Wednesday 30 May 2012

Business and Innovation - PG03-15 - Final Group Presentations - 29 May 2012


Investor panel
- Linnea
- Peter Le Voir (levoir ltd)
- Nick Hossey (see volpine.cc)

Presentations:

1) DIGITAL GOLD (prev PORTICO)
pitching to Business Angel

- the leaders in the market are fighting to get work, specific reasons
- be quick and easy, approach people, dont wait for them to come to you.
- be passionate all the time
- continuously they should be contacting artists
- charge a consistent high price, be in demand
- network, find directors
- more evidence of investors
- show evidence of a route to market
- find investors who is also a buyer (then they also have buy in to the idea)
- for contemporary art/ the people to contact in companies are the facilities managers, who are responsible for decorating interior company spaces.
- they stick things in offices, then let the execs/ceos know about them.
- people like to know that they've found something valuable.
- find executive directors, advisors on spreadsheets
- 'find the experts', they in turn will introduce you to other experts.
ie.how do I do this, and finding the right person will tell you how.

2) 3D STOCK FOOTAGE
- this idea is not the primary business / but to generate long term income
- lots of stuff on 2D, but no so much 3D
- theme of iconic london – 2 cameras, see pond5 site
- see what is being charged, how many are selling
- monthly income stats – reeldealHD
- copyright/buildings/changes in each country

3) COBOT
- offers range of soft toy characters for 5-8 year olds
- sensors mapped to coding syntax, speaking
- people, planet and profit – so that learners learn technology
- pricing between £40 and £240, 3 prices on offer.
- 8 month development cycle, £152 to pay 8 coders for 8 months.

- secondary income streams – selling individual sensors / subscriber versions to website
check gross profit – this is key
especially for economies of scale
need a gross margin of 67%
IP and patents are also important

4) AI GLOBAL
- need to be more profitable. More niche market
- sell on volume
- see comments below for reflection on group presentation

5) MONICA JETHWANI
- continuous flow style
- manufacturing by hand
- story for each customer need to be spot on
- customer service must be immaculate
- must have wow factor
- build mystique / secrecy idea of going to a house/not show on website

6) OCULAR
- Bespoke 3D glasses
- He has to wear two pairs of glasses in the cinema
- Face mapping / AR
- Parent company (ARTECH) /and subsidiary company (OCULAR)
- Gap in 3D market with glasses
- Direction like Innocent Drinks
- Web-based business
- Brand placement table

7) MOUNTAIN DWELLER
- competitors - 3D/Travel documentaries

8) FOODY FACTORY (prev FOOD PRINTER GROUP)
- problem with obesity in UK

9) STREAM ART (TV)
Students development
Facebook Farms
InternetTV / Platform Stream
700 unique visitors
Soundtrack of film

10) CARD SPROUT
Moo.com
CardFlick
CardCloud
Target Market > SMEs
- Branch Out
- LinkedIn
- CardSprout

11) SQUEEEEZ
Squeezable packaging
Manufacturer, small volumes
good for travel, ie,shampoo/cream
look at Back to MAC program, for makeup artists.

other presentations were shown, but was focusing from then on MA show work.

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Reflection on LLT Group Presentation and own work contributed:

What worked well:
- Reinvention/New creation of a Brand - ai global
- Adding more figures on production costs in business plan
- Group collaboration, and direction to gather materials all in on time

What didn't work so well:
- Not enough preparation for Presentation, due to EA style to preparation - adlib !.
- Poster - which was good quality, but not relevant or customer-focused enough.
- Not enough time to work on Prezi presentation.

Peer Assessment Link:







Wednesday 23 May 2012

Business and Innovation - PG03-14 - Pitching to the audience/Business Sustainability - 22 May 2012

Pitching to who?

Business
Business Angel
Investor

See Boston Matrix
Think about the business and how it can be sustainable

What is exciting? Seduce, Unique? Sell the emotional experience.

