7 Steps to Commercial Insight Graham Hall www.ambitiousbrands.com - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

7 Steps to Commercial Insight

Graham Hall

12th June 2012

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To uncover really useful insights that move your business along, you need to manage your preconceptions, expectations and prejudices. See how shareholders react when you tell them: “Here’s your dividend - now we’re going to change everything” Which is why I often feel like Jack Nicholson in ‘A Few Good Men.’ (1992) when Tom Cruise says “I think we deserve Insights” and I say “You want insights? You can’t handle insights!” A lot of the time, business just wants incremental improvements

• ideas that won’t rock the boat...

What’s an insight?

Susan Boyle has a great voice but what made her special was the m i s s - m a t c h b e t we e n o u r expectations and what came out

• f her mouth.

W h a t w e ’ l l s e e i n t h i s p r e s e n t a t i o n i s h o w preconceptions define the shape

• f our insights.

A real insight can seem like

• anarchy. It over turns the

establishment so why do we need insights? One of the Linkedin groups I’m a member of called ‘Consumer Insights’ has a discussion running which asks people to ‘define insight in one word’ ... When I last looked it was up to 1033 entries.

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7 Steps to Insight

That’s why business has a problem with insights. They change things - and just like Billy Joel - business loves you just the way you are... Before we start on the 7 Steps to Insight, we’d better discuss what an insight is. There seems to be plenty of different interpretations. This is what I call the SuBo

• moment. That first 2 minutes

when an overweight, middle aged person with suspect social skills wanders onto the stage and you say: ‘So impress me’... “A moment's insight is sometimes worth a lifetime's experience”. Oliver Wendell Holmes You can only tell an idea was a real insight by looking to see if it changed anything. My definition of an insight is an idea that changes behaviour.

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Why look for insight if it might change things? Because the alternative is worse... Are you willing to look for an insight that will change the way you do things? Take the card and fill in the line: Area of Insight: ‘I’d like to know how I can.......” As Nietzsche says: “The tigers of wrath are wiser than the horses of instruction.” Woody Allen in Annie Hall (1977) “A relationship, I think, is like a shark. It has to constantly move forward or it dies. And I think what we got on our hands is a dead shark.” Same’s true in business If you’re not different you’re

• generic. If you’re generic, you’re a

c o m m o d i t y. I f y o u ’r e a commodity, you’re all about price. If you’re all about price, you won’t make any money. Small businesses are so frightened

• f being Marmite they end up

being vanilla. But an insight will make you different - in a good way. So that’s an insight - now follow the 7 Steps to Insights. (35 mins = 5 mins each!)

Why we need them...

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7 Steps to Insight

The question is, are you willing to:

• climb out of that trench?
• take a risk on insight?
• turn customers away in order to

gain more loyalty and better margins? “Nothing is more terrible than activity without insight.” Thomas Carlyle So you’ve got to find a way to be different Virgin did it by putting 8 inch screens in the b a c k

• f

headrests. Now you get WiFi - and we still complain!

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Assumptions get in the w ay o f t h e I n s i g h t Process... so try to keep an open mind. Like Lord Leveson as he examines the evidence. But not like Scooby Do! Incurious since 1969... Not saying you need to ditch all

• f your assumptions but you

s h o u l d k n o w w h a t y o u r prejudices are and be willing to question them. Assumptions define the shape of the insight.... Bet you didn’t know women catch the biggest salmon! Why??? In ‘12 Angry Men’ (1957) the jury are convinced of the defendent’s guilt because he owned an elaborately carved knife. Henry Fonda finds the same knife at a nearby store.... Assumptions shape Insights We’ve talked about this already with SuBo. I also like the example of Willy Wonka when he first meets the children Write down some assumptions you hold about your ‘Area of Insight...’ We have a tendency to believe we are right. But this hubris so often leads to ridiculous behaviour. To get us of this rut we need to put ourselves where we don’t ‘Know it all’.... Read Step # 2 and get out of your comfort zone.

