liliya plotkina's strategy portfolio
DESCRIPTION
Updated 8.7.2012TRANSCRIPT
Let me tell you something about myself.
If I had to describe myself in one word, it would be this one: Hungry. If I had to describe myself in another word, it would be this one: Thinker. No, not hungry thinker like, I think I’ll have a ham sandwich. I’m hungry to learn. I’m a born researcher, with a sense of intuition so strong that if I wasn’t a Planner, I’d probably be the next Miss Cleo. I’m so deep into trends and finding out how people interact with them that pretty much every aspect of this field ex-cites me. Yep, even Googling. Man, I love Googling.
There’s something else, though. I’m a huge fan of people--that’s right, any person whatsoever. I love to work with brilliant people, and my idealsituation would be to surround myself with individuals who challenge me on a daily basis. Planning is just that. Whether it’s consumers, clients, or even my co-workers, I do my best work when I’m interacting with others.
Let me show you what I can do.
But first, let me show you... how i think.I’m a digger, first and foremost.Here’s my research/dig process, from start to finish.
1. Question Everything When presented with a new challenge, I like to think about every possible question I could ask. Like, why do people care about this? Why don’t people care? What has been done to make them care before? And it’s not just situational questions, either. I want to know about the challenge too--whether it’s a new product, a business, or a person. Above all, I want to understand the client’s business, so I can love it as much as they do.
2. Google it This is the easy part. I just start Googling. My qualitative and quantitative research classes at my alma mater taught me how to search for information creatively, efficiently, and cleverly. Oh yeah, and I write everything down, too.
3. Listen to the social networks Once I find out what information there is on the net, I like to check out trending topics on social networks like Facebook and Twitter. When people feel strongly about something, they talk about it--for better or worse. Or, if they don’t feel anything at all, and they don’t talk...that’s even more dangerous. I want to know that. I want to have my finger on the pulse.
4. Listen to real people One of my favorite research tactics is to go directly to the people that experience the product, business, or person, interact with them, and hear it straight from them. I can’t put words in their mouth. But they can definitely put words in mine.
5. Be critical I’m not kidding myself. I know that whatever I’m working on is a challenge for a reason. Or, if it’s not, it might be soon. I want to examine the dark side of whatever I will be writing strategy for, so I can think about how to put its best foot forward when the time comes.
6. Make it digestible Research I produce will eventually be boiled down into an insight, and then a promise on a creative brief. It’s my goal to always present information in the most clear, efficient, and useful way possible.
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Creative BriefWebsite Design
Partners + Napier, a mid-size advertising agency in Rochester, NY, has an amazing internship program. Except...no one knows about it.The Client Brandcamp at Partners + Napier gives interns a chance to do more than just fetch coffee for executives. Those accepted into the summer-based program have a chance to not only get their hands dirty working with real brands like Kodak, Thule, Sorrento, and Excellus, but also to become a real part of the agency family.
The Target The 18-30 year old college student that feels the pressure to make his or her way in the competitive world of advertising. This individual wants the competitive edge that an internship can give them, but has concerns about feeling ready to enter the job market without the right skillset. A go-getter with high expectations. Doesn’t believe in following the crowd. Trusts unfailingly in their own potential and is always seeking a chance to prove him or herself. Social media is an addiction. Tech savvy. Fixated on a need to be connected.
The Unique Problem In the summer of 2010, Partners had over 100 applicants for ten intern positions at the agency. However, all ten that were eventually accepted shared that they had had trouble finding relevant, concrete information about the program through traditional research methods. (Ok, so, the internet.) Citing a lack of real knowledge about it, all of those eventually chosen had found their way to the program through a friend or acquaintance that had some connection to the agency itself.
The Research We asked 100 people in our target to take a survey for us, asking them about their fears, desires, and needs when it came to their summer internship. We also asked them about the information that would be most relevant to them, and the ways that they wanted to see it presented. Most of the answers we got dealt with anxiety about not being accepted or treated well by senior agency employees during their internship.
The Deliverable With zero budget and a very limited amount of time (about three weeks) to develop and launch a site, it was important to both our team and the agency to have a simple yet effective piece. Based on the brief, the creatives decided to create a site that was an all-in-one--that is, a long page that incorporated all of the information that our target wanted. In one place, in one go, in one look. Unique, stylish, and totally Brandcamp. Bam.
But It’s Not Always That Easy The all-in-one scrolling page idea was not without its flaws. How would we get people to start scrolling--and more importantly, keep scrolling? We solved this issue by making a website design that was visually flowing, drawing the eye down the page, and by adding a static menu bar that literally encouraged the viewer to keep looking.
*INSIGHT
“Belonging breeds creative comfort.”PROMISE
“A family of creative ideamakers.”
THE POINT Partners + Napier’s agency values are family, ingenuity, and courage. Out of these three, we realized that the “family” aspect is what sets Brandcamp at Partners + Napier apart from other programs. While all other internships would be pushing their fantastic experiences and portfolio work, we would take Brandcamp’s own superiority as a given--and instead push the belongingness aspect with a website that made our market feel like they were a part of the experience from the get-go. If interns felt like a part of the company, they would feel more comfortable with putting forth their very best and brightest ideas.
Screenshots of the all-in-one site, showing off the integrated, flowing design
Static scrollbar encourages viewer to keep scrolling down the page
Simple, easy to find information outlines the program point-blank
Creative BriefCampaign Design
Print and Direct Mail Creative
Sometimes, writing grants to receive funding for your non-profit can be challenging and rewarding. It just stops being fun when you have to do it constantly.The Client Women Helping Girls is a small non-profit organization, an offshoot of the American Association of University Women located in Rochester, New York. While education of all children is important to WHG, the group currently focuses on providing mentoring services to middle and high school girls at the Wilson Magnet Academy in downtown. It was begun by local teachers, and prides itself on its close ties to the community.
