alexander rea talks at usf zap 2 (april 13, 2010)

ALEXANDER REA TALKS AT ZAP

ADVERTISING DIGITIAL MEDIA ¶ TUESDAY, APRIL 13TH 2010 ¶ 1 OF 95

F O R T H E S E C O N D T I M E

Before we begin, please check in on Foursquare to:

Alexander Rea Talks at USF ZAP

www.foursquare.com/venue/2481322

ALEXANDER REA TALKS AT ZAP A D V E R T I S I N G D I G I T A L M E D I A ¶ A P R I L 1 3 t h 2 0 1 0 ¶ F O R D I S T R I B U T I O N

Version 1.5

Zimmerman Advertising Program School of Mass Communications



I N T E R A C T I V E S I N C E 1 9 9 0

Alexander remembers when the only social networks were run by companies like CompuServe and you reached those networks with a 2400 baud modem. A self-educated native New Yorker, Alexander found his way to Chicago to work for a dial-up Internet company. He made his way into the ad business and cut his teeth as a front-end developer working for brands that included Sam's Club, Cathay Pacific Airlines and Orbitz. After the reality of the bubble became just a bit too real, he found a variety of work as a security guard, a musician, and even owned a collectibles company. He eventually made his way back into the advertising business and back home to New York City.



I N T E R A C T I V E S I N C E 1 9 9 0

“There is no more new media. It’s media. You can not separate traditional or interactive. It comes in fancy names. Digital. Interactive. Three screens. Social. Call it what you want but understand that a successful campaign must integrate everything.”

- Alexander Rea



A L E X A N D E R ’ S E X P E R I E N C E

❉  1997-2004 ➛  Started with dial-up internet, moved to advertising digital production, started

a toy company, nightclub bouncer

❉  2004-2006 ➛  Managing digital production for advertising agencies, moved to the client-

side at MTV Networks to produce five online stores

❉  2006-2007 ➛  Left client side to go back to small agencies & production shops, started

interactive efforts at The Concept Farm

❉  2007-2010 ➛  Grew The Concept Farm’s interactive group, incorporated The Rea

Company, working for agencies to mange digital production



A L E X A N D E R ’ S P A S T B R A N D S

Y E A R S O F F U N F A C T O I D S

HISTORY



4 0 Y E A R S O L D T H I S W E E K

Internet pioneer Len Kleinrock poses for a portrait next to an Interface Message Processor

“Goofy videos weren't on the minds of Len Kleinrock and his team at UCLA when they began tests over 40 years ago on what would become the Internet. Neither was social networking, for that matter, nor were most of the other easy-to-use applications that have drawn more than a billion people online.”

Few were paying attention back on Sept. 2, 1959, when about 20 people gathered in Kleinrock's lab at the University of California, Los Angeles, to watch as two bulky computers passed meaningless test data through a 15-foot gray cable.

❉  1970’s ➛ Email

❉  1980’s ➛ Address system like .com

and .org

❉  1990’s ➛ Tim Berners-Lee invents the Web ➛ American Online, CompuServe and

Prodigy provide millions with access for the first time

From Anick Jesdanun’s August 31st AP article, “As Internet turns 40, barriers threaten its growth”



E - M A I L B E F O R E B R E A K F S T

“Things that I thought were unacceptable a few years ago are now commonplace in my house,” she said, “like all four of us starting the day on four computers in four separate rooms.”

From Brad Stones August 9th New York Times article, “Breakfast Can Wait. The Day’s First Stop Is Online.”

“It used to be you woke up, went to the bathroom, maybe brushed your teeth and picked up the newspaper,” said Naomi S. Baron, a professor of linguistics at American University, who has written about technology’s push into everyday life. “But what we do first now has changed dramatically. I’ll be the first to admit: the first thing I do is check my e-mail.”

Even Jesse, 5, has started asking each morning if he can play games on his father’s iPhone. And Mr. Steyer said he constantly feels the tug of waiting messages on his BlackBerry, even during morning hours that are reserved for family time.

T H I N G S Y O U M I G H T W A N T T O K N O W

PRODUCTION



P R O D U C T I O N T H I N G S Y O U M I G H T W A N T T O K N O W

❉  The types of companies out there include: ➛  The old guard traditional advertising agencies that are making the

sometime painful transition to digital such as: •  OGILVY •  SAATCHI & SAATCHI •  WIEDEN & KENNEDY •  LEO BURNETT

➛  Smaller digitally centric agencies that have taken a bite out of the old guard’s profit margins such as:

•  BIG SPACESHIP •  FIRSTBORN •  STRAWBERRY FROG •  AKQA

➛  Even smaller production shops that are digital centric, started by technologists and server the needs of both such as:

•  B-REEL •  FUEL INDUSTRIES




❉  New Campaign/Application ➛  Web, mobile, kiosk[…]?

