THIS IS HOW WE WORK

The propeller is simply a flow chart of how we work. It functions like this:

For a new project we start at the beginning with Step 1. That doesn't mean that everything must be started from scratch. Many times there already exists a sound and updated platform. Then it is more about discussing, clarifying and getting everyone on the same path.

When that's done we turn our attention to Step 2 and shortly thereafter, Step 3. This entire first round tends to be quite work-intensive.

The second year it's a little bit easier. Then we just go over Step 1 and Step 2 point by point. If there's anything we've learned (and we probably have) we make adjustments. Then we concentrate on maximizing quality in Step 3.

In other words, it's a continuous process where nothing is really set in stone. Everything we learn along the way is used to further develop the communications strategy. At any time we can stop and question.

After a while, in a good collaboration, the propeller tends to move under its own momentum without anyone really thinking about it. The different steps blend into one another. People take different roles, and it becomes a lot less important if you are sitting on the agency side or the client side - only that the result is great.

Click though the different points and you'll get a better picture of what this means in practice.

To close - the propeller is an aid that we use and believe in. But it's not an end in itself. We have lots of interesting projects where for one reason or another we work in other ways, and it all tends to work out.

STEP 1 — BUILDING THE PLATFORM

Vision

Beloved babies are called by many names, and these days more and more companies talk about The Mission or The Vision. Some instead are happy with just saying The Business Idea. Some even use all three and steadfastly maintain that they have completely different meanings. It doesn't matter. It is in any case often useful to have a short, concise description of why a brand exists and how it benefits customers.

Working on this type of formulation, or dusting off what is already available, is often a very good way to begin a collaboration. It generally requires a lot more mulling and talking than you might think.

Ingvar Kamprad early on described IKEA's key idea as "A better life for the many people." Undoubtedly that short sentence has helped a large international company understand the difference between their business and ten thousand other traditional furniture stores.

Personality

It's the same with brands as it is with politicians and sports stars. Charisma is all. It's not enough to be smart - you've got to be charming also, or good looking, or sexy or all at the same time.

In addition, stability is required. It is hard to like someone that every once in a while becomes someone totally new - with a new way of dressing, a new way of talking, and a completely different personality. The art is to keep a tonality and yet really surprise. Conventional, mechanical approaches to communicate are less and less effective. Vitality and innovation is required if you want to be seen as modern and exciting.

To craft a brand's personality is a little like decorating a room. The assumptions are a given - four walls, a floor and a ceiling, for example. But then it depends on what kind of picture you want to paint. How will it feel in the belly; is it feminine or masculine, safe or crazy, pretty or practical, for singles or families, expensive or cheap? How does it seem, what kind of light does it give off, what bits and pieces are included?

When all that's decided we then have a filter. No idea, now matter how great, slips through if it doesn't fit in the room.

In practice this process is a group effort where we and our clients work closely together in a short space of time. The goal is a short and pretty concise personality analysis. It's a little document that everyone in the organization should be able to read and understand.

Destination

Two things are good to have if you want to get started quickly: 1/An idea of where you are. 2/An idea of where you want to be. To decide the position you want in the market and within peoples' heads is probably the most important part of the platform. It's on the verge of the impossible to motivate people in an organization to give their best if the goal is to stay exactly as you are. It requires a clear challenge: something that is hard to reach but easy to understand. Something that's a little unique. All companies want to make money in the end. But it requires smart and specific interim goals to get there.

When Volvo came to us in 1994 they gave us approximately this challenge: We're going to make more expensive, more luxury cars in the future. Help us in the premium segment to find a position that will be compatible with a continued high market share in Sweden. It sounded nearly impossible, but it was fairly clear what was being sought. In this situation it was a given to start with a simple analysis. What is important for car buyers in this segment? What do they think about Volvo today? What needs to be added? And what should be sanded away? Is there some free space to squeeze into next to the German competitors? And on. And on.

Yup, then it only required drawing a long line on the map, getting out the compass and rolling up the sleeves.

Product development

No, we're not technicians. (We tend to call the bike messengers if we need to change a light bulb at the office.)

But there's another type of product development. A job that's not really so much about the thing itself or the service but rather everything around it. It's something that strongly reminds us of common, honest pedagogy.

