L A S T WO R D WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM LEGO? Holidays are wonderful things in that they force you into downtime, into thinking differently, into letting go of carefully constructed daily/weekly/monthly/quarterly habits, and allowing you to reflect and be curious, NZTE Craig Armstrong says. doing but its affordability, scalability and longer term sustainability. " www.foodtechnology.co.nz 39 Astoundingly, my own curiosity put me in a secondhand bookshop in the back streets of Tokoroa, picking an eclectic selection of holiday reading – a history of Ford Motor Co, a biography of Rod McQueen, Verghese’s ‘The Tennis Partner’, and (at my son’s prompting) a story of the evolution of the Lego Group. Gold! Who would have thought that Tokoroa could offer up such nourishment. Taken together some time later, the whole lot had me thinking back to the late stages of 2016 and a strategy session NZTE had with a leading health food company. We were prioritising the many South East and North Asian markets according to an array of measures, risks and criteria, to refine and focus activity in order to grow their market presence. During the discussion of the different maturity stages of each market, and how to improve various customer relationships, it dawned on us that we might be looking at a new ‘5 Cs’ of marketing planning. Does that mean the old Cs are passé? Not in the least. But Robert Lauterborn’s Cs shift the focus from the manufacturer to the consumer, and could be a better design for smaller businesses that are marketing to a niche audience. And the reason for the flashback? In the context of packaged foods and beverages, in markets that are increasingly direct to shopper (or influencer) and where digital capability or digital business models are playing an ever greater role – it was clear to me that my holiday reading was a reflection of the evolution of relationships and influence. A new 5 Cs emerged as follows: Corporates - we were once very happy to rely on big corporates guiding us to our decisions and telling us what we needed. Where there is genuine trust and empathy, it may still work. Commercial – corporate marketing is replaced by a more ‘independent’ commercial endorsement, sponsorship and promotion – think sports team or person. Celebrity – people like chefs have become the rock stars of the day. And for those of us that still have one, it’s difficult to turn a television on and avoid a reality competition. However, the formulaic approach caused in us a weariness that’s not unlike our response to the latest Trumpism. Community – bloggers, nutritionists, You- Tube personalities, your personal trainer, the next-door-neighbour, your WhatsApp group, Pinterest authors and LinkedIn. Again it’s something to do with trust and empathy. Nowhere is it more prevalent than the emerging middle classes and new disposable incomes apparent in South East and North Asian markets. And a future and fifth C? Trend forecasting is a dammed-if-you-do, dammed-if-you-don’t game. Fortunately, markets like Japan and companies like Lego give us a glimpse into what may be. A combined cost and risk associated with real and live influencers, and the niche they represent, suggests that the Japanese and Lego are already where we want to be – using our fifth C. Cartoon – it’s not new. Early television in New Zealand used cartoon and ‘anime’ extensively, and art historians and the advertising industry may find error in our forecast of the future. However, history is but an echo of the past in the future, and in trying to appeal to many markets in a simple way, cartoon and animation may be the platform for Asia that your business is looking for. Sometimes it makes more sense when you hear it from those who have ‘been there, done that’. Come March, Lego senior innovation director David Gram will be firing up our New Zealand business leaders at the Better by Design CEO Summit when he shares how Lego turned around its business with a culture that links innovation to consumer insights to predict consumer behaviour – something relevant to all businesses. You can be a part of it by getting tickets here (http:// ceosummit.betterbydesign.org.nz/) Shifting our focus from our suppliers and ourselves (the corporate and our consultants) to a community of influencers and customers not only impacts the value of what we are doing but its affordability, scalability and longer term sustainability. If you were wondering…yes I was (at stages) on my hands and knees using those Lego pieces to help bring to life the imaginings and dreams of the kids in the holidays. See you at the March Summit to talk innovation and customers. Shifting our focus from our suppliers and ourselves (the corporate and our consultants) to a community of influencers and customers not only impacts the value of what we are ”
FT-feb2017 digi-1
To see the actual publication please follow the link above