Yearly Archives: 2016

Over the years, we’ve worked with and on behalf of a lot of women. From researching women’s personal financial and investment strategies to observing moms’ caregiving and shopping routines, we’ve been immersed in women’s lives and consider ourselves experts on the subject. Having two women as our company’s principals has probably helped us gain a little insight too.

One look at Fusion Hill’s team and you’ll note a striking difference from other agencies. Our group is made up of more than 30 vibrant women. What started out as two businesswomen with an idea turned into a full-service creative agency with people from diverse backgrounds. And because we are a women-owned and –managed agency, the month of March is near and dear to our hearts.

March is a month to reflect on, learn about and celebrate the important contributions so many women have made to our society. From the trailblazers of the past to the influential leaders of today, these women have broken down barriers and opened new doors so that we all have a chance to succeed. While women have come a long way, adversity still exists, and that’s why this month we want to move beyond reflection into action and share how we champion the women around us.

Expand our network. Women need to support women. And that’s why over the years we’ve aligned with organizations like The Woman’s Club, United Way Women’s Leadership Council and most recently Mpls MadWomen. Here we find strong, talented women with big ideas and generous hearts. And whether our conversations are personal or professional, connections like these encourage all of us to chase our dreams, achieve our goals and, most important, urge change and equality in our own creative industry.

Continue to educate. The best way to empower women is to educate women. And we start right here in our own shop. Each year, our team travels all over the country to attend workshops, panels and conferences that highlight new techniques and the latest industry trends. This year, we’ll be attending the 99U Conference in New York to learn how to shift the focus from idea generation to idea execution. In the fall, the research team is attending the Epic Conference, a showcase on how to create transformative innovation, growth and strategic success for companies, industries and communities. And the INBOUND conference in Boston at the end of the year is sure to inspire us with ideas from the country’s biggest names in marketing. These conferences enhance the way we think and empower us to find new ways to be better, do better and achieve more.

Spread the word. In order to truly eliminate the gender gap, people have to keep talking about its prevalence. We take to social media to spread the word, sharing photos, articles and quotes. We also join groups whose hope is to plant a seed of inspiration for people in all communities and whose mission is to overcome inequality in all societies. The more involved we become, the more changes we will see.

The activists of the past need to be remembered, the leaders of the present need to be supported, and we need to work together to quash gender inequality once and for all. Let’s celebrate Women’s History Month in March, but let’s all get involved in the long-term mission as well.

To women and girls everywhere — you can do it, be it, own it and celebrate it. Believe it.

We’ve been thinking a lot about the role of concept testing in innovation lately. Concept testing is sometimes the last, forgotten or skipped step in the innovation process. And we get it: Concept testing isn’t as sexy as ethnographies that serve up the next incredible idea.

But there aren’t many things more costly for a brand than debuting a new product or service in the market. That’s why when there’s a big opportunity on the table, it’s essential to test with consumers before launching. Concept testing and refinement is critical to product innovation because it not only highlights strengths but also identifies weaknesses. A concept may be 90% there, but it can be that last 10% that makes the difference between more of the same and something truly groundbreaking.

Successful innovation begins and ends with research. Whether that beginning is ethnographies, focus groups or interviews, it is all about generating deep insights that we can synthesize into meaningful opportunity areas and resulting product or marketing concepts. But even the best concepts are just concepts. They are the result of hours of synthesis, strategizing and internal negotiating. And we all know that the ideas that come out of the consumer research are not always the same as the ideas that are presented in the approved final concept — and that evolution from consumer spark to actual concept is not always a good thing.

That’s why taking those ideas back out to consumers and doing concept testing is so important. We’ve found that a single word or phrase can invoke a wide range of emotions in a variety of people — and can genuinely make or break a concept. When concept testing for a medical device company, we included a phrase that some people found humorous but others found offensive. Concept testing revealed small nuances and helped us find a vernacular that better suited our audience.