Items to work on in group:

- Prezi Presentation ver A & B

- Business Plan - 2200 words

- Learning Log - 1500 words

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5 similar names in UK, see Companies House

AiGLOBAL LTD, UK x
AiGLOBAL INTERACTIVE LTD
AiGLOBAL LANGUAGE
AiGLOBAL LINGUA
AiGLOBAL STUDIOS
AiGLOBAL VOICE
AiGLOBAL SOFTWARE LTD

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Media Distribution Plan - how you identify the market, and how you sell to it?
>
Demographics - Business People - Telecoms infrastructure

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try to target the top of the pyramid (Business/Telecoms), which will pass on to lower sections of the consumer pyramid. (Personal/Adult learning)

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Our brand should be:
FRIENDLY
INNOVATIVE
USABLE
STYLISH
CONVERSATIONAL
HIGH TECH

Try colours that are orange, green, black and grey.

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Thinking about the media materials:
Poster - A3/A2
Newspaper
Social Media (FB)
Website Banner

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Sunday 20 May 2012

Business & Innovation - 2012-05-15 - Planning Marketing Materials


Message to group and planning:

The chosen name for the business and product is AiGLOBAL.
Here is an outline of roles and materials that we are putting together.

Antonio, if you can look into the design of the AiGLOBAL logo that can provide us with the main brand design.
Maria, keep looking into taking photos. When you have photos taken, have a think about messages for the adverts and artwork.
If you can show these photos to Antonio, he should be able to skew the adverts to fit into the photos.
The focus on the prototype and business plan final bits is being worked on by Elkin. Some packaging for the product might add a bit of weight, if it could be sold as an all-in-one phone in a case or capsule. What do you think?
I will look into the Media Plan distribution and general marketing.

Branding + Marketing roles:

EA: Head of Finance, Business Plan, Prezi, Presentation Script and Physical/Digital Prototype
AM: Head of Technology and Branding (logo design, branding)
AC: Head of Media Plan Distribution and Marketing Strategy
MD: Head of Advertising and Social Media (3 ads, inc Tube Poster, Newspaper placement, Website banner)

Advertising Formats:
1.Landscape Tube poster (photo of tube)
2.A4 Newspaper ad (photo of newspaper)
3.Small Website banner (screenshot)
4.Street Billboard poster (photo of street billboard, with people)

Marketing Materials:
Logo/Logotype
Stationery - Business Cards
Application Screenshots
3D Packaging
+ anything else?

Tuesday 15 May 2012

Business and Innovation - PG03-13 - Branding - 15 May 2012


4 Ps of Marketing, Price, Product, Place, Promotion.

Need connection – Canary Wharf, need cable.
- check details, PO connection, submit.

Maslow Hierarchy of Needs
- tapping into layer with advertising

- Technical
- Social
- Emotional/Personal
- Economic, how expensive to run, 2nd hand value
Look at secondary markets, for example 2nd hand value of macs is high.

Decision making unit (roles) – show a determined style, perceived idea of value.
- inititator
- decider
- influencer
- user
- buyer

Look at 'Gatekeepers' – in companies

Quote by Eleanor Roosevelt 'Don't take a No from someone who can't say Yes'

PACKAGING -
Software – disc + bigbozes > adds value, takes up display space.

SOUND -
- Cashpoint machines
- Cardoor – low sound
- Vacumn cleaner
- Retail – music
fast (stay a while)
slow (relaxing)

The sound of the wrapping

REPETITION
– repeated stacking
ie.Pollock, 25 cards. People preferred cards they had seen twice.

IDENTIFICATION (perception bias)
- attraction
- intelligence (appearance)
- younger

ie.Marketing to 40 yrs olds, show 35yr old person.
Retro branding works well.

Exercise:
Your brand as a:

DATE
- take it to the city and stock exchange, sound of figures and business

ANIMAL
- tiger/bear

PARTY
- roof party

SMELL
- smell of freshly printed ink, printed notes, almond and planed cedar finish.

Types of party to think about:
Pool party
Beach party
etc.

Can inform the feel and sensation > smell of business card

Prototype and packaging – can have an associated smell

Purchase process
- need, recognition
- information search
- evaluation
- purchase
- post purchase

not so much effort is always put into post-purchase. Can have a community or secondary market opportunity, or collectable value.

Framing an advert on a certain stage.

