Tecnolink Ltd was founded in 1994 in Florence, Italy and for the last 15 years it has been providing B2B IT consultancy services.
WHAT IS IT ?
In this step you will find information about the Brand Builder, who is asking you to propose a Solution for the challenge. He introduces himself (as a Brand of course :) The more you understand about the Brand, the more chances you have to create what is wanted.
IMPORTANT: There is a possibility that the Brand Builder prefers not to disclose who he is, usually for confidentiality reasons. Such Briefs will be published in an anonymous way. In this case the Brand Builder will say as much as he feels comfortable saying.
Here are two EXAMPLES
In case there is no problem with disclosing the identity (VISIBLE):
“NMN -No More Nicotine- is a Brand that promises to counteract the damages to the skin that can be caused by smoking. NMN is distributed in pharmacies and drugstores and its price positioning is middle-high; it is mainly promoted through professional endorsement and is not massively advertised.”
In case the Brand doesn’t want to disclose his identity (ANONYMOUS):
“Brand counteracting the damages to skin caused by smoking. Its products are distributed in pharmacies and drugstores with a middle-high price positioning; they are mainly promoted through professional endorsement and are not massively advertised.”
In summary: Who is your client (in a visible or “anonymous” way :)
By starting this project Tecnolink intends to attract new B2B clients through a poster campaign rolling in Tuscany. The central message to be conveyed is: Tecnolink helps its clients’ businesses run smoothly by providing immediate and user-friendly IT solutions that are both time and money saving.
WHAT IS IT ?
This is the task the Brand Builder asks you to accomplish. If you don’t understand it, you are completely out of luck !
EXAMPLE
“We ask the Creators to develop a print advertising campaign in order to increase Brand’s visibility. It will be used in national magazines this spring.”
In summary: It’s the objective of the client, therefore your objective too !
The campaign is addressed to SMEs owners or leaders who are bright enough to see a less complex IT system as a potential factor driving business efficiency maximization. Not mentioning the amount of time and money saved in the process!
Possible scenarios are:
∞ Often the owner/leader already has a provider of IT services but he/she is not fully satisfied with its performance considering that there are still certain aspects that could be improved in order to exploit more the IT potential or turn the whole IT system easier to use.
∞ It is highly probable that the owner/leader feels truly frustrated with the current IT system that seems to generate rather than solve problems. Moreover he/she along with the whole staff are not fully prepared / trained to use the IT system at its best or to take full advantage of its potential.
How do target clients feel like?
They feel far from being confident when it comes to dealing with IT issues and in most of the cases prefer to avoid rather than confront them. That is mainly due to a three-pillared psychological barrier:
∞ First of all he/she doesn’t feel confident in discussing such issues as there is a huge competency gap between him and the IT providers. This lack of IT knowledge is often translated into the incapacity of correctly assessing from both a qualitative and quantitative perspective the value of the IT proposal brought to his face.
∞ Secondly the IT profession is not regulated by laws or academic specifics. Therefore there is no guarantee of professionalism regarding the IT systems providers on the market.
∞ Thirdly in most of the cases business owners have been through some kind of IT scam thus they are afraid of becoming bluff’s victims again.
WHAT IS IT?
People that the Brand Builder wants you to entertain and persuade to think, feel or do something using your creation. Usually you will read about their age, sex, social level and behaviors. You should always keep that information in mind while creating, as the target audience is the final recipient of what you create.
EXAMPLE
“Smoking girls and women who would like to quit smoking but can’t. Usually health-conscious adults who care about their looks. They feel guilty about smoking because they know it is harmful. They read books about it. This is a real problem for them: it’s like “My brain wants something, but my body acts of its own accord”. They don’t relate to my brand, they are just waiting for a trustworthy “helping hand”.
In summary: Get under their skin !
The expected outcomes of the poster campaign are:
1. Reduce the previously mentioned psychological barrier that might affect the potential client (incompetency feeling, lack of warranty for professionalism, afraid of scamming)
2. Convince the potential client that Tecnolink can be the right solution for his/her business as it can: i. Create a good and stable IT system able to efficiently ease the business spin while saving time & money; ii. Introduce an user-friendly IT system for each and every employee, regardless of their expertise level.
