Strategies + Briefs

A sample of some of the briefs to show the raw strategy I’ve developed, absent of the creative and marketing product.

 
 
 

Brand Strategy for Hospital Merger - New business

 

When I was freelancing, I was engaged by a creative agency to help them develop a strategy for a hospital merger as a piece of new business. This was the simple way I pulled together a hypothetical brand strategy to explain the space they could own in the Boston medical market.

(Click through below for the build.)

 
 
 

REI Flagship Store Opening

Truth be told, we didn’t have the time to pull off a store launch by the time our long-time client, REI, engaged us at Edelman. But I wrote this creative brief manifesto, to inspire the creative team to come up with some really innovative ways to combine being outdoors into a very indoors, buttoned-up city.

 
REI manifesto.png
 
 

USPS Small Business Symposium Brief

A classic McCann Integrated Springboard Brief for a small business expo that our USPS client was hosting. Brief written while at MRM//McCann.

THE BRAND ROLE (WHAT IS THE BRAND’S MEANINGFUL ROLE?)

 To propel commerce in America -- by giving small businesses the knowledge and tools to grow.

 

 THE CONSUMER (WHO IS THE PERSON WE ARE TRYING TO AFFECT?)

 Indianapolis (and surrounding areas) Small Businesses (1-49 employees) – The small business market in Indianapolis is optimistic and opportunistic.

  • 95% of Indy small business owners feel good about the future of their business)

  • 2/3 say there’s never been a better time to be a small business owner

While these Hoosiers feel good about their entrepreneurial endeavors, they have the same top concern as all small businesses – growth -- specifically driving sales, attracting and retaining customers, and building their brand.

THE PROBLEM (WHAT IS THE CORE PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED?)

 Paradox of Short-Termism: A funny thing happens to our small business owners when they open their doors for business. They go from focusing on the future and thinking of big picture growth for their company to having to attend to small details in the present.

 While this never-ending list of short-term problems and issues keep our small business owners busy during the day, what keeps them up at night is how they aren’t able to focus on  growing their business for the future. This subconscious guilt leaves them feeling like they’ve lit the path for today at the expense of tomorrow.

 

 THE TRUTH WELL TOLD (WHAT IS THE MOST POWERFUL TRUTH THAT CAN SOLVE THE PROBLEM?)

The NPF Small Business Symposium will re-ignite the spark for your business’ future.

THE PROOF (WHAT BRAND/PRODUCT/SERVICE ASSETS PROVE THIS TRUTH BEST?

  • Small business attendees will have access to small business mentors from local SCORE Association, the Small Business Administration & USPS - gaining insights that can help their businesses grow

  • Attendees will also have free access to the exhibit hall at National Postal Forum - the largest in the mailing & shipping industry where they  can find tools and technologies to help ease their business marketing and operations

  • Networking with fellow small business owners in the Indianapolis area

 
 
 

USPS Package Returns Brief

Another Integrated Springboard Brief, this one to help USPS gain retail customers to use them for shipping and returns. Written while at MRM//McCann.

THE BRAND ROLE (WHAT IS THE BRAND’S MEANINGFUL ROLE?)

 Smart, reliable returns for all.  

THE CONSUMER (WHO IS THE PERSON WE ARE TRYING TO AFFECT?)

Medium to Large retail and e-tail businesses (current USPS customers and prospects):

Retailers know returns are not going anywhere, but they’ve had to get comfortable with a skyrocketing rise in e-commerce returns.

  • E-commerce returns are growing even faster, increasing 94.8% from 2012 to 2017.

  • Return rates are skyrocketing: up to 30% of e-commerce and 9% of in-store purchases.

  • Consumers want to “try-before-they-buy”: ¼ of consumers say they have bought multiple items with the intention of sending some back.

THE PROBLEM (WHAT IS THE CORE PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED?)

 Businesses live in a forward-thinking state of predicting, planning and preparing. But returns present the opposite of that, disrupting all that is orderly about business. Their unpredictability wreaks havoc on financial forecasting and inventory control. In short, managing returns, especially at today’s large volumes, feels more chaotic than ever before.

THE TRUTH WELL TOLD (WHAT IS THE MOST POWERFUL TRUTH THAT CAN SOLVE THE PROBLEM?)

With USPS’ drama free returns, getting stuff back is less painful.

THE PROOF (WHAT BRAND/PRODUCT/SERVICE ASSETS PROVE THIS TRUTH BEST?

The ways USPS returns’ solutions can help businesses manage the chaos of returns:

  • New features that provide businesses with more visibility into what’s coming back and a better way to understand true return shipping costs (no estimates).

  • Predictable, up-front pricing – knowing what your return fares are and no hidden fees making accounting more certain

  • USPS has a variety of products and services to help each business manage its own unique chaos of returns