Cigarette advertising – emotional reactions
ie.Marlborough branding for a bar with subliminal messages/emotional/sensational messages
Sponsoring on race cards

Business Cards > Marketing Materials
– Tangibility is important
- Primitive feeling of ownership
- Physical interaction increases buying

Attributes / Benefits / Values
silver logo / fits in pocket / more time off work
smartphone / fast / meaningful item, status symbol

Means to End Chain

Emotional / Moral / Personal

Attributes / Benefits / Values

Product, Price, Place, Promotion
- Focus on a stage
Who, When, Why, How

Promotional tactic

Make them feel a certain way

Groupwork:
Attributes           / Benefits                               / Values > Feeling
1.Convenience    / Whenever you want leaving / Learn with best emerging technology
2.Personalisation / For person                         / Emotional bond with object (affinity)

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Tuesday 8 May 2012

Business and Innovation - PG03-12 - Pricing Strategies - 08 May 2012


Pricing strategy

Services/Products

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Negotiation

Figure out how much needed to make as a minimum

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Pricing
- Freelance

Flat rate / Per day / Per hour

Website

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Depends: - on materials, travel, production.

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Night rate

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Branding -

Pricing - undercut strategy

Find out what competitors charge
People starting out will try and undercut other people.

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Elkin - photography / day rate, other.

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Digital photography £150 per job (per day), 5 hours inc travel. per day.
Not sustainable. They can also own the rights.

Wedding photography, £2000 per day.
More sustainable.

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Fixed item, if it takes extra time. Once the low price is given, difficult to raise.

Can give a discount.

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Business consultancy
Can get £1000 per day, service. in Stockholm, Sweden.

Better to charge more to get more work.

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Figure out how much money do you need to survive on, budgeting.

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TOTAL

Negotiation for Fee
One person = client
One person = freelancer

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Website design

Minimum salary: That you require.
Be aware what other people are charging:
Hourly rate.
Day rate.
Weekly rate.
Monthly rate.
Minimum website package charge/time taken.
Middle level website package charge/time taken.
Maximum website package charge/time taken.

What it includes:

Service package.

Feature scale:
Light version
Medium package
Heavyweight package

Quality scale:
Basic version (ie.250)
Premium version (ie.400)
Deluxe version (ie.600)

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Be honest about how long it will take.

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Goldilocks approach
Give people 3 options, people tend to go for middle option.

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Pricing, can be context-specific, people are not always objective.

Sometimes people can place price according to their age!

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Freelance web design - can have more of an advantage than a web company on pricing.
New site
Redesigned site
Site consultancy

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art prints: (product)

basic
ie.200 prints, unsigned
£

midrange
£800-1200

exclusive
£5000-6000

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Might be trading job security for charging higher

Last minute (can charge higher), few things might need to be moved around, can charge a premium.

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Interior designers, can charge on sourcing products

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Charge the official price, negotiate a deal with shop to get a discount.

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Meet at 12.15pm

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Sponsorship negotiation

SEE NOTEPAD
to add ...

Negotiation

.ie. (Simon) Game tutorials
(Elkin) 15 days would be £4000 + iterative design
Level of interactivity

Negotiation techniques:
Define scope
Person who works at base rate
£275 per day, + extra costs
Best to agree on a deadline - give a definate end date + time for delayed content + x number of days
Giving an end date is better than quoting an hourly rate, daily rate or an itemised total.
- Within a negotiation it can be offensive to say researching other people!

Pricing - Product
Look at competition
Cost + Competition
Value based pricing - ie.Value of last minute work > what is the value to the customer
ie. Hotel room next to airport
ie.Selling umbrellas during rainfall

Psychological pricing - consumers - swayed/flimsy thinking
ie. wearing a suit might mean that you are able to charge more

People do not like to be taken advantage of.

ie.Look at Drinks at festivals > still needs to be fair

Discounts - Trade
- 15% schools / 10% private

Cash discount - for example if a part of fee is paid upfront.