3. Stimulate immediate contact: call or visit the website.
WHAT IS IT?
The thing that the Brand Builder wants to make the target audience think/feel/do because of your creation.
Here are some very concrete examples:
∞ Some things people can think/feel:
- There is a new Brand (or product or idea or...) out there
- This Brand is better than the alternatives or than it used to be
- This Brand is worth paying more for
∞ Some things people can do:
- Start buying the Brand’s products
- Buy the Brand more often
- Stock more products of the Brand in their outlets
The above written examples are very concrete whilst often the proposition of the Brief is emotional. That’s even better as it can be more inspiring!
EXAMPLE
“We’d like to encourage smokers to use NMN in order to minimize the damage to their health while they are keeping giving up smoking (especially if they’ve already tried and failed before).”
In summary: Get inside their brain !
Tecnolink credibility is backed up by the following:
∞ Its long established presence (every day IT companies go in and out of business; being in business for the last 15 years gives a strong guarantee for the quality of Tecnolink’s services);∞ Microsoft accreditation for all Tecnolink staff;
∞ 95% rate of client satisfaction since Tecnolink is on the market.
WHAT IS IT?
This is the key to achieving the objective. It is what supports the proposition and makes it believable. Usually it is a rational statement.
EXAMPLE
“Every cigarette you smoke is causing damage to your appearance. A recent study took several pairs of identical twins where one twin was a lifelong smoker and the other had never smoked. The smokers’ skin was a quarter thinner than that of non-smokers, and in some cases there were differences of up to 40%. NMN contains thinning-blocking anti-oxidants which counteract the effect of nicotine on the skin.”
In summary: You are looking for arguments? You’ll find them here!
∞ Simplicity;
∞ Assurance;
∞ Trust and guarantee;
∞ Fast responses maintained in time;
∞ Immediate results ;
∞ Professionalism;
∞ Reliability for short term and in the long run as well.
WHAT IS IT?
It’s who the Brand is. Yes... who!
Treat the Brand as a human being, as it has its own personality. To know the personality of the “client” is fundamental in order to provide a tailor-made job. So, read carefully the listed adjectives...
EXAMPLE
“Scientific, trustworthy, result-oriented, ‘a party’ to achieve your goals.”
In summary: Imagine the live person !
The poster campaign will be located in Tuscany, Italy.
WHAT IS IT?
A list of places (or media, or things) where the target audience will see the outcome of your creation. In this step sometimes the Brand will also acknowledge you how much he plans to invest into production. This information will give you an insight whether to create a BIG project or make it small... :)
EXAMPLE
“This campaign is going to appear in lifestyle- and health-focused women magazines of New Zealand, during the spring of 2009. We plan to invest 500,000 USD, which means approximately buying 100 single pages.”
In summary: Consider the medium !
We expect Creators to develop freely both the visual and the copy for the poster. However we have certain compulsory elements that need to be present in their final work:
1. Creative spark needs to be coherent with the strategic message: IT systems offered by Tecnolink not only eliminate all possible problems but bring an immediate, simple and efficient solution to simplify the run of the business allowing time and money savings.
2. The campaign message must clearly state that Tecnolink offers IT systems suited for business environments and not private/home use.
3. The Tecnolink logo available in attachment 1 should be used. Or else Creators are free to develop a new logo and a new payoff as an alternative to “IT solutions”
4. The poster must mention explicitly the action that a client should take in order to contact our company visit www.tecnolink.it.
Please find attached as well:
∞ Logo “Microsoft Certified” (attachment 2);
∞ Reason to believe since 1994.
If the Brand has preferences or technical requirements that your Solution has to match, you will find them here.
Here are some items that you may find in this section:
∞ Guidelines or mandatory inclusions (do’s and/or don’ts)
∞ Business objectives
∞ Market and competitors overview
∞ Good and bad samples
Depending on the Brief, you may also find some files attached with a logo, pictures of product(s), a template that you should use in order to submit your ideas, or any other file that the Brand wants to share with you. So, study the attachments before starting creating.
In summary: Anything else you need to know (not written in the 7 steps before) !
