esomar 2007 from mythmaker to gardener - hall and partners
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Principles for building participatory brandsTRANSCRIPT
from mythmaker to gardener:
Understanding the World of Participatory Brands
“you’re invited”
“design your own”“submit a commercial”
“decide the ending”
“vote by text”
“submit product ideas and win”
“opt-in”
“become an advocate”
“join the discussion”“star in our commercial”
Interviews with experts on participation
Online bulletin boards with active people
Small-group workshops among digital champions
Wiki-based collaborative websites
Extensive secondary researchRecent
project work with clients
What makes people act in general? What makes people act on behalf of brands ?
Three approaches to branding and where they come from
Seven principles of participatory brands
Five implications for us as qualitative researchers
“All thy garments smell of myrrh and aloes and
cassia, out of the ivory palaces whereby they
have made me glad.”
“Agencies used to create BS that
propped up and supported products
and services that had no rational
points of difference. People called
that emotional engagement and
agencies built mythical worlds that
brands could inhabit.”
- Ed Cotton, of Butler, Shine, Stern and Partners (US)
“I think it's an attempt to make
consumers feel more empowered
about their purchases. But to me it
is a false empowerment, and the
real power still lies with the
company/ advertiser who is getting
more influence than the consumer
is getting real choice or power.”- Sarah, Online Discussion Group Participant, Kansas City
Working hard to create something so valuable it naturally inspires others
Constantly planting seeds of substance and style
Creating a magnetic, inviting space that people want to take part in
People want the same things they have always wanted… Benefits of participation:
DOING ON BEHALF OF AN IDEA…
- Solve problems they care about
- Benefit themselves in a concrete way
rational benefits emotional benefits
- Belong and connect- Express a passion- Entertain themselves- Ego, reputation, status
Make and repeat monologues
Encourage and value dialogues
Seek interactions, not conversations
Strategy Blend of strategy and tactics
Tactics
Customers PartnersPlayers
Impress for action Inspire for actionIncentivize for action
MYTHMAKERbrand
GAME SHOW HOST brand
GARDENER brand
FOCUS
DESIRE
COMMS
APPROACH
The seven principles of participatory brands
Give people outside the brand team a role to play beyond making purchases- It’s more of a partnership,
growing the brand together
- And the dialogue is two-way and human
- Mature two-way communication: sharing, listening, reflecting, adjusting
Have a mission that extends beyond profits
Enthusiastically stand for something that will guide every decision - from internal culture to external communications
Seek synchronicity between inside and outside- Behave responsibly and
transparently
- “Who a brand is” matches “how the brand acts”
- Right culture leads to the right service
Answer a real need that isn’t being addressed
- Physical
- Emotional
Be fully dedicated to doing the right thing
- Individual
- Societal
- Environmental
Make yourself “worthy” of peoples’ time and interest
Substance Design Never cutting corners Always from the brand’s heart
“Have nothing in your house that
you do not know to be useful, or
believe to be beautiful” - William Morris
Create a culture that truly believes good ideas can come from anywhere
- Prizes openness, discourages politics
Everything becomes infused with meaningful creativity and innovation
- Intrinsically
- Extrinsically
A sensible framework to express mission
- Product
- Price
- Place
- Promotion
Successful brands focus on adding value to people’s lives rather than how to create participation- Internal brand focus results in brand magnetism- Compelling brands attract organic participation
Communications engineered specifically to create participation risk remaining outside of the brand context, so can lack meaning and power
“Brand First, participation will follow.”
Easy to be distracted by exciting participatory creative, “participation for participation’s sake”
In participatory creative development research : Is the creative idea aligned with the brand? What is it doing for the brand?
Does brand express theseven principles?
Apply qualitative to understand a brand’s inner culture- this plays a key role in its potential to be participatory
Get to grips with whether people perceive that what a brand says/does flows clearly from who it is
Parent companies matter!
Find out how people research brands they consider and how this influences perception and action
Create qualitative forums that people want to whole-heartedly participate in for benefits beyond cash incentives
Partner participants – not “respondents”- Provide context
- Be transparent
Offer a high quality experience that is truly a pleasant way to spend time- Comfortable, enriching,
ego-reinforcing, useful, human, offers sense of belonging
The age-old formula is more important than ever
To inspire someone to do things for/with you = understanding what makes them tick- Problems they feel need solving
- Sources of frustration and inspiration
- What they feel is truly important and worthy