We worked with a well-known handbag company that had conducted research to understand its consumers’ general likes and dislikes to drive product development but that had never gone back out and tested the actual concepts. So we took multiple concepts based on the same general consumer-ideated design guidelines back out for concept testing. Not only did this research help determine which product lines to move forward with, but also we understood the optimal way to describe each new product, even using the consumers’ own words. Because of the concept testing, the brand added accessories to the line and ordered a larger stock for launch because it was able to predict the level of consumer interest. That product line went on to become their best-selling pattern to date and is still viewed as a consumer favorite.

And in this instance, getting the right words to describe the concept was as important as getting feedback on the concept itself. We often tell clients that it is not enough to optimize a product to be consumer-centric — it is just as critical to ensure that the right consumer vernacular is being used to describe it, whether for success in future quantitative research or for success in launch. A product cannot just be exactly what consumers need — it also needs to convey to consumers that it directly fulfills a need for them.

We know another round of research can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. A variety of methodologies are available — whether in-depth interviews, focus groups or online platforms — to match any project’s timeline and budget. It’s a tool to test positioning, messages, creative and product concepts, and challenge implications found in research to uncover potential pitfalls. And concept testing helps separate the decent ideas from the great ideas — and then refine and optimize those great ideas into success. Through it, brands are able to understand which products resonate with consumers and why, and can ultimately develop consumer-centric products that perfectly match their market.

So go ahead and consider that last step. You can make it as simple or complex as needed in order to fit every product, service, project schedule or team’s desires. And remember, compared to the cost of an unsuccessful launch or a missed opportunity, concept testing is cheap.

As a community-focused agency, we are always looking for ways — big or small — to engage with and support the people around us. That’s why when we were recently invited to share our knowledge and expertise at the University of St. Thomas’s Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter meeting, we jumped at the opportunity!

We spoke about Fusion Hill, our culture and the variety of paths to take in the agency world. As an intimate group of eight, we were able to get to know the students on a one-to-one basis and cater our conversations to their needs. As we covered everything from ethics to academics to work-life balance, these students were eager to learn and listen to advice from people in the field.

The conversation truly represented the PRSSA mission — to enhance students’ education, broaden their network and launch their careers. Moments like these make us happy and grateful for the invitation to share our insight, build connections and hopefully help the next great marketer find their own path in this creative world.

Each year we release trend reports on topics relevant to our work – such as Millennials & Money, Generation Z and The New Foodie. To inform our 2016 topics, we’re seeking submissions on areas of interest from our clients and partners. Send your suggestions to edongoske@fusionhill.com.

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we can’t help but reflect on the love and happiness that surrounds us. Our colleagues, clients, families and friends bring a tremendous amount of joy to our lives, and we are thankful for the culture and community that surrounds us. That’s why we want to take this time to share a few things that make our hearts pop.

• Travel – Our research team is racking up the airline miles. This year we’ve already been to New York City, Dallas, San Francisco, Denver and Phoenix. Bring on the adventures and the in-field insights!
• Snap, crackle, pop – whether it’s Chicago Mix or Sea Salt Caramel Drizzle, we can’t get enough popcorn. We even sent some of these sweet treats to our clients for Valentine’s Day. We couldn’t resist.
• Super Bowl 50 – As marketers, we love the Super Bowl commercials as much as the game. From Hyundai’s hilarious “First Date” commercial with Kevin Hart to NO MORE’s domestic violence awareness ad, we appreciate great creative that delights us with laughter or gives us reason to pause.
• Seeing our work – When you work on front-end, confidential initiatives, it’s not often you get to see your work displayed. But when it’s up on a billboard for public consumption, we can’t help but gawk as we slowly pass by.
• Learning – Our creative team presented design principles and creative exercises they learned at the Delight Conference in Portland. We focused on falling in love with the problem instead of the solution and what it means to truly “let go.”

Our hearts are so full we could explode. It makes us wonder, what do you love? What are your favorite things? Tell us on Twitter – and look for more things that make our hearts just a little bit happier each and every day.

XOXO,

Fusion Hill #ThingsWeLove

Ad Fed MN and Ad2 recently presented the 4^th annual Women’s Leadership Panel and it. was. awesome. Moderated by Nora McInerny Purmort, author of the book “It’s Okay to Laugh (Crying Is Cool, Too)” and hilarious marketer from Minneapolis, the evening was engaging, informative and definitely one to remember.