➛  Multi-language?

➛  Ads served?

➛  CMS (Content Management System)?

➛  Who will maintain after launch?

➛  How will it look?

➛  How will people interact with the technology?

➛  Define air-tight Statement of Work

❉  Enhancing/Upgrading ➛  Why the enhancement? ➛  Examine the current UX ➛  Audit and document




❉  Design Within Limits/Manage Expectations ➛  Each platform has it’s own unique characteristics

➛  Remember the LCD (Lowest Common Denominator) – the user out there with the oldest computer and slowest connection

➛  Is embedded media appropriate?

❉  Quiz! ➛  The majority of users browsing your web page will be using what

operating system on their desktop computer?

➛  What is the highest resolution you should design for that user?

R E A D Y F O R P R I M E T I M E

SOCIALIZING



C H E C K I N G I N

❉  Share your experiences ❉  Value based system ❉  Ability for you to receive location specific

content



S O C I A L I Z I N G : R E A D Y F O R P R I M E T I M E

❉  Everyone’s a Broadcaster – Good and Bad Depending Who You Are ➛  Search Twitter for #fail ➛  April 2009, Amazon catalog error causes outrage ➛  June 2009, Iran election riots reported live from Iran tagged #iranelection.

NYT reports that people are not only reporting about Iran but also how CNN is failing to report about it and tagging those tweets with #CNNfail

➛  Dell offers Twitter exclusive deals ➛  Dominos responds to YouTube food prank after Twitter outrage ➛  SciFi Channel defends brand shift to Syfy against tweets tagged #syfy ➛  Comcast incorporates Twitter searching into their CRM, other’s follow ➛  As public tweets about bad customer service, the company targeted responds



S O C I A L I Z I N G : R E A D Y F O R P R I M E T I M E

❉  Comment, re-tweet ➛  How can you become a “star commenter” ➛  Build social capital or “whuffie”

❉  Social Mojo ➛  What is your true social mojo?

❉  Tweetmeme ➛  Re-tweet hottest stories



Y O U ’ R E D E A D . S O S A Y S T W I T T E R .

“Viruses may spread quickly on the Internet, but hoaxes can be pretty contagious, too. In the same week that Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson died, the Web became a hotbed of made-up death reports about various celebrities.”

From Monica Corcoran’s August 9th New York Times article, “Death by Cliff Plunge, With a Push From Twitter.”

“What started out as a prank soon took on a life of its own. Twitter users retweeted the item, and the community became an echo chamber. Facebook members chimed in.”

“We got a phone call from a friend who read it on Facebook, that’s how we found out,” said Mr. [George] Clooney’s publicist,



T H E Z E I T G E I S T

❉  Twitscoop ➛  Watch the trends live on the cloud, tweet

from your account. ➛  Never reload your page ➛  Hot trends



T H E Z E I T G E I S T

❉  Trendr ➛  Automate tracking and reporting around

social and digital media. Garner real time ROI and actionable data

❉  Curatorr ➛  See the conversation real-time

P L A T F O R M S

PRODUCTION PROCESS



P L A T F O R M S

❉  Mobile Phones ➛  iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad ➛  Google Android OS (Droid, HTC, and more)

❉  Desktops ➛  Mac OS browsers ➛  Windows OS browsers

❉  Tablets ➛  iPad ➛  And everything that will chase it



P L A T F O R M S : W H O I S U S I N G W H A T ?

Samples from the March 2010 Global Web Stats from 35,074 websites at W3Counter



P L A T F O R M S : S T E V E J O B S K N O W S

Some appearances of Jobs on the cover of Time



P L A T F O R M S : T H E I P H O N E

❉  Released June 29, 2007 ➛  In less than three years it has changed everything ➛  64% mobile browser market ➛  50 million iPhones sold (+35 million iPod Touches – same OS) ➛  What do you know that has copied it?

