Introduction(How a Sous Chef holds the perfect advertising recipes)

About Me(The secret ingredients that spice up my personality)

My Approach to Problem Solving(How I balance every flavor and thoughtfully plate a solution)

Case 1: Ford(Flavoring Ford to appeal to the taste buds of millennials)

menuCase 2: Sling(Launching Dish Network’s latest cuisine - Sling TV)

Case 3: Sharpie(Making the art of handwriting more palatable to Gen Z)

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Second in command in a professional kitchen, the Sous chef stands next in line to master the territory. Sous chefs must plan and direct how the food is presented on the plate, pick and prep ingredients and make sure the customers are happy.

Much like the Sous Chef, I see myself immersed in the process of facilitating my teammates,while learning from those above me. As a planner, I would like to bring value by dissecting the ingredients: building human insights from research, understanding habits, behaviors perspectives and presenting a simple and more accessible creative brief.

My work experience and journey so far have given me the time and clarity to explore this field further. I would love to learn from the strategy experts at your agency to develop into a Michelin Star Chef.

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MY APPROACH TO PROBLEM SOLVING

I approach most problems like I was to cook something I’ve never cooked before. My background as a science student in college helps me here, because I prefer going

about this in an organized and meticulous way.

Read the brief 5 times overand do a background check.

Read and digest all informationfrom research reports of the

brand and the category. Speakto people for consumer insights.

Gather all the raw materialI need for the the task. Even

if that means a little morethan what I might use.

Boil everything down toa simple insightful brief.

Make a compelling strategicpresentation for the client.

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“People who love to eat, are the best people in the world.” - Julia Child

"If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” - Albert Einstein

“People who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” - Steve Jobs

I believe good advertising has the power tochange attitudes, behaviors and perceptions.As a planner, I am driven by using insightfulcommunication to effect a positive change,

as well as improving sales figures.

I studied Biotechnology for 5 years in college. While I ultimately switched gears, a scientific

approach to thinking and problem solving have been irrevocably ingrained in me.

Food, music and beer are more than just my hobbies. They are a part of my everyday

life and are thingsI can’t do without.

Here are some examples of work that I have done during the Account Planning Bootcamp at Miami Ad School, Miami in 2015. With every brief I have worked on as a student, my attempt was to push the envelope and produce bold work. I worked on the strategy and was involved in the entire creative process, across all briefs. At the end of every case, I have included a few points of what I learnt through each campaign.

If you would like to know more about my work, or just have a chat, it would be my pleasure to talk to you.

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PROBLEMFord is percieved as a sturdy American car brand which manufactures reliable and high performance cars. However, Ford is losing its appeal with Millennials.

OBJECTIVETo make Ford more appealing to Millennials (also known as the smartphone generation) and to give them a reason to buy it.

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• Millennials (between the ages of 21-34), often perceive Ford as a boring and an old-fashioned brand. • This generation is always online, even when socializing and are very expressive about their opinions. • For the previous generation, owning their first car was a symbol of having arrived in life; however, this generation looks at car ownership more practically.

• Perceptual analyses revealed how our audience today is wiser, more independent and want more choices. • Car leasing and pay-as-you-drive insurance are at their highest today.• For the first time Apple released no contract iPhones.

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APPROACHWith the help of primary research including FGD’s and secondary research such as annual reports and online sources, we wanted tounderstand certain unique characteristics and lifestyle preferences of our audience.

STRATEGYWith an open brief from the client, we took the liberty to play with more than just communication ideas. We wanted to change the brand perception of Ford from being old fashioned and boring to a brand, which understands each generation and has kept up with the times. With ‘providing choice’ as our primary focus, we wanted to change the way car ownership is looked at by Millennials.

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CREATIVE IDEA

This generation does not want to limit itself, hencedo not commit to one thing.

Open Door ClubChanging the way cars are owned through a leased or flexiblemembership. With basic documentation like driver’s license andSS number, you can register to be a part of this club for a minimumperiod of 2 years. By paying just $199 per month, you can pick oneof 4 cars: Ford Fiesta, Focus, Mustang or the Fusion. You can usethe car for a minimum of 3 months and then you can switch again though an app that we designed. We used experiential and digital

mediums to popularize the idea.TA

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Mobile App

Promotional GIF banners

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Guerilla Marketing Idea: Buy parking spots in areas frequented by our audience where only ODC members can park.

The GIF banners will appear on contextual websites where our audience is consuming their content.

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UNDERSTANDING PEOPLEThe best way to understand what people want is to keep talking to them. While research and Focus Groups help, informal interactions open up a whole new world.

It is not necessary that every advertising problem must be met with traditional advertising as a solution. The solution could vary from modifications in the product or the distribution channel or even packaging.

THINKING BIG

LOOKING BEYOND THE CATEGORYAnalyzing trends and patterns beyond the category one is dealing with, could lead to insights as well. In this case,studying trends in the insurance and smartphone categories helped the strategy.

THE AFTERTASTE

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BACKGROUND

AUDIENCE

STIMULANTS

18 to 35-year-olds who are most likely to cut the cord because:• Cable is expensive • They are bound to contracts• They are forced to pay for unwanted channelsMillennials are looking for more prudent, rational, ‘pay for what you watch’ choices.

• 95.3% of people in the USA have some form of paid TV. Despite the negative perception of cable TV, it accounts for the highest market share in the TV category.• People are discontinuing cable TV subscriptions rapidly: 440,000 dropped out in the last quarter of 2014.

