Co-creation is a core tool for Ruby Cha Cha. There is still much excitement in the research and advertising world when it comes to the social media power of online co-creation — we can talk about it as online crowdsourcing where communities play an important role, a concept akin to social media marketing.
Consumers are given a direct voice into decision-making and increase their engagement with the brand or marketing idea. In a world where advertising is now a "one-to-one-to-many" proposition, this is an important contribution.
Yet there's something fundamentally missing with today's crowdsourcing and online communities. There's an artificial barrier that exists — similar to the way a two-way mirror separates consumers and clients in a focus group setting. There's no real intimacy, no real sharing, no real listening. You view, study and interact from a distance.
As a result, true collaboration is lacking. The kind of collaboration that's only possible when people get together, in person, and work together to create something of value that works for everyone. So whilst online co-creation is a great tool, it is not the only hammer in the box. Wherever possible we need to bring consumers not only into the room, but into the space to share their thoughts collaboratively with the brand and innovation teams.
There is a very real, personal interaction that takes place in a co-creation workshop setting. People begin to see the world through a different lens. The shared understanding that develops energises the room. Trust is created. Consumers and customers openly share their problems and ideas as brand managers and brand designers enthusiastically look for solutions they know will work — and that they believe they can commercialise. This newfound trust adds speed, power and precision to the process. People feel like they're being listened to and taken seriously as equal partners.
Brands like Microsoft point to the eye-opening success they have had with in-person co-creation workshops.
"Some of the most effective marketing solutions originate from real conversations with consumers."
What companies like Microsoft and others are finding is that collaborating with customers in a face-to-face environment makes great things happen — quickly.
One of the most important questions that brands must continually answer in order to remain competitive is how they will build a unique relationship with their customers. Co-creation workshops provide that opportunity. They give brands, in this ever-changing world, a new ability to stay relevant and gain an advantage in the mind and the market.
Ruby Cha Cha has several proprietary techniques — including Ruby Espresso and Brand Magic — that specialise in meaningful co-collaboration, offering specialty workshops centred on co-creation in innovation and brand development.
Whilst behavioural economics is big and System 1 thinking is all the rage, we must not forget about the power of consumers to think and provide more than likes and dislikes — to be included in the development process and to help shape the future of a brand, product or service. This type of collaboration is not for every consumer: we need people who can think, articulate needs and work with concepts and raw ideas. Specialty recruitment is needed, and a step away from traditional thinking in research is required.
Designed to be conducted in advance of the Brand Positioning Workshop, this impactful session engages customers and brand representatives in a collaborative session of mutual discovery and agreement around the category-specific issues and opportunities that will have the greatest effect on brand positioning. Staying brand-neutral, this highly-facilitated workshop will involve the brand team as active participants as they imagine, work and strategise with their customers.
The workshop is organised into three major segments:
Uses means-end laddering, creative visualisation and guided imagery storytelling to help participants articulate, map and prioritise:
An in-depth exploration of the imagery, associations, values and benefits connected with the sponsoring brand and the category's competitive brands. This shared exploration builds mutual understanding between brand teams and customers, surfacing what truly separates one brand from another in the mind of the consumer.
A strategic co-creation session developing and prioritising the core components of brand differentiation for the sponsoring brand. Working collaboratively, brand team and customers together define the positioning elements that are most meaningful, credible and ownable.
Rich understanding of customer motivations, values and the competitive landscape — grounded in real conversation rather than distanced observation.
Adding speed, precision and power to positioning. When brand teams and customers arrive at the same conclusions together, execution becomes faster and more confident.
A team ready to run. Co-creation workshops leave both brand managers and customers with a clear direction and the belief that the resulting strategy will work.
If you want to build a brand positioning strategy that customers believe in — because they helped build it — Ruby Cha Cha's co-creation workshops are the place to start.
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