Step # 1: Assume nothing...

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7 Steps to Insight

Black Swan Theory - also based

• n hubris... a belief that we know

all the parameters... “ A s e t o f c o n c l u s i o n s i s

potentially undone once any of its fundamental assumptions is disproved”

“Most of our assumptions have outlived their usefulness.” Marshall McLuhan

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Tulip Fever or Sub-Prime mortgages for example ... or the fact there’s lots of water on the moon: something scientist put down to faulty instruments! S o l i c i t o r s a n d accountants assume they have to maintain a professional image - at the expense of being f r i e n d l y a n d

• approachable. Is this

true?

How can you immerse yourself...? How are you going to get closer to your customer? We need to stop thinking in Powerpoint. Disorientate ourselves - make ourselves uncomfortable... Be like Dustin Hoffman in ‘Tootsie’ (1982). He became an expert on being a woman... The objective isn’t to ‘own’ facts but to absorb the information that will change the way you see things. That’s why it’s called In-Sight... The idea that its expensive or time consuming or you don’t know what you’re doing are just excuses not to do it... What are you trying to avoid it? Do fieldwork / focus groups / follow people around supermarkets! It’s the difference between buying a Spanish language course from WHSmiths - and surviving in an Peruvian village... Which is more effect?

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7 Steps to Insight

Now read Step # 3: Do the analysis! Powerpoint is the biggest insight killer. We frame things inside this little box - because it looks professional Fear of being told things we don’t want to hear... that would force us to do things differently... FEAR OF CHANGE! So we find excuses not to get closer to our customers... How many of us include feedback forms on websites or at point of purchase?

Step # 2: Immerse yourself...

Powerpoint is a good example

• f how we reduce our lives:

3 x Kids Sexual intercourse twice monthly... Indian food on Fridays

We’ve got to overcome that resistance “Before criticising someone, first walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you do criticise them, you’ll be a mile away - and you’ll be wearing their shoes!” Jack Handy Where does all this lead? you do all this work, but how do you then know what’s an insight and what’s just random ideas?

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“A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world.” John le Carre

Once you’ve seen a pattern in the data and developed a hypothesis then Prof Cox and his pals can look for empirical evidence to prove it.... You’ve done the fieldwork and gathered the information - so where’s the insight?

Step # 3: Do the analysis...

Grounded Theory is more like pattern recognition whereby you jump into the data and look around until you start see connections that gradually evolve into hypothesis and ultimately theories... and if nothing comes to you, look at the data again and apply the next 4 steps...

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7 Steps to Insight

T wo types of analysis. Insights don’t just happen... you need to work with the data until the answer reveals itself... Scientific Method based on empirical evidence and peer review = Prof. Brian Cox Finches evolved their beaks to suit their food source - which, in turn explained dinosaur bones... (Which was not part of Darwin’s brief so he suppressed the evidence for 20 years) ...Just as quantitative research is used to check qualitative insights... “Half of analysis is anal.” Marty Indik Is there anything you’ve noticed but never connected before? This is the beginnings of an Insight.

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‘Origin of the Species’ came about thanks to Grounded Theory What we tend to forget is that Archimedes was a m a t h e m a t i c i a n a n d engineer and his eureka moment came after years

• f work...

At the end of ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’ (1994) Andie MacDowell has an epiphany when she realises she loves Hugh Grant... if only insights were like this!

It’s a real problem. The Linkedin group ‘Account Planners of New York’ asks the question: ‘Should planners really schedule fictitious meetings to escape and find inspiration?’ The first three steps are the process - the next 4 are more like conditions of the process ‘Don’t Force It’ is all about allowing the process to work... (open a beer and drink it) But you can help it out by watching funny DVD’s (Robin Williams is particularly effective apparently) or by getting drunk or high (which some might suspect from this presentation) A r t h u r Ko e s t l e r fi r s t suggested creativity comes from collapsing two ‘frames of reference’ - to make a new

• ne.

