can’t do it all themselves.

You need co-founders.

Creative and technical co-founders.

Remember.

Our product is the campaign.

Our economic buyer is the client.

Our end user is the customer.

So we have to design with both in mind.

What’s a lean brief?

What’s a lean brief?It’s not just ‘quick to make & quick to change’

Let’s focus.

Let’s focus.

The problem facing a lean planner is not ‘what about the creative brief’?

Let’s focus.

The problem facing a lean planner is not ‘what about the creative brief’?

It’s ‘how do we seek an effective campaign model with as little waste as possible?’

Let’s focus.

The problem facing a lean planner is not ‘what about the creative brief’?

It’s ‘how do we seek an effective campaign model with as little waste as possible?’

Or, ‘how do we build the minimal experience or utility that makes the most difference for our client’s customer (and therefore our client’s business) in the short term, that we can scale?’

Learning.Understanding.

Empathy.

Prototyping. Testing.

Discovery.

“Existing companies execute business models, while startups search for a business model.”— Steve Blank

http://www.startuplessonslearned.com/

“We always have a vision that is clearly articulated, big enough to matter & shared by the whole team.

“Our goal is always to discover which aspects of this vision are grounded in reality & adapt those aspects that are not.”

The ‘brief’... Planning!

Customer DiscoveryWith thanks to Steve Blank

The client brief is just one input to campaign model

seeking.

It’s not the Bible.

5 steps

Step 0

Get buy-in.

Get buy-in.

Together with clients, we start with setting a mission - why are we about to spend all this money?

Get buy-in.

Together with clients, we start with setting a mission - why are we about to spend all this money?

Then, we establish our values: we embrace the importance of learning, discovery & failure.

Get buy-in.

Together with clients, we start with setting a mission - why are we about to spend all this money?

Then, we establish our values: we embrace the importance of learning, discovery & failure.

Finally, we commit to the mission and our values, by budgeting for it with time & cash.

Step 1

Start guessing.

Start guessing.

Again, with clients, we generate hypotheses.

Start guessing.

Again, with clients, we generate hypotheses.

About who the customer for this product or brand is.

Start guessing.

Again, with clients, we generate hypotheses.

About who the customer for this product or brand is.

About what matters to them and how they live their lives.

Start guessing.

Again, with clients, we generate hypotheses.

About who the customer for this product or brand is.

About what matters to them and how they live their lives.

About how we can create

Write your guesses down.

Write your guesses down.

About your customer and their problem or desire.

Write your guesses down.

About your customer and their problem or desire.

About what to make (the campaign).

Write your guesses down.

About your customer and their problem or desire.

About what to make (the campaign).

About where to place or build the campaign.

Write your guesses down.

About your customer and their problem or desire.

About what to make (the campaign).

About where to place or build the campaign.

About how you’ll get people there.

Write your guesses down.

About your customer and their problem or desire.

About what to make (the campaign).

About where to place or build the campaign.

About how you’ll get people there.

About what the market is like.

Write your guesses down.

About your customer and their problem or desire.

About what to make (the campaign).

About where to place or build the campaign.

About how you’ll get people there.

About what the market is like.

About who your true competitors are.

Step 2

Get out of the building.

Talk to people.

Not a lot. 5-10.

Not in a facility.

Not through a recruiter.

Not the perfect ‘respondent.’

This ain’t market research, so we don’t have to be

science-y.

In fact...

In fact...

After 3 people, prioritize your top 3 issues or questions.

In fact...

After 3 people, prioritize your top 3 issues or questions.

After 5 people, start asking new questions.

In fact...

After 3 people, prioritize your top 3 issues or questions.

After 5 people, start asking new questions.

This isn’t about approval.

In fact...

After 3 people, prioritize your top 3 issues or questions.

After 5 people, start asking new questions.

This isn’t about approval.

It’s about learning.

Step 3

Be honest.

Be honest.Are these really your

customers?

Be honest.Are these really your

customers?

Is their problem really painful, or their desire really strong?

Does it even exist?

Be honest.Are these really your

customers?

Is their problem really painful, or their desire really strong?

Does it even exist?

Are they really making decisions the way you

thought?

Be honest.Are these really your

customers?

Is their problem really painful, or their desire really strong?

Does it even exist?

Are they really making decisions the way you

thought?

What do you need to change?

A reality check.

A reality check.

Talk to your co-founders.

A reality check.

Talk to your co-founders.

Do you need to seek other customers that are a better fit?

A reality check.

Talk to your co-founders.

Do you need to seek other customers that are a better fit?

Do you need to rethink your positioning?

A reality check.

Talk to your co-founders.

