LBi London

The Magic, Mix and Mystery of Hyper Island

Posted by Calvin Lau October 4th, 2011

As day two at the LBi Hyper Island Master Class comes to a close we begin to reflect on the day’s events to make sense of what we’ve learned.

(This post is cross-posted from the bigmouthmedia blog. Original post by Sarah Curds)

Today has surpassed all expectations we may have had. Instead of a series of seminars and workshops, the bulk of the day was dedicated to applying learning from the previous day to real life situations.

We have used horizontal business thinking (not siloed) to create value for our customers and clients. The output…? Give away sanitary towels and lock in your (menstruating) customer. Sell a badge of honour, not plasters – because scars are tattoos with a better story. Don’t focus on disability support; focus instead on integration with society by removing language barriers. Exciting stuff!

For clients (existing and new) we were tasked with identifying their context:

• Desired outcomes
• Identifying/shaping the marketplace
• Defining the type of business we are in e.g. we’re not in the business of selling plasters or band-aids, we’re in the business of ‘facilitating adventures’ (aka risky experiences that result in minor injuries)

Once we had identified their context we could explore the realities of people who share those experiences; from before our proposed solution/service/product, to the time where they buy what our clients have to offer, to what happens afterwards.

By gaining an understanding of these realities for our customers, we could then focus on removing waste and engaging with our audiences early. In this way we can design holistic, long term experiences that will deliver their desired outcome – regardless of product(s).

When we were asked this morning to reflect on day one, clients called us brave for inviting them in on this process. In effect we are really ‘airing dirty laundry’ (aka ‘stinky fish’) in order to focus on what is good and effective so we can work towards a mutually beneficial end. In reality, all we are is a group of intelligent, creative and – thanks to Hyper Island – inspired individuals who are motivated to do the best we can do, together.

The mix (inter-agency and agency/client collaboration) does work, and the magic really does seem to be ‘all in the blend’.

See more photos from the trip on LBi London’s Facebook page.

Tags: blending, hyper island

0 comments Share

Our Hyper Island Master Class in Karlskrona, Sweden

Posted by Paul Carvill October 2nd, 2011

*** Cross-posted from the bigmouthmedia blog. Original post by Sarah Curds ***

Today LBi and select clients from the UK, US and the Nordics came together at Hyper Island in Karlskrona, Sweden to explore the meaning and application of ‘blending’ in our creative/digital marketing industry.

We’ve now taken our first baby steps into understanding how to create greater efficiencies for our business and for our clients. Over three intensive days of fun and training we’ll learn to design the methods we need for greater integration within our creative, strategy, marketing and technology teams.

So far we have:

• Learned a new way to learn by escaping crocodiles
• Learned about each other through smelly fish
• Explored new trends and new business models to fit our changing world with experts including Åsa Silfverberg, Roger Sjögren, Alan Moore and David Erixon

My favourite anecdote of the day was from Alan Moore, discussing the local town markets in England. They once were a place for people to come together, do business and have fun. The town markets were located 15 miles apart because humans can travel no more than 30miles in a day. I love the idea that in this new modern world we can create an engaging online experience for customers by returning to an interesting local market where people ‘meet, dance and do commerce’.

So what are the main take-away’s so far?

• Companies need to change to survive. For those who don’t like change – think about the alternative!
• The ‘value chain’ model is not about value, it’s about cost and supply
• True value is in the desired outcome of the customer and as such it is subjective, negotiated and highly emotional
• By understanding the above, and by anticipating our customer’s desired outcome, we can move from meeting customer expectations to really innovating and shaping those expectations

Hyper Island has been an amazing experience so far. The learning centre was created in 1995 to offer students and organisation a different kind of education for the growing new media industry. The focus for us as a business is very much on learning through analysis of different situations and scenarios followed by periods of reflection to understand how the things we’ve studied relate directly to ourselves.

Day one has come to a close but in true bigmouthmedia/LBi fashion the party continues on. Stay tuned to find out what happens in day two.