The Target Our primary targets for this campaign were female CEO’s, presidents, and executives in large corporations located in the Rochester area. These women are 40-65, own thriving businesses, and have families. They’re pseudo-feministic, love being seen as philanthropists, and need to have an active, hands-on role in making sure their business is a success. For them, that means making sure the basis for their business--the community--is a success.
The Unique Problem Women Helping Girls is run by a team of four women. These four women must somehow, amongst themselves, coordinate all the grant writing, mentors, and events for the students amongst themselves. In a city of over 20,500 females under the age of 19, WHG is finding itself needing more and more financial help. But where do you get this help? Our goal was to create relationships for WHG with a campaign that was clever and 100% different from anything our target had ever seen from a charity before. Oh yeah, and we had zero budget. Bring it.
The Research We pulled from our experiences working for the high-powered female business owners of Rochester, and also studied the current advertising campaigns of our competition--that is, other non profits in the city. After all, this philanthropic target could give to anyone--we wanted to convince them to give to us. We also closely questioned WHG itself to find out what they admired about larger non-profits, and what their goals were.
The Deliverable We developed a dirt-cheap print campaign for WHG that was bright and heavily typographic, playing off the organization’s current logo. These print pieces were designed to be printed on a home printer, and plastered guerilla-style all over the city. To relate the print campaign to our target (who often was too busy to notice it on the streets), we developed direct mail pieces in bright, WHG branded envelopes to catch their attention. The letters inside had nothing to do with asking for money--they simply praised the target’s intelligence and ambition, and acknowledged their success. The second part of this campaign involved asking businesswomen to come and give lectures to the girls of WHG. This promoted camaraderie and established a relationship. Finally, we developed an idea for a series of Rochester-themed events. Since WHG knew the city and its culture so closely, they would be a figurative as well as literal gateway to interesting pieces of the Rochester social landscape.
*INSIGHT PROMISE
“A gateway to connection with the city, its people, and its success.”
THE POINT We wanted to appeal to people’s intelligence...not their pity. Most charities asked for large donations point-blank, and this approach was so overdone that it wouldn’t have worked with our target market. By directly approaching and acknowledging our successful and strong target audience, by looking them in the eye and saluting them, and by being their go-to relationship manager when it came to Rochester, NY--WHG would be able to secure their friendship and patronage.
“I want to actively affect the success of my city, by contributing to a cause I empathize with.”
Both the print campaign and the direct mail piece were designed to be artful and eye-catching, printed on bright papers and, in the case of the piece on the right, mailed in brightly colored envelopes..
The envelope was designed to be eye-catching, and stand out amongst a pile of otherwise boring office mail
Lauren DixonCEODixon & Schwabl 1595 Moseley Rd.Victor, NY 14564
You can see I’m all about the process.
As a hungry, thinking Account Planner, I’m more than just the brains behind the operation. I’m also the Vice President of Coordination, the Representative of Creative, and sometimes--the Senator of Sanity. I embrace the idea of working with ideas, and with the people who have them.
Idea people like me too. Here’s some nice things they’ve said about me.
“Lili is an extremely dedicated and driven individual, who takes pride in each job she does. She was able to immerse herself in the jobs that she was given and never shied away from the challenges thrown in her path. Lili...became someone her team viewed as a leader. Her positive attitude and desire to learn more made her a go to person when work needed to be done. Lili would be an asset to anyone who is looking for a dedicat-ed Account Planner, and I highly recommend her.” -Melissa Smith, Project Manager, Partners + Napier
“Lili is great to work with - smart, accomodating, fast and used her initiative to fill any uncertainties...and she also has tonnes of enthusiasm which I love.” -John Roberts, Chief Strategy Officer, Partners + Napier
“Lili’s intelligence, talent and quick wit made her an asset to our agency...” -Carrie Krasucki, HR Manager, Partners + Napier
Education Advertising/Public Relations B.S. August 2011 Concentration in Writing StudiesRochester Institute of Technology
Professional Photographic Illustration A.A.S. May 2009Rochester Institute of Technology
Experience
Partners + Napier Rochester OfficeAccount Planning Assistant May 2010 - August 2010 -Developed two creative briefs for Kodak products, revealed in Jan. ‘11 -Created competitive review decks for Kodak, Basuch & Lomb, Sorrento, Friendship Brands, and Constellation Brands. -Crafted strategy and layout plan for P + N internship program website -Consumer research using iconoculture, 4A’s, and face-to-face interviewing
Roberts Communications Account Coordinator August 2011–June 2012 -Handle day-to-day administrative activities including billing, budgeting, estimating, job closing and opening, and meeting coordination. -Utilized Advantage, WebVantage, and AdAssist to provide up to date reporting on client projects. -Worked directly with Xerox sales representatives to coordinate and implement Xerox-branded events nationwide and in Canada. -Created, trafficked, and delivered final pieces to clients in the realm of brochures, pull-ups, billboards (digital and traditional), research, RFP’s, creative briefs, concept boards, corporate advertisements, event materials, direct mail and e-mail campaigns (through Business Builder, Constant Contact, and Exact Target.)
Office of Parking & Transportation, Rochester Institute of TechnologyStudent Marketing Strategy Specialist April 2011-present -Wrote long-term strategy for all department communications to the student body -Developed a strategic campaign to increase campus shuttle ridership -Led numerous presentations to Facilities Management executives -Drafted proposals for changes to parking and shuttle rules, regulations, and scheduling -Created extensive research surveys and studies to better understand RIT’s students
Liliya Plotkina585.354.2456