futurem 2014 - the content-powered organization

The (Retail) Content-Powered Organization

# FUTUREM

Patrick Cassidy, New Balance & Ian Fitzpatrick, Almighty @patrickecassidy and @ianfitzpatrick

Hello, I’m Patrick Cassidy. Global Digital Strategy, New Balance

@patrickecassidy

Hello, I’m Ian Fitzpatrick. Chief Strategy Officer, Almighty

@ianfitzpatrick

Together, we’ve evolved from operating in one (wholesale) channel to many.

Six lessons we’ve learned (together and from one another) about making the content we develop more effective:

Six lessons we’ve learned (together and from one another) about making the content we develop more effective:

we are learning

LESSON ONE:

Build a culture that obsesses over the basics.

We have to be careful about talking to ourselves. ’Plush leather upper’ said no one, ever.

Don’t be above anything. As long as it fuels client business results, be open to it.

LESSON TWO:

Treat outside communities as inside communities

We have to think about engagement on a business goal level. What kinds of interactions can we connect to

conversion, and what sorts of ongoing interactions will that require of us?

Great content lives in the margins. Sometimes, our best role is in helping to identify the interesting (and

interested) inside the organization.

LESSON THREE:

Find your organization’s beginner’s mind.

Iterate doesn’t mean anything if we’re not prepared to test. We can improve conversion if we are willing to do the legwork to find out why people aren’t buying a product

(and then develop content to address it).

Don’t be a means agency. When you can be objective about an approach, you’ll build better partnerships.

LESSON FOUR:

Be very valuable to a few rather than loosely relevant to many.

We have to fight the urge to find scale in everything. Determining how we’re going to measure the success of

content upfront is key to having small victories.

From scale limitations, content value. The cost constraints of niche markets allow agencies to flex their

strategic and media thinking in exciting ways.

#Lil’Rambis

LESSON FIVE:

Tap what already exists in the culture around you.

Resist the temptation to lead the way when there’s an emerging crowd to join. This isn’t a call to do more crowdsourcing, but rather a call to stay plugged into the

cultures in which your brand is immersed.

Don’t be precious about where ideas come from — be diligent in shaping the where they end up. Embrace

the truth that ideas are fungible and value comes from connecting them to business value.

LESSON SIX:

Build a proof of concept culture.

Fight the urge to build consensus. Grabbing a camera and chasing an opportunity is often the

best way to sell an idea that would die in committee.

Put skin in the game. Build a relationship that doesn’t constantly hinge on signed SOWs, so you can be part of the spontaneity.

SEEK RELATIONSHIPS THAT:

Are wide, not just deep

Lend themselves to improvisation

Share institutional knowledge

Are accountable for measurement

Obfuscate credit

Embrace small wins

Thank you. Questions?@PATRICKECASSIDY @IANFITZPATRICK