Data from the 4/8/10 keynote release of iPhone OS 4.0

S O M E N I C E V I S U A L S

PRODUCTION PROCESS



C O M P L E T E P R O C E S S

Strategy & Brand Stewardship, Relationship LeaderClientService

Project Management

Consulting

Creative

Tech

Analytics Learning Agenda, Success Metrics, Measurement & Enablement Planning, Platform Instrumentation, QA, Post Live QA,

QA

Use Cases

QA Requirements Test Plan Development Q A Testing andBug Reporting

FeasibilityReviews

ApplicationDesign

Data/Objects models

Hosting Environment Integration

Scope, Cost, Risk, Change, Communications and Resource Management

DISCOVERY AND DEFINITION

BUSINESS CUSTOMER

R E Q U I R E M E N T S G AT H E R I N GA N D D E F I N I T I O N S

BRAND

Content andFunctionality

Inventory

TechnicalAssessment

Success MetricsDefi nition

QA Test Plan

BusinessRequirements

CompetitiveAnalysis

Review ofMarket Research

Site Traffi cAnalysis

Brand and LegalRequirements

DESIGNH I G H - L E V E L D E S I G N

Creative Brief

= User Involvement

Site Map

Creative Concepts

Wireframes

Home Page& Paper Prototype

Testing

I TE R AT I O N

S I T EI M P L E M E N TAT I O N

R E S O U R C E S

Style Guide

UI Specifi cation

BuildConsultation

D E TA I L E D D E S I G N

Refi ne HomePage Concept

HTML PrototypeDevelopment

Functional Flows

HTML Code Quality AssuranceGraphic Assets

WireframeModifi cation

ExpandedWireframe

Development

Prototype UsabilityTesting

Visual Design Copy Development

Migrate toStaging Server

Final Pre-LiveTest

Final UserAcceptance

LAUNCH

Measurement& Analytics

PerformanceOptimization

NetworkProgram

IntergrationOriginal DigitalProgramming

UserExperience

Optimization

PhasedChannelRollout

BrandDistribution

& Media

PROMOTIONSSPONSORSHIPS

ADVERTISING

OPTIMIZATION ANDMANAGEMENT

Asset Library Content DisplayRules

BUILD

Page Build

DatabaseBuild Bycle

ApplicationLogic Build Cycle

Testing



S T E P 1 : D I S C O V E R Y & D E F I N I T I O N

20 DAYS

BUSINESS CUSTOMER

R E Q U I R E M E N T S G AT H E R I N GA N D D E F I N I T I O N S

BRAND

Content andFunctionality

Inventory

TechnicalAssessment

Success MetricsDefi nition

QA Test Plan

BusinessRequirements

CompetitiveAnalysis

Review ofMarket Research

Site Traffi cAnalysis

Brand and LegalRequirements



S T E P 2 : H I G H - L E V E L D E S I G N

20 DAYSH I G H - L E V E L D E S I G N

Site Map

Creative Concepts

Wireframes

Home Page& Paper Prototype

Testing

Creative Brief

= User Involvement

I TE R AT I O N



S T E P 3 : D E T A I L E D D E S I G N A N D I M P L E M E N T A T I O N

D E TA I L E D D E S I G N S I T EI M P L E M E N TAT I O N

R E S O U R C E SI T E R A T I O N

Refi ne HomePage Concept

HTML PrototypeDevelopment

Functional Flows

HTML Code Quality AssuranceGraphic Assets

WireframeModifi cation

ExpandedWireframe

Development

Prototype UsabilityTesting

Visual Design Copy Development

Style Guide

UI Specifi cation

BuildConsultation

DESIGN

= User Involvement



S T E P 4 : B U I L D & L A U N C H

Migrate toStaging Server

Final Pre-LiveTest

Final UserAcceptance

LAUNCH

Measurement& Analytics

PerformanceOptimization

NetworkProgram

IntergrationOriginal DigitalProgramming

UserExperience

Optimization

PhasedChannelRollout

BrandDistribution

& Media

PROMOTIONSSPONSORSHIPS

ADVERTISING

OPTIMIZATION ANDMANAGEMENT

Asset Library Content DisplayRules

BUILD

Page Build

DatabaseBuild Bycle

ApplicationLogic Build Cycle

Testing

W I R E S A N D F L O W S

PRODUCTION PROCESS




❉  Garret Information Architecture (IA)

!"#$

%&'(#$LOGIN

!