While the title of the event says “women,” it was about much more – as evidenced by a few men in the audience. It was about being a leader, being inspired and influencing change. The panel, made up of six women from agencies, Fortune 500 companies and start-ups, spoke candidly about their experiences of being working women in the world. They touched on everything from the art of the strategic “no” to Jennifer Lawrence to feminism to wine. It was filled with great conversation and advice from some powerful and inspiring women. We couldn’t help but leave feeling excited and energized that we live and work in a special creative community with the potential to influence the national women’s leadership conversation.

Some of our favorite quotes from the night?

• “Find the leaders in your life and surround yourself with them.” – Emily Pritchard, co-founder & COO at The Social Lights
• “Nothing great ever comes from being comfortable. Stay uncomfortable and you are going to be remarkable.” – Margaret Murphy, president & COO at Olson
• “Modern literacy is the ability to learn and unlearn. The degree to which you can do that throughout your career is important.” – Mahtab Rezai, Principal & CEO at Crux Collaborative
• “If you say no, provide a solution.” – Margaret Murphy, president & COO at Olson
• “Know the difference between a job (keeps you going) and a vocation (why you’re here).” – Mahtab Rezai, principal & CEO at Crux Collaborative
• “Don’t be nice, be good.” – Jill Gutterman, digital transformation leader at 3M
• “The best investment you can make is yourself. Bet on you.” – Margaret Murphy, president & COO at Olson

In one of our recent blogs, we talked about the benefits of personalization. While personalization can be a powerful way to increase engagement, it’s important to understand the fine line between creating a unique customized experience and invading consumers’ privacy. In our increasingly digitized world, many people (though perhaps not Millennials) are apprehensive about giving out data and are highly sensitive about keeping personal information protected. While this can be a greater issue for financial and medical institutions who are dealing with highly sensitive personal data, it can also be relevant to retailers and other seemingly innocuous businesses that people engage with day to day.

Getting a Little Too Personal

Target decided to tap into the highly lucrative market of soon-to-be parents and developed an algorithm that analyzed customers’ purchases to determine if and when they were expecting a baby. Based on this data, the company began sending coupons in the mail to expectant mothers for baby-related items to try and gain their business in the crucial pre-baby period.

Much to Target’s surprise, this effort had an unexpectedly negative effect — some consumers received the baby-oriented communications before they had told any family members about their pregnancy. In one case, a 16-year-old’s father irately complained to Target before finding out that his teenage daughter was, in fact, pregnant. Target quickly learned that they needed to change their strategy: “If we send someone a catalog and say, ‘Congratulations on your first child!’ and they’ve never told us they’re pregnant, that’s going to make some people uncomfortable,” said Andrew Pole, a statistician for Target. “Then we started mixing in all these ads for things we knew pregnant women would never buy, so the baby ads looked random. We’d put an ad for a lawn mower next to diapers. We’d put a coupon for wine glasses next to infant clothes. That way, it looked like all the products were chosen by chance. And we found out that as long as a pregnant woman thinks she hasn’t been spied on, she’ll use the coupons. She just assumes that everyone else on her block got the same mailer for diapers and cribs. As long as we don’t spook her, it works.”

The takeaway? It is a privilege to receive customer information. People put inherent trust in a company when they choose to supply personal details about themselves, and they expect that it will be used in a respectful way that will enhance their experience with that brand. Personalization can be fun and beneficial for all involved, but it’s important for marketers to take a step back, put themselves in the customer’s shoes and imagine how communications will be received — will this be fun and intriguing, or does it feel like it crosses a line into becoming too personal? If the latter, it’s probably better to rethink your strategy and make sure it’s hitting the right note.

January 7 marks a special place in our hearts — it’s the anniversary of the start of Fusion Hill. And this year we turn 12! It feels like just yesterday we had our 10^th anniversary — time flies when you’re having this much fun!

Twelve years of incredible experiences, landmark projects, humbling successes and unmatched partnerships. Thank you to everyone who has helped make these first dozen years so enjoyable and rewarding.