Often this means making a company's offering more understandable. Or it means really bringing out hidden aspects that are already there and making them clearer and valuable. Sometimes it means to sort through an overgrown product line (logic is understated). And sometimes it's precisely the opposite - can't we enjoy this great brand in more products, and what should they then be?

This isn't something we do alone between two presentations. No it's more like we're working as the consumer's advocate within a larger group.

Sometimes we lead this process through a Round Table - it's a Gothenburg specialty and means a workshop with an interesting mix of people. Other times we're just the guests. When Volvo shows us a new car concept that is many years in the future it's not that we know so much about cars. It's the opposite. It's because we know so little about cars. We're the expert non-experts.

STEP 2 — CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

The purpose

Why do we make advertising after all? Because everyone else is doing it, or because we've gotten a budget?

Or is there perhaps another reason?

The creative work goes more smoothly if there is a straightforward description of what the advertising is meant to accomplish. And the result of that is both clearer and more interesting stuff.

But it should be about communication, not a business goal. "Higher margins in the German aftermarket" can, in some cases, of course be the outcome of the right communication. But it needs to be more linked to what we do.

When it comes to Tele2 mobile telephony, for example, we say it like this: the purpose of the advertising is in a happy and unpretentious way again and again communicate that Tele2 is the cheapest way to talk on a mobile phone.

For Systembolaget we wrote: The purpose of the advertising is to by smart arguments convince a majority of Swedes that the alcohol monopoly should remain in place.

Piece of cake.

Creative hypothesis

Now it's starting to get hot. From all these pretty words finally something that looks like an actual ad (or some other form of communication) will come forth.

It's all about illustrating what's earlier been put on paper so that everyone sees the same thing. Words mean different things to different people.

It usually requires a lot of manuscripts, sketches, photos, DVD films, CDs and a lot of other junk to get it clear. Most important, we bring the red thread, the connecting thought with us. A concept, or a language if you will, that can characterize the communications going forward.

Planning

Strange word. It's all about getting consumers involved in the creative process, in a smart and effective way. Often it is simply by asking for their opinions. - But why does this occur right here in the Propeller? - Good question. In principle it could just as easily come before the creative hypothesis, or together with the personality assessment. We use planning in lots of different situations depending on the assignment. Preparations are generally an open group process, the working group and the planners collaborating closely.

The creatives are always in on the process from the beginning and help to define which information is most relevant and how to formulate the key questions. The qualitative portions, often taken from different types of interviews or focus groups, without a doubt are the most vital. Yet in most cases it turns out to be a blending of the qualitative information and the quantitative data (often different types of statistics). To put it simply, we get help from the target group to solve the problem. And surprisingly often, their contributions have a radical influence on where we end up. The most important part is agreement on the creative hypothesis that will underlie everything we do with a specific brand. Sometimes we'll show one way, sometimes a bunch of different alternatives. In either case we must include enough time to process all the different questions and viewpoint that come up.

STEP 3 — CAMPAIGN DEVELOPMENT

Making a list

When the ground has been laid it's time to begin to lay out the concrete campaign for a given time period. A season, or perhaps an entire year. Often it is good to start with the campaign brief and then sit down and work out a to-do list together. It can be quite long, especially in the beginning of a collaboration.

Campaign suggestions

And now - TA DA! - it is finally time to come up with a creative idea. But...wait a second...Isn't this just like..? Yup, hopefully the rough campaign suggestion has a lot in common with the creative hypothesis we built during planning. If it doesn't, we should know exactly why.

Media plan

A sharp media plan usually won't spring to life before far along in the process. Since the bulk of campaigns we do are made to interact through different channels (integration as it is so beautifullly named) the media solutions are often one of the basic pieces of the creative work. That's why all of us participate tooth and nail in the entire media discussion, both with our clients and directly with many skilled media consultants.

Production

No strategy in the world can save an ad film if the drama just isn't there. Or salvage a web site with horrible navigation. And if ad copy just doesn't make any sense to the reader it doesn't matter if it's spot-on the right argument. (What should follow here is a pretty long and very spiritual text about the similarities between boat-building and ad work. The moral of the story would be something in the style of - solid craft isn't always visible from the start but is vital in the long term. Unfortunately the writer was struck by performance anxiety after writing that sentence about advertising craft. This section is therefore ending now.)