YES

NO

IP DETECT

IP DETECT

PERSONALIZED DISPLAY

" #

EMAIL

PREVIEW

MODULES

MEDIA

NEWS

DEFAULT DISPLAY

MEDIA NEWS

$

!"#$%&$'"()*+

,"-.$-*

1. USERS VISIT

PORTAL FROM

WS.COM

2. WS DB IS PINGED

TO QUALIFY USER

DATA

3. INFOSPACE CMS

PROVIDES

MANAGEMENT

POINT

4. PERSONALIZED

DISPLAY OF

MODULES

WEB

BASED

EMAIL

$)*+,-

*).+/)"0

1,"23)"

DEFAULT

MODULES

LOGIN




❉  Flowcharts can be made in PowerPoint

HOMEPAGE MOSIAC

SEARCH RESULTS

INTRO SOCIAL

NETWORKS

INDIVIDUAL PHOTOS

PHOTO UPLOAD

PROCESS

THANK YOU EMAIL



P R O J E C T M A N A G E M E N T T O O L S

❉  Industry standard applications

MS Project Merlin Basecamp



K N O W T H I S T E C H A N D H O W T H E Y R E L A T E

❉  Familiarity with the functionality of back-end applications like the ones listed here will give you a better understanding of how the most popular online services work and are maybe more similar than you might have thought

(Joomla) (Drupal) (GPL) (Wordpress)

(Linux) (Apache)

O P E N T H E W O R L D O F D A T A T O D E V E L O P E R S

OPEN DATA



O P E N D A T A

❉  Raw data of life ➛  NYC Data Mine

•  TRANSPARENT •  ACCESSIBLE •  ACCOUNTABLE

➛  Building applications to help humanity ➛  TED Talk

•  TIM BERNERS LEE

T R A V E L O N L I N E W I T H O N L Y O N E U S E R I D

ONE USER ID



O N E U S E R I D : T R A V E L A R O U N D W I T H O N L Y O N E U S E R I D

❉  The Future of Social Networks ➛  Two sets of rules/standards exist

•  FACEBOOK CONNECT •  NEW “OPEN STACK”

Consortium of players including Google, MySpace, Plaxo, and Yahoo! are following standards, for example:

•  MySpace ID •  Google Friend Connect •  LinkedIn Applications

From Charlene Li’s Presentation at SXSW 2009. Download the presentation from SlideShare.




❉  Imagine the possibility of traveling around online without the need to log in to each website. ➛  Your behavior is tracked ➛  Content and ads are served up to you based on where you go and what you do

•  LOOKING FOR CARS? YOU WILL SEE CAR ADS ON YOUR FAVORITE WEBSITES.

➛  Is this scary?

From Charlene Li’s Presentation at SXSW 2009. Download the presentation from SlideShare.




❉  Facebook ➛  Not for kids. Really. ➛  Developing a platform as more of a second internet. Brands are building

complete “websites” within Facebook •  SEE AND LIKE EINSTEIN BROTHERS

➛  Social selling •  YOU ARE MORE LIKELY TO BUY A PRODUCT IF A FRIEND OF YOURS HAS

ALREADY BOUGHT IT ➛  Why should a brand invest in a website or microsite when they could build

within Facebook and leverage the social sharing and social selling capability?




❉  Aggregate multiple accounts into one application ➛  There are several popular choices out there ➛  One is Tweetdeck. Update Twitter and Facebook from one desktop application ➛  Tweetdeck uses Adobe Air. New software that enables you to develop

applications that can run on Windows or Mac ➛  Also Facebook applications allow you to update Twitter from within Facebook ➛  Many new options are published daily



S O C I A L P L A T F O R M S : R E A D Y F O R P R I M T E T I M E




❉  Crackle Movies and Television ➛  Seven 15 or 30sec throughout entire movie

I S A N Y O N E U S I N G Y O U R A P P L I C A T I O N ?

ANALYTICS



A N A L Y T I C S

❉  Omniture ➛  Industry-leading products that provide

marketers with one place to measure, analyze, and optimize integrated data from all online initiatives across multiple marketing channels

➛  Real-time ➛  Price of entry is high ➛  Learn more about Omniture

❉  Google ➛  Getting better year after year ➛  Free ➛  Anyone can setup ➛  Even though it is free it does have goals and

funnels ➛  Learn more about Google Analytics



A N A L Y T I C S : A L E X A N D E R R E A . C O M F R O M G O O G L E

E V E R Y B O D Y W A N T S I T

VIRALITY



W H A T I S V I R A L ?

Viral The buzzwords viral marketing and viral advertising refer to marketing techniques that use

pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives (such as product sales) through self-replicating viral processes, analogous

to the spread of pathological and computer viruses. It can be word-of-mouth delivered or enhanced by the network effects of the Internet. Viral promotions may take the form of video clips, interactive Flash games, advergames, ebooks, brandable software, images, or even text

messages. The basic form of viral marketing is not infinitely sustainable.



V I R A L I T Y : E V E R Y B O D Y W A N T S I T

❉  Every client wants it ❉  Does it fit the brand? ❉  What makes something viral?