Do you need to seek other customers that are a better fit?

Do you need to rethink your positioning?

Is it possible to give people what they want?

A reality check.

Talk to your co-founders.

Do you need to seek other customers that are a better fit?

Do you need to rethink your positioning?

Is it possible to give people what they want?

Do you need to start over?

Step 4

Repeat.

Repeat.

Learn

Repeat.

Build

Learn

Repeat.

Build

Measure

Learn

Campaign Model Generation

With apologies to Business Model Generation

http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/

Remember: It’s our job to

seek the campaign model

With as little waste as possible.

http://thestartuptoolkit.com/http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/

http://thestartuptoolkit.com/http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/

http://thestartuptoolkit.com/http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/

Our client’s customers, prospects, and their influencers or gatekeepers

http://thestartuptoolkit.com/http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/

Our client’s customers, prospects, and their influencers or gatekeepers

Solving a problem

Satisfying a need

http://thestartuptoolkit.com/http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/

Our client’s customers, prospects, and their influencers or gatekeepers

Solving a problem

Satisfying a need

Branded experiences & utilities

http://thestartuptoolkit.com/http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/

Our client’s customers, prospects, and their influencers or gatekeepers

Solving a problem

Satisfying a need

Branded experiences & utilities

People

Software & APIs

The client’s product or brand equity

http://thestartuptoolkit.com/http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/

Our client’s customers, prospects, and their influencers or gatekeepers

Solving a problem

Satisfying a need

Paid, earned & owned media

Distribution & sales

Branded experiences & utilities

People

Software & APIs

The client’s product or brand equity

http://thestartuptoolkit.com/http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/

Our client’s customers, prospects, and their influencers or gatekeepers

Solving a problem

Satisfying a need

Time, place & tone

Interactions & touch-points

Paid, earned & owned media

Distribution & sales

Branded experiences & utilities

People

Software & APIs

The client’s product or brand equity

http://thestartuptoolkit.com/http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/

Our client’s customers, prospects, and their influencers or gatekeepers

Solving a problem

Satisfying a need

Time, place & tone

Interactions & touch-points

Paid, earned & owned media

Distribution & sales

Branded experiences & utilities

People

Software & APIs

The client’s product or brand equity

Freelancers

Production Houses

Media publishers

Clients

http://thestartuptoolkit.com/http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/

Our client’s customers, prospects, and their influencers or gatekeepers

Solving a problem

Satisfying a need

Time, place & tone

Interactions & touch-points

Paid, earned & owned media

Distribution & sales

Branded experiences & utilities

People

Software & APIs

The client’s product or brand equity

Freelancers

Production Houses

Media publishers

Clients

Pass-through costs

Salaries & operating expenses

http://thestartuptoolkit.com/http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/

Our client’s customers, prospects, and their influencers or gatekeepers

Solving a problem

Satisfying a need

Time, place & tone

Interactions & touch-points

Paid, earned & owned media

Distribution & sales

Branded experiences & utilities

People

Software & APIs

The client’s product or brand equity

Freelancers

Production Houses

Media publishers

Clients

Pass-through costs

Salaries & operating expenses

Client pays for strategy, development, implementation, media/hosting, testing and iteration

What if you could invent new revenue streams for your agency or client?

This is the new ‘brief’

“I don’t need any more ideas. We’ve got plenty of ideas. I need to know what to make.”

Prototype & Iterate

What’s a prototype?

It’s not a finished product.

It can be a drawing.

Or a description.

It’s enough for people to react to.

Why prototype?

Because, otherwise, we’re still just guessing.

What’s iterating?

It’s not starting over.

It’s not doing something else.

It’s not adding on features.

It’s evolving, refining, maximizing, optimizing...

The goal isn’t perfection.

The goal is the minimum you can make or do that provides the most perceived benefit to the customer, and is different enough from other options they know about. (MVP)

Good enough might actually be good enough.

A note on pivots

Lean Pirates & Agile Ninjas talk about ‘pivoting’ a lot

Pivoting isn’t a goal.It’s a necessity.

It happens when you’ve done all you can with the 1st idea.

And you make the intuitive leap to a better one.

Where does this intuition come from?

Empathy & Discovery.

Planning!

Empathy & Discovery.

Learn

Planning!

Empathy & Discovery.

Build

Learn

Planning!

Empathy & Discovery.

Build

Measure

Learn

Planning!

Mahalo.

Your turn.

1. Pitch - 12 ideas, :30

2. Vote - for great ideas, not just good friends.

3. Join a team - be balanced, play fair.

4. Generate hypotheses.

5. Get out of the building.

6. What was your idea, did you find customers?