writing recommendations

Business Writing: POVs &

RecommendationsBy Ariel Vinizki

March.15.2017

TODAYWhat this is.

• An approach to writing such documents

• A subjective opinion

• A suggestion

• A presentation

What this is NOT.• The way to approach writing such documents

• Rigorously tested

• A decree

• An entertaining presentation

OUR TRIPI. FundamentalsII. The StructureIII.Exercise AIV. The ProcessV. Exercise BVI.Questions?

OUR TRIPI. FundamentalsII. The StructureIII. Exercise AIV. The ProcessV. Exercise BVI. The Output

I. FUNDAMENTALS

COMPLEXITY CLARITY

BUSINESS vs. CREATIVE WRITING • No flowery language • No jargon • No ‘Scrabble’ words• No fat – e.g. replace –ion words with action verbs (provided protection to becomes protected)

DON’T • …be condescending • …feel the need to ‘sell’ • …forget that you’re a specialist• …point out problems without providing solutions• …presume there isn’t more than one way to skin a cat • …forget it’s the client’s budget

RECOMMENDATION• analysis of options • direction on action(s) to take

OUTPUT:• recommended actionE.g. which TV creative should we run in Q4?

WHAT ARE YOU WRITING?

POINT OF VIEW• assessment of a specific situation that may include a recommendation(s)• opinion on something

OUTPUT: • an analysis and judgementE.g. perspective on a Coke’s new campaign

WHAT ARE YOU WRITING?

II. STRUCTURE

STRUCTURE

1.EXEC

SUMMARY

GIVE ME THE HEADLINE • Make your point• Short (<150 words) • Clear recommended action or perspective • NO rationale, considerations, or assumptions• Appears first – written last

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY e.g.“Position the new product within our Occupy portfolio as a long-lasting chew with oral care benefit. Brand as PEDIGREE® Jumbone® Tartar Twist.”

“Investigate a musical mnemonic for 2016. We do feel it can be beneficial for the brand but want to ensure we are putting the appropriate amount of time into developing something that we feel can become a core element for our brand for years to come. We also want to ensure we are building it with the creative in mind so it can fit seamlessly in the work for 2016 and all future campaigns.”

STRUCTURE

1.EXEC

SUMMARY2.

CONTEXT

WHAT’S HAPPENING?• Assume reader has no background • What is essential for proper comprehension? • Catalyst for the ask? • Frame background to help sell the direction

2. CONTEXT e.g.“The results are in and Door is the spot that will be running in 2013; however, two versions of the spot exist:

- Contortionist, :30 - Lion’s Paw, :30 / :20 / :15

Should both versions be run, or only one? If we use Lion’s Paw, should we only run the :30, or use the :15 as well?”

“Recently Facebook made a change to their algorithm. The result has been significantly less organic reach. As a result, BBDO is providing a POV on how the Visa social strategy needs to be modified.”

STRUCTURE

1.EXEC

SUMMARY2.

CONTEXT3.

RATIONALE

BUILD THE CASE

• Substantiate your conclusion• How did you go about reaching your conclusion? • 3-5 key reasons to have confidence in your direction• State any assumptions or considerations

3. RATIONALE e.g.Recommendation: BBDO recommends running the full :60 second spot in the Super Bowl pre-game vs. using the bonused spots to tease the campaign.Rationale 1. Take advantage of the audience and the event• One Super Bowl a year - let as many people see the spot as possible. The more people who see the ad

– the more potential engagement with the program.2. Don’t try to compete with the event of the Super Bowl by creating an “event” with your advertising.• People are tuning in to see the game. The game is the “event”. Trying to compete with the event of

the Super Bowl with an ad that doesn’t communicate new information will seem confusing and will waste an opportunity to really promote the contest. You need to run the ad in its entirety.

3. Pay homage to the grandeur of the spot.• Our campaign spot will be dramatic, exciting and visually arresting. To run something in advance of

the game that doesn’t hold the same production values or sense of grandeur will seem incongruous and do a disservice to the brand.