➛  Funny ➛  Embarrassing ➛  Nudity ➛  Stupidity ➛  And… ➛  And…

T A K E O N E D A I L Y

DIGEST



T A K E O N E D A I L Y : E - M A I L L I S T S

A P I I N T E G R A T I O N M A K E S I T L I M I T L E S S

BRAND THE CONTENT



W H A T I S V I R A L ?

Application Program Interfaces Application programming interface (API) is an interface in computer science that

defines the ways by which an application program may request services from libraries and/or operating systems. An API determines the vocabulary and calling

conventions the programmer should employ to use the services. It may include specifications for routines, data structures, object classes and protocols used to

communicate between the requesting software and the library.



A P I I N T E G R A T I O N M A K E S I T L I M I T L E S S

❉  YouTube ❉  Facebook Connect ❉  Flickr ❉  Twitter ❉  Bump ❉  New York Times (Watch 3 Minute Ad Age) ❉  Some Creative Uses:

➛  CP+B new website beta ➛  Skittles: Interview the Rainbow ➛  Modernista

A R E Y O U / T H E Y S A F E ?

“FREEDOM”



A R E Y O U / T H E Y S A F E ?

❉  Google sued by outted blogger over “expectation of anonymity” ➛  Google ordered by federal judge to release blogger identity under a

defamation claim

❉  Wikipedia testing new method to curb false information ➛  Anyone can log in and modify and entry ➛  Now the account background will be visible on changes

E A S Y

CREATE YOUR OWN TODAY



E A S Y A S S U N D A Y M O R N I N G

❉  Tumblr ➛  Web based ➛  Easy to template ➛  Setup in less than ten minute ➛  Friends

❉  Blogger ➛  Integrates with Google account

❉  Wordpress ➛  Web based or download

❉  Facebook ➛  Pages are customizable ➛  Friends

N O Q U E S T I O N T O S M A L L

CLOSING



T H A N K Y O U

Special thanks to Eric Ritter, Coby O’Brien and USF for the opportunity to present to you last week.

Please do not hesitate to contact me anytime. No question is too small and it would be a pleasure to help you.

All the best as you continue your career in advertising.

The Appendix contains a few case studies that you might find interesting.

Sincerely, Alexander Rea (646) 415-2727 Follow me on Twitter at @alexanderrea [email protected]

S O M E W O R K O F A L E X A N D E R ’ S A T T H E C O N C E P T F A R M

APPENDIX

BMWMOTORCYCLES.COM REBUILD CASE HISTORY


SITUATION REDESIGN/BUILD OBJECTIVES

OBSTACLES SOLUTIONS FINAL BUILD

TECHNICAL SPECS RESULTS


69 of 95

SITUATION

THE SITE WE INHERITED WAS STALE. IT WAS NEITHER ADAPTIVE NOR AGILE ENOUGH TO KEEP PACE WITH THE MYRIAD OF NEWS, EVENTS, PROGRAMS, ANNOUNCMENTS, AND PROMOTIONS BMW NEEDED TO COMMUNICATE.

THE VARIETY OF MESSAGES BOMBARDING THE USER SIMULTANEOUSLY WAS OVERWHELMING, BUT WE STILL NEEDED THE ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE MORE, FASTER.


70 of 95

REDESIGN/BUILD OBJECTIVES

CREATE AN INDUSTRY LEADING WEBSITE

HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY TO COMMUNICATE NEWS, PROMOTIONS, AND NEW CONTENT

GATHER POTENTIAL LEADS AND BUILD NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIPTION BASE

INCORPORATE INTERNATIONAL, NATIONAL AND DEALER COMMUNICATIONS

ORGANIZE AND DISPLAY ALL BMW MODELS

STREAMLINE PUBLISHING PROCESS FOR MORE TIMELY POSTING


71 of 95

OBSTACLES

MAINTAIN STRICT BMW BRAND STANDARDS

KEEP “BIG BROTHER” (BMW AG) HAPPY

LEAD TIME FOR DEVELOPING AND POSTING COMMUNICATIONS WAS OFTEN NON-EXISTENT

BMW HAD 17+ MODELS SPANNING 3 MODEL YEARS IT WANTED TO SHOWCASE

NO TECHNICAL SUPPORT FROM BMW

NO DOCUMENTATION FOR SITE EXISTED


72 of 95

SOLUTIONS/HOMEPAGE

ROTATING HEADER: ALLOWED FOR 3 MAIN COMMUNICATIONS, WITH UP TO 3 RELEVANT SUBCOMMUNICATIONS. THIS PRESENTED UP TO 9 MESSAGES SIMULTANEOUSLY WITHOUT OVERWHELMING THE USER.