You can see from this there’s a suspicion that the insight process is bogus. ... but is it?

Step # 4: Don’t force it...

if nothing comes to you... look at the data again and use your imagination and read Step # 5 But waiting for a flash of inspiration can also look as though you’re not doing anything... Bill Murray only escapes from Groundhog Day (1993) when he stops forcing the issue and engages with the world honestly...

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7 Steps to Insight

They’ve found a region of the brain called the superior anterior temporal gyrus that seems to connect distantly related information from different parts of our brain. T h i s s e e m s t o b e precisely what Koestler was talking about. It’s this rush to conclusions that gives the Insight Process a bad name... (as does gratuitous photos of women in showers) Problem is, being drunk or taking a shower at work is generally frowned

• n. In any case, you’re

probably up against some sort of time constraints. How long will you give the process before you draw your conclusions... ? Even taking a shower can help your superior anterior temporal gyrus get to work without interference... But it takes time - (and you can’t hurry love, as Phil Collins advised...)

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Done the research & analysis , given it lots of time and still noting coming to you? Only one thing to do.... Our minds hold a lot of information we can only get at u s i n g o u r i m a g i n a t i o n . . . Imagination unlocks doors... O n c e y o u ’ v e g o t t h e i n fo r m a t i o n f ro m yo u r immersion - Let go of the idea you have to be rational... Allow your imagination to make sense of it. But how can the Insight Process be justified if all that it relies on is your imagination?

Step # 5: Use your imagination...

if you’re worried you’re just letting your imagination run away with itself... go to Step # 6... Einstein said “Imagination is more important than knowledge” In ‘Manhunter’ (1986), the FBI agent stands in the victims kitchen and imagines how the killer could know how to unlock the door if he’s never been

• inside. He solves the crime...

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7 Steps to Insight

Now go to the

• ther door. Over

this door is the word Facebook. (repeat process) Compare the two rooms... You’re walking down a corridor - at the end you see two doors - one has a sign on it saying

• Google. Go inside.

What’s it like in there? How’s it furnished? What’s the atmosphere like? Are there people? What are they doing? What do they think of you? Take a look out of the window. What do you see? Come back to the door. Take one last look and exit. What insights did you gain from the process - and how might this help you understand your ‘Area of Insight’? “Imagination is the beginning of creation.” George Bernard Shaw He developed the General Theory of R e l a t i v i t y b y imagining what it would be like to ride on a photon.

vs.

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R e a g a n w a s a g r e a t communicator, but not so hot

• n details... He let the various

government departments get on with it, and was only informed about the things he needed to know about. It’s the same with riding a bike or

• skiing. These are skills that are

hindered when we analyse them... If you’re being asked to invest your money and reputation in an idea - shouldn’t the advice be based on more than just a hunch? Wittgenstein suggests the things we have no name for are invisible to us. For example, we’ve only recently discovered the word for taking pleasure in someone else’s misfortune... (Buddhists have an opposite word - a p l e a s u re i n a n o t h e r ’s success.) Inuit’s understand snow - and sommeliers appreciate wine in ways we have no knowledge of. Yet we can take a wine tasting course and a new world opens up. Sports psychologists call it being ‘In the Zone’. Great sports people don’t let Ronnie get in the way... Because what I want to tell you is that you know more than you know...

Step # 6: Go with your hunches...

In his brilliant book ‘Stranger to Ourselves’’ Timothy Wilson explains how we manage information and compares it to the Reagan Administration... Does any greater nuanced appreciation of your Area of Insight now occurs to you? At this point it might start to sound like Obi Wan suggesting you ‘Use The Force Luke’

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7 Steps to Insight

We are like Ronnie in our day-to-day lives... We get told what we need to function but remain blissfully unaware

• f the covert action in Nicaragua....