Sling TV, Dish Network’s latest offering, is a service that can be downloaded on any TV or TV hardware with 4 main benefits:• Gives you the best of both live cable and digital TV• All basic channels including ESPN are available• Only $20 per month and no contracts• You can use it on any device of your choice

PROBLEM

OBJECTIVEDrive 1.5 mil new subscriptions for Dish Network’s newone-of-a-kind product - Sling TV.

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The TV category is crowded with big players such as Turner, Comcast, AT&T, Verizon, Direct TV and online TV such as Netflix and Hulu.

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APPROACH• Studied the TV service environment with an in-depth competitive analysis.• Analyzed Google trends and Social Media feeds to understand public sentiment.• Used sources such as Comscore to study subscription patterns.

STRATEGYWe wanted to capitalize on this trending sentiment and face cable head-on.The attempt was to bite into the high market share that cable currently holdsand convert those users to Sling subscribers. While we communicated thefeature benefits to the audiences subtly, we worked with a broader, more human insight to appeal to millennials directly.

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CREATIVE IDEA

We make some mistakes over and over again despite knowingthey are mistakes only because of perceived convenience.

Bad Choices are OverratedEven though many are dissatisfied with cable TV, the majority of users subscribed to it only because it came as a package with their internet, because their apartment had a pre-owned connection, or simply because it was what they were used to. We encouraged them to question their insistence on cable byreminding them of some of the other bad choices they make

in their life with a humorous undertone.

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Print Ads

TV Spots:We created two TV spots, one ofa broke old man and the other ofa drug addict. Their satirical testimonialsspoke about the bad choices they havemade in their life and their regret overstaying with cable.

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Online: www.badchoices.comWe wanted to create a website as a platform to substantiate our insight. On this site, we used posts from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Vine with the #badchoices. This site becomes a repository of bad choices that people make in their lives.

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BE BOLDI’m hoping to work for brands that are pitted against giants in crowded categories. My key aim here is to create a bold and disruptive strategy that the creatives can use as a springboard.

KNOW WHO YOU ARE SPEAKING TOSpeaking to the right audience and addressing one specific problem could be more effective than trying to deal with several types of people and problems.

HUMOR IS NOT EASYWhile some people found the campaign humorous, conveying the message in a light hearted and funnytone required looking deeper for insights.

THE AFTERTASTE

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PROBLEMWith the advent of technology in schools, the art of handwriting is becoming increasingly marginalized. Children use their laptops, tablets and phones for all forms of communication, in and out of the classroom. As a result, the sales for Sharpie have dropped consistently and unless there is a change in this trend, they will drop even further.

OBJECTIVEMake the art of handwriting relevant to teens again.

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Generation Z (11-17 year old teens across the US). Our research showed us how teens today are more compassion-ate and connected to global issues.Being children who grew up in a time of recession, terrorism and global warming, they are more globally aware and are active social participants.

• 26% volunteer actively for social causes• 80% are aware of man’s impact on the planet while 90% are optimistic about the world’s future.• Our conversations with children got me thinking about how we can leverage this social awareness in teenagers today

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APPROACHWe spoke to several children to understand their writing andstudying patterns. Clubbed with online research, we developeda pool of insights covering different aspects of their life.

STRATEGYWe tackled this problem by communicating to our audience experientially. We positioned the product as a catalyst for growth, communication, and change. Our campaign allows teensto express themselves as individuals on a worldwide platform. Using their unique handwriting, we aimed at helping students create connections with their peers across cultural boundaries.

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CREATIVE IDEA

This generation wants to show the world that they have the ability to shape the future as they are more globally aware than ever before.

Write for a ChangeBy placing the product in the hands of the consumer, we wanted to make them a part of something that had never been done before. While teens in the US today take instant communication through technology for granted, not everyone has this luxury.However, almost everyone can communicate with a pen. Through handwriting, we hope this will start a conversation and help foster more empathetic and globally connected students, thus cultivating a better future.

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Our campaign revolves around an unprecedented global outreach program, whereby Sharpie will engage thousands of public middle and high school students from the USA and Africa in the first ever simultaneous mass dialogue with their peers. Sharpie will pay for all supplies, an envelope with pre-addressed postcards, a Sharpie pen and a pin with a unique serial number. Students will be encouraged to write to their peers in Africa during class hours and mail the postcard.

We also wanted to extend this idea experientiallywhere we put digital kiosks at bus stops. You canwrite your message on a touch screen and send it.

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Write for a Change Mobile App:An app that lets you match with people from around the world on the basis of your signature. The idea is to upload your signature as your display picture. You can connect with people across the globe based on the most unique thing about them, their handwriting.

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DO NOT FORGET THE OBJECTIVEWhile having a social angle to the campaign willalways sound like the right thing to do, one must ensure that it addresses the problem effectively.

PRODUCT PLACEMENTThe easier it is for the consumer to access and experience the product, the higher the chances of a successful campaign.

THINK LONG TERMCampaigns such as this one can be executed for a longer period of time and their effectiveness can easily be measured.

THE AFTERTASTE

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Thank you for your time. If you have any feedback, I would love to hear from you.Here are some ways to get in touch.

Thank you Miami Ad School.

/shashankh

/shashank.hariharan.7

Shashank Hariharan

shashank.n.h@gmail.com

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