UPFRONT NEWS & UPDATES REGISTRATION: INSTANT LEAD GATHERING. ALL RELEVANT INFORMATION FOR THOSE CONSUMERS INTERESTED IN NEWS AND INFORMATION ON BMW BIKES, EVENTS, AND MOTORSPORTS ACTIVITES WAS AUTOMATICALLY SENT TO THE DEALER NETWORK.


73 of 95

SOLUTIONS/BIKE SELECTOR

WE ALLOWED THE USER TO FIRST SELECT A “FAMILY” OF BMW BIKES FROM THE FIVE LINES THEY BUILT.

ONCE WITHIN A FAMILY, THE RELEVANT MODELS APPEARED, ALLOWING THEM TO PICK A SPECIFIC BIKE.

THEY WERE THEN ABLE TO ACCESS ALL MODEL INFORMATION, INCLUDING A 360 VIEW, ON A MODEL SPECIFIC MACHINE PAGE.


74 of 95

FINAL BUILD

THE SITE LAUNCHED SMOOTHLY AND PROVED TO BE A GREAT SUCCESS FOR BMW, ALSO MAKING LIFE AT BMW AND THE CONCEPT FARM EASIER.

THE SITE HAD A CLEAR HEIRARCHY AND CONTENT APPEARED IN A RELEVANT FASHION.

CONSISENT PLACMENT OF NEWS AND PROMOTIONAL MESSAGES ALONG WITH NEW FUNCTIONS PROVED ESPECIALLY EFFECTIVE IN LAUNCHING BIKE MODELS AND PROMOTING MAJOR EVENTS.

BMW.CONCEPTFARM.COM


75 of 95

TECHNICAL SPECS

J2EE PLATFORM WITH AN ORACLE DATABASE

REVERSE ENGINEERED JSP AND ORACLE RELATIONSHIP WITHOUT DOCUMENTATION

BUILT CUSTOM MIDDLEWARE TO COMMUNICATE BETWEEN ORACLE AND FLASH

REBUILT TEMPLATE ARCHITECTURE

INTEGRATED THIRD PARTY VENDOR CONTENT AND FILE EXCHANGE PROTOCOLS


76 of 95

RESULTS

WITH THE NEW SITE, WE WERE ABLE TO POST CONTENT FASTER, COMMUNICATE TOP NEWS STORIES AND PROMOTIONS CLEARLY, AND UPDATE MODEL INFORMATION WITH EASE.

TRAFFIC TO THE SITE INCREASED AND THE EFFICACY OF SALES PROMOTIONS IMPROVED, WITHOUT SUPPORT FROM OTHER MEDIA.

THE SITE AND RELATED PROMOTIONS WERE THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT SOURCE OF LEADS, ACCOUNTING FOR OVER 80% OF THE 75,000+ REGISTRATIONS GATHERED IN 2008.

EVENT AND IN-DEALER REGISTRATIONS ACCOUNTED FOR THE REMAINING 20%.

NESTLE GATHEROUND CASE HISTORY


SITUATION BUILD OBJECTIVES




SITUATION

BRINGING BRAND VALUES TO LIFE FROM THE INSIDE OUT.

NESTLE’S PRIMARY CONSUMER MARKETING PROGRAMS WERE GEARED TOWARDS BUILDING CONNECTIONS WITH FAMILIES AND SUPPORTING FAMILY VALUES.

BY ‘LIVING’ THESE BRAND VALUES INTERNALLY EMPLOYEES WOULD BE MORE CONNECTED AS A NESTLE FAMILY AND MORE EFFECTIVELY IMPLEMENT MARKETING PROGRAMS AT ALL LEVELS.

PAST ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS HAD NOT BEEN SUCCESSFUL. THERE WAS RISK OF THIS SITE BEING PERCEIVED AS YET ANOTHER CORPORATE ‘CHEERLEADING’ PROGRAM.


BUILD OBJECTIVES

EMPLOYEE AMBASSADORS. MOTIVATED. ENGAGED. CONNECTED.

ENGAGE EMPLOYEES WITH THE COMPANY, ITS VISION AND ITS LEADERS AS WELL AS WITH OTHER EMPLOYEES.

BUILD A SUSTAINABLE OPT-IN COMMUNITY THAT EMPLOYEES PERCEIVED AS THEIR OWN.

ALL LEVELS OF MANAGEMENT COULD INTERACT AND ENGAGE.