Go with your hunches and start to pull together conclusions, more confident in your ability to see the right solution... but beware Step # 7...... The same is true of your ‘Area of Insight’. A more nuanced understanding is legitimate evidence of your grasp of your subject... this is insight. “A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something.” Unknown

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Trying to be ‘right’ gets in the way of insight. When I was Chief Insights Office at a New York ad agency they seemed to hope they’d hired a sort

• f Gandalf who had all

the answers. Tempting - but not a good model. Insights are better when they come from pooled knowledge & input. You’ve done the work - so have you found the perfect insight? Probably not, but what matters is whether you’ve found a better solution than before... Taking the opposing view is a healthy approach to ‘testing’ insights. It ought to be welcomed and seen as a

• strength. Like King Lear’s

F o o l . . . o r t h e N e w Emperor's Clothes Solutions are relative. To d a y ’ s i n s i g h t i s tomorrow’s ‘so what?’

Step # 7: Be willing to be wrong...

Go back to Step # 1 and start again til it feels right... We need to change our attitude to Insights. Not an end in themselves - but part of a process. Need to set expectations

• f a better understanding
• n o t t h e ‘ r i g h t ’

understanding. Where do you think you can make improvements to the conclusions you are drawing from your Area of Insight? Knowledge is power - but not if you try to own it. Knowledge fascism is a big problem in corporate life. It shuts down thinking and stifles creativity. Improvement doesn’t

• stop. Like a Formula

One car, there’s always adjustments to make. If we are worried about being wrong we may prefer ‘safer options’ instead of the better options..

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7 Steps to Insight

“To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.” Joseph Chilton Pearce

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When we make our mind up about something we tend to we plough on regardless like Alec Guinness in ‘Bridge Over The River Kwai’ (1957) - “My god, what have I done?’

I’ve tried to remove these arguments and show how and why Insights are not a threat. I’ve also tried to explain how the Insight Process is a legitimate and credible scientific method. In fact, it’s part of the scientific process. I want to show that Insights are important to your business. They allow you to change and be different from the competition in relevant ways. Yet we are uncomfortable with

• change. All things being equal, we’d

prefer things to stay the same.. Next time you see a customer - consider them as an opportunity to gain insight, rather than an

• pportunity to sell. In the long run

you’ll sell more. Insights aren’t ‘The Truth’... but they can help you address your customers in a way that gives you competitive advantage.But you have to be willing to dare to be different. What insights have you had as a result of this evening? (Hint: They may not be the insights you thought you were looking for) S o w e c o n s c i o u s l y o r unconsciously avoid insight. We put it off. Sweep it under the carpet. I want to demonstrate there’s no great mystery to it. Anyone can do it. Instead we say: “I know my customer” “It’s too expensive” “It’s too time consuming” “It isn’t scientific / it might be wrong” “I might find something I wish I hadn’t” We should all be constantly looking for insights in our businesses. Yet most of us prefer to sit behind our desks, designing Powerpoint charts for other people sitting behind their desks.

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7 Steps to Insight

"You have to go wholeheartedly into anything in order to achieve anything worth having." Frank Lloyd Wright

Insights? conclusions...

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Graham Hall Graham has worked extensively in the UK and USA. A key mover in the development of qualitative research, consumer insights and strategic brand development.

In the 1990’s he created the ground-breaking Informer Brand Development providing marketing and branding services for a wide range of brands including Nike, Coca-Cola, The Economist, Levi’s, Nokia, Bacardi and many more. Most recently he spent 3 years in New York working as Chief Insight Officer for a major ad agency. He now lives in the West Country with his wife and 3 kids where he’s applying blue chip marketing principles to brands ranging from internationals to local SMB’s. With Ambitious Brands he offers marketing and business planning for specific projects, clients and competitive pitches. He also provides in-house training for agencies wanting to develop their own planning department. He’s occasionally asked why he refers to himself in the third person…. Graham Hall Ambitious Brands Windrush West Horrington Wells Somerset, BA5 3ED www.ambitiousbrands.com tel: 07590 579031

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