Always demand something in return

Quantity discount - bulk buy

Accumulative discount - Loyalty / reduction over time

On demand - how demand varies with price

Tent - 200/400/600


Bundle discount
Quality leadership - decide level of leadership in the field
Status quo - avoid price wards - dont deal overcharging / nor undercutting.
Aim never to compete on price
Skim the market (high end customers)
Survive in the market
Focus on revenue - max gains / bread and butter work
Add distinguishing features / limited features
New business models 'Pay what you want model'
'Trustbox' phenomena
Digital artpiece - sell on uniqueness
Bid for my work

(year later) Negotiating a higher fee - setup reminders for fee increases
Assess the value to them, in keeping you as being experienced/trustworthy supplier/producer/consultant


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BRAINSTORMING NAMES

Business: LLT

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Branding + Marketing

EA: Head of Finance, Business Plan, Prezi, Presentation Script and Physical/Digital Prototype
AM: Head of Technology and Branding (logo design, branding)
AC: Head of Media Plan Distribution and Marketing Strategy
MD: Head of Advertising and Social Media (3 ads, inc Tube Poster, Newspaper placement, Website banner)

Advertising
1.Landscape Tube poster (photo of tube)
2.A4 Newspaper ad (photo of newspaper)
3.Small Website banner (screenshot)
4.Street Billboard poster (photo of street billboard, with people)

Marketing Materials
LOGO
Application Screenshots


Business Plan on Google Docs

Market Research

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TODO:
Survey - Brainstorm of names
Write up blog
Reply/put together course notes - Monday
Book off time

Check out Ryan's shared doc - MA show

Up to 5 votes

Friday 4 May 2012

Business & Innovation - 2012-05-04 - Research Interviews


RESEARCH INTERVIEWS:
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1) Chai (Student at SOAS, London) (mid 20s)

Q1. Why are you studying Mandarin Chinese? What do you hope to gain?
A1. I have been abroad for 2 years in China, in Shanghai, and am practising speaking and writing. I would say that I am learning for personal reasons. I haven't considered using it for business as a move to China or work with companies would be very far ahead in the future.

Q2. What software/device do you use for language learning: why do you use this device?
A2. With iPhone, I have Pleco and MDBG. I find that MDBG is a good dictionary, and I found it accidently as a popup on a website.

Q3. How much time do you devote to language learning: why do you devote only this much time?
A3. On my 4 year course, which is very intensive...I have 20 hours of lectures each week...plus I spend 20 hours of spare time.

Q4. How can the experience of language learning be improved; if you compare traditional learning and interactive learning?
A4. Learning can be improved with technology, although I rely alot on writing itself. With the iPhone I can write out the characters.

Q5. What is your ideal way to learn a language: how will an app help you?
A5. Not much to say. Learning Chinese is different to other languages, in that cannot easily input characters, and some apps do not always...what's the word...render the characters...on the first try. If I cannot find the word, I can usually find the root (radical), and usually then find it on the iphone.

Additional comments:
What will you do with the results? Ah, ok. I have to go now.

2) Fred (Student at SOAS, London) (early 20s)

Q1. Why are you studying Mandarin Chinese? What do you hope to gain?
A1. I want to engage with a new culture. I have been before to China, to Beijing, to Qinghai and Sichuan. I am primarily learning for personal reasons, business is a secondary reason.

Q2. What software/device do you use for language learning: why do you use this device?
A2. On my phone I use Hanping Pro Dictionary, though my phone does not support Pleco.
I can draw a character, and it can recognise the equivalent word. I have also used Skritter, learning to write, practice stroke order, make lists, and also has it's own flashcards which help you to remember, as you are prompted to write out characters.

Q3. How much time do you devote to language learning: why do you devote only this much time?
A3. I am on a 4 year course, studying for only 10 hours a week, as I have other commitments.

Q4. How can the experience of language learning be improved; if you compare traditional learning and interactive learning?
A4. Traditional needs to be more interactive. Interactive, Skritter has game-style interaction - every week you can be tested on how many characters you have learnt, and varies the method of scoring, one week you might have 10-50 characters, another week you might be tested on 2-4 hours of study time.

Q5. What is your ideal way to learn a language: how will an app help you?
A5. Ideal...mostly I enjoy reading the literature. Modern stories. There is a method called Laoshi-Lishi that is taught here, however the learning syllabus can concentrate too much on business rather than culture. Too much of the material on my syllabus is focused on the economy, which is created for the student, and dates back to a course structure from the 1970s, although I still think that it is still relevant for today.

Additional comments:
Eh, thanks and good luck.

3) Jim (Student at CityLit, London) (late 30s)

Q