LEVERAGE THE EXISTING COMPANY INTRANET. (NIKITA)

SIMPLE AND AFFORDABLE SYSTEM OF CONTENT CREATION AND MANAGEMENT.


OBSTACLES

‘OH NO, NOT ANOTHER DUMB THING I HAVE TO DO.’

EMPLOYEES GENERALLY CYNICAL ABOUT CORPORATE MORALE BUILDING PROGRAMS

HISTORY OF POOR PARTICIPATION

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS AND FACILITIES NEEDED TO BE BROUGHT TOGETHER

STRICT CORPORATE GUIDELINES ON NIKITA PARAMETERS AND EMPLOYEE WEB USAGE

6000 EMPLOYEES WITH ACCESS TO AN ALREADY ‘BUSY’ INTRANET EXPERIENCE.


SOLUTIONS

CONCEPT FARM CREATED A HIGH INVOLVEMENT MINI SITE THAT ENHANCES THE NIKITA USAGE EXPERIENCE.

CALLED “GATHEROUND” IT IS AN EMOTIONALLY RELEVANT CREATIVE PLATFORM • FOR EMPLOYEES, BY EMPLOYEES (EMPLOYEE-GENERATED CONTENT) • INFORMAL, CONVERSATIONAL COMMUNICATION • FRESH, FAST, MODERN

A SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY WHICH EMPLOYEES PERCEIVE AS THEIR OWN AND FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH.

ALL LEVELS OF MANAGEMENT CAN INTERACT AND ENGAGE.

SIMPLE USER FRIENDLY PLATFORM.


SOLUTIONS

INTRODUCED TO EMPLOYEES BY THE CEO

TOP MANAGEMENT REGISTERED AND ACTIVE IN THE COMMUNITY

EMPLOYEES TAKE CENTER STAGE…THE FACE AND MC’S OF GATHEROUND

GROUPS AND FORUMS ORGANIZED BY EMPLOYEES TO BUILD PARTICIPATION AND ENTHUSIASM

ON GOING PROMOTIONAL PROGRAMS TO ENCOURAGE SIGN-UP AND PARTICIPATION

RELEVANT “FAMILY” ORIENTED EMPLOYEE DRIVEN CONTENT DRIVES: • KIDS ART SHOW • PET SHOWS • RECIPE CONTESTS.

CONSTANT EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION AND COMMUNICATION


FINAL BUILD

NESTLE.CONCEPTFARM.COM


TECHNICAL SPECS

A CUSTOM CMS BUILT IN .NET WITH A MS SQL DATABASE

FLASH USED FOR NAVIGATION AND CAMPAIGN UNITS

FLASH READS FROM MS SQL

CUSTOM BUILT COMMUNITY MODULES


RESULTS

GATHEROUND EMBRACED AS PART OF THE CULTURE. A REGULAR PART OF THE DAY.

YEAR I METRICS: 4,410 UNIQUE EMPLOYEE VISITS – 75% OF REACHABLE BASE 15,055 VISITS RETURN VISITORS – 71% NEW VISITORS – 29%

ACTIVE INVOLVED CORE CONSTITUENCY: 911 PROFILES CREATED (21% CONVERSION)

HIGHLY ENGAGED USERS: 200,975 PAGE VIEWS 13.35 AVERAGE PAGEVIEWS 5MIN 58SEC AVERAGE TIME SPENT

TRW.COM REBUILD CASE HISTORY


88 of 95

SITUATION REDESIGN/BUILD OBJECTIVES




89 of 95

SITUATION

IN 2008, NEW MARKETING LEADERSHIP AT TRW HIRED THE CONCEPT FARM TO TAKE THE BADLY NEGLECTED TRW WEB SITE FROM AN ONLINE PARTS CATALOGUE, TO THE #1 GLOBAL SALES TOOL FOR THE $16 BILLION COMPANY. THE NEW WEB SITE WAS TO BE REBUILT FROM THE GROUND UP TO REFLECT TRW’S CORPORATE REPOSITIONING AS THE WORLD’S LEADING “COGNITIVE SAFETY SYSTEMS” PROVIDER.

BELOW IS TRW.COM BEFORE THE CONCEPT FARM REDESIGN


90 of 95

REDESIGN/BUILD OBJECTIVES

THE NEW SITE NEEDED TO INTRODUCE “COGNITIVE SAFETY SYSTEMS” AS THE COMPANY’S DRIVING DIFFERENTIATOR WORLDWIDE.