Tags: blending

0 comments Share

LBi introduces learning initiative for clients and staff


Posted by Calvin Lau August 24th, 2011

London: LBi taps Hyper Island to explore collaboration during Master Class

LBi, the global marketing and technology agency, has announced today it will embark on a learning initiative in collaboration with a selection of its big-brand clients and their roster agencies to develop the group’s ideas around digital innovation and organisational change.

Hyper Island is collaborating with LBi to explore blending, hosting a Master Class

LBi has long believed in blending insight, creativity, media and technical expertise to produce the best and most innovative work possible. This approach lies at the heart of the agency’s strategic partnerships with clients such as Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson and Virgin Atlantic Airways.

LBi has enlisted Hyper Island – the world leader in the field of education for interactive communication, change management and leadership through collaboration – to host an intensive three-day Master Class in Karlskrona, Sweden, which will be attended by a blended team of clients, roster agencies and LBi staff.  During the Master Class, taking place between 30^th September and 2^nd October, LBi will explore and experiment with its approach to blending and collaboration.

Later this year, LBi will share the outcomes of the experience with the wider marketing and advertising community via a series of articles, seminars and workshops.

“We believe this initiative comes at a crucial time as CMOs are being asked to stretch themselves into new uncomfortable territory, ” said Chris Clarke, Chief Creative Officer of LBi.  “Marketing no longer stands alone, but sits at the intersection of product, technology and communication. This means our clients and their agencies desperately need new ways of working.”

“It’s all about the people. Media and communication technologies have converged, and the industry needs talent that is collaborative, unbound by disciplines, and able to thrive in a rapidly changing environment,” said Christina Andersson, Director of Short Term Courses for Hyper Island. “Hyper Island has worked with various organizations since 1995 to develop more creative and efficient coworker teams and more profitable workplaces, and we are proud to be part of this journey for LBi.”

Tags: blending, client relationships, clients, collaboration, digital agencies, hyper island, training

0 comments Share

LBi publishes ‘The Blended Future’ with Campaign magazine

Posted by Gareth Jones July 12th, 2011

12th July 2011: Leading agency sets out its strategic vision

LBi has partnered with Campaign magazine to publish ‘The Blended Future,’ an article outlining the agency’s strategic vision.

LBi Chief Creative Officer Chris Clarke and Director of Branded Content Graham Hodge

Appearing in Campaign’s ‘What Next in Digital’ supplement, ‘The Blended Future’ explains that in a world where consumers are increasingly demanding more from brands, any agency worth its salt needs a constantly evolving understanding of the possibilities technology enables.

Authored by LBi Chief Creative Officer Chris Clarke and Director of Branded Content Graham Hodge, ‘The Blended Future’ highlights that in order to deliver real innovation agencies need a special culture that is not conservative, change resistant or nostalgic for the past.

‘Blending allows us to take ideas from strategy and concept to launch and evaluation as quickly and effectively as possible – regardless of the specifics of the business challenge. Blending ensures we function as strategic partners, helping our clients decide what’s next and holding their hands on the journey,’ writes Clarke.

‘It’s not a complicated process. It’s about casting the right people and orchestrating their contributions so that the outcome takes a client further on their digital journey, delighting their customers on the way.’

‘The Blended Future’ concludes that thanks to the constantly changing media landscape the challenge for brands and agencies is less about forecasting what’s next and more about organising their businesses to be able to quickly adapt to change.

Campaign’s ‘What Next in Digital’ supplement also contains thought-pieces by a line up of other leading marketing agencies.

Here’s a video clip from campaignlive.co.uk featuring LBi’s Branded Content Director Graham Hodge talking about what’s next for the digital industry.

Read the full Blended Future article (PDF)

Related articles on campaign.co.uk
Digital learns to play a new role: Roundtable discussion

Tags: agencies, blending, Chris Clarke, client, creative, LBi London, marketing, Technology, work culture

0 comments Share