4. Give the audience more of what they want.• Viewers love Super Bowl spots so let them see ours twice. The spot will be filled with visual nuances

that people will want to discover over and over. 5. Tease can be a letdown.• To tease with an ad to watch another ad in potentially less than an hour is overkill. A better use of the

media time is to run our ad twice. We will capture the viewer’s attention, get people talking and most importantly have more people see the spot in association with the big event. 

STRUCTURE

1.EXEC

SUMMARY2.

CONTEXT3.

RATIONALE4.

NEXT STEPS

WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

• Ramifications of this document?• Further analysis/investigation? • Action for the agency?

oDetails: Who? When? How much? • Who else needs to receive this info? • Is a meeting warranted?

POINT OF VIEW• A new client has come over from Spain where

they were highly successful in growing the business by appealing to Millennials. He wants BBDO’s POV on signing Cristiano Ronaldo as a spokesperson.

Group A – 3 reasons why that is a good idea.

Group B – 3 reasons why he shouldn’t proceed.

III. EXERCISE A

IV. PROCESS

DON’T WRITE ANYTHING … YET

“THE MISTAKE THAT MANY PEOPLE MAKE IS THEY START WRITING PREMATURELY. THEY WORK OUT THE THOUGHTS AS THEY’RE WRITING, WHICH MAKES THEIR WRITING LESS STRUCTURED, MEANDERING, AND REPETITIVE.”

- BRYAN GARNER, AUTHOR OF 

THE HBR GUIDE TO BETTER BUSINESS WRITING

STEP-BY-STEP

1. REQUEST

DEFINE THE ASK

“IF I HAD AN HOUR TO SOLVE A PROBLEM I'D SPEND 55 MINUTES THINKING ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND 5 MINUTES THINKING ABOUT SOLUTIONS.” - ALBERT EINSTEIN

THE REQUEST

• Who is asking? Why? • Intended uses? • What is the end game? • Implications on the agency? Others?• Known biases? Are you going with the flow?

o If not – make sure you have a strong case and leave room for client to take opposite view w/o ‘tension’

YOUR OWN BIAS• Immediate answer/hypothesis … it’s OK • Build that case out• Do the due diligence on the alternatives• Don’t ignore alternative facts

STEP-BY-STEP

1. REQUEST

2. RESEARCH

LESS SUBJECTIVITY

• Clients like facts and credible third party sources• Sources:

oProprietary research resultsoRelevant global learningo Industry publications – AdAge, Marketing, etc.oAuthorities – Millward Brown, McKinsey, Google, U

of T• Properly source any references

ASK THE EXPERTS

• Agency/network – e.g. ECD input on a creative assessment• Leverage peers - similar examples/cases can be effective• Other agency partners – e.g. media has access to data

STEP-BY-STEP

1. REQUEST

2. RESEARCH

3. WRITE

PROS AND CONS• Simple and useful tool• Identify the alternatives – capture the Pros & Cons for each• Which option has the most Pros?

• Are they the most important Pros?• Are the Cons important? • Can they be addressed?

• What are the risks? • How big are the potential gains?

WRITING SEQUENCE1. Context 2. Rationale 3. Executive Summary 4. Next Steps

RATIONALE SUPPORT

• Causal claims • Comparison claim • Authority claim • Address counter arguments

STEP-BY-STEP

1. REQUEST

2. RESEARCH

3. WRITE

4. EDIT &

PUBLISH

THE DOCUMENT• Letterhead - it’s like putting on a suit• PowerPoint is OK if very visual • Credit your sources!• Read it aloud & have 2 people read it• Email attachment – NOT the email • Who else would benefit? Get client’s OK • Storage – easy to find

RECOMMENDATIONYour client has been losing market share in the Quebec market over the past few years. To reverse this decline they are wondering if they should start producing bespoke creative for the French market.1. What is a key question/consideration you

would investigate?2. Where could you look for some good

objective/quantitative information?3. Who would you want to speak to?

EXERCISE B

VI.QUESTIONS?