THE SITE NEEDED TO BE FLEXIBLE ENOUGH TO INTRODUCE THE INTEGRATED SYSTEMS THAT BEST EXEMPLIFIED TRW’S LEADERSHIP, YET BE DEEP ENOUGH TO ACCOMMODATE NAVIGATION EASILY THROUGH THE THOUSANDS OF EVER CHANGING PRODUCTS.

THE SITE NEEDED TO BE ROBUST ENOUGH TO ACCOMMODATE EASE OF NAVIGATION THROUGH MEDIA, INVESTOR, SYSTEM ALALYSIS, AND NEWS SECTIONS.

THE SITE WILL NEED TO ACCOMMODATE YEARS OF TRW EXPANSION GLOBALLY.

FINALLY, THE SITE NEEDED TO BE EASILY UPDATABLE BY TRW MARKETING, PR, AND INVESTOR RELATIONS PERSONNEL.


91 of 95

OBSTACLES

THE OLD TRW WEBSITE WAS VERY DISORGANIZED. THE CONCEPT FARM WAS TASKED WITH DIGESTING A VAST AMOUNT OF INORMATION AND DISPLAYING IT IN A REASONABLE AND NAVIGABLE WAY.

1,000’S OF PARTS NEEDED TO BE ORGANIZED IN A WAY THAT COINCIDED WITH THE FOCUS OF THE COMPANY.

THE SITE WAS:

DIFFICULT TO NAVIGATE

NON-COMPLIANT WITH MANY BROWSERS

HAMPERED BY AN OUT-OF-DATE CMS

REGARDED AS A PARTS CATALOG INSTEAD OF A SOURCE OF INFORMATION


92 of 95

SOLUTIONS

WE REDESIGNED THE SITE ARCHITECTURE TO:

•  REFLECT THE COMPANY’S GLOBAL BUSINESS STRATEGY

•  CONVEY A CLEAR HIERARCHY OF INFORMATION FOR EASY NAVIGATION

•  SHOWCASE LEADERSHIP IN INTEGRATED SAFETY SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS

•  MOVE TRW FROM AN OUT-OF-DATE CMS AND ENTERPRISE BACKEND TO THAT OF A OPEN-SOURCE BACKEND AND A COMMUNITY-SUPPORTED CMS

•  BE VISUALLY STIMULATING & ENGAGING


93 of 95

FINAL BUILD

3D CAR PARTS EXPLODED VIEW

CONTENT DRILL-DOWN

TRW.COM


94 of 95

TECHNICAL SPEC

MOVED TRW FROM AN OUT OF DATE CMS AND ENTERPRISE BACKEND TO AN OPEN SOURCE BACKEND WITH A COMMUNITY SUPPORTED CMS

GUIDED TRW’S I.T. TEAM INTO THE WORLD OF OPEN SOURCE

THE CONCEPT FARM DESIGN THE W.A.M.P ENVIRONMENT WITH SUBVERSION AND WORKED WITH TRW’S I.T. TO SETUP

SUBVERSION CONTROLED FROM THE CONCEPT FARM’S OFFICE

DRUPAL CMS WITH CUSTOM MODULES

FLASH EXPLODED PARTS FEATURE APPLICATION ON HOME PAGE INCORPORAING 3D REDNERED VIDEO

INTEGRATED WITH THREE 3RD PARTY CONTENT PROVIDERS

PHP INCLUDES TO CONTROL TEMPLATE ON 3RD PARTY SERVERS

NAVIGATION BUILT BY JSON AND JQUERY ASSITED AJAX


95 of 95

RESULTS

AS THE SITE ROLLED OUT IN DECEMBER OF 2008, IT WAS CLEAR THAT IT WOULD BE AN IMMEDIATE SUCCESS FOR THE COMPANY GLOBALLY. DAILY TRAFFIC FROM THE U.S., GERMANY AND CHINA EXCEEDED PREVIOUS SITE TRAFFIC IN THE FIRST WEEK OF OPERATION, AND HAVE CONTINUED TO GROW.

FEEDBACK FROM VOLKSWAGEN, BMW, RENAULT AND FORD HAVE CLEARLY STATED THAT THE SITE HAS CONTRIBUTED TO INCREASE PURCHASES (MILLIONS OF $S)

SALES, MARKETING, PR AND INVESTOR RELATIONS PERSONNEL ARE ON RECORD STATING THAT THE NEW SITE HAS EXCEEDED ALL EXPECTATIONS.

alexander rea talks at usf zap 2 (april 13, 2010)

Documents

alexander rea talks

rea company

zap interactive

advertising agencies

new media

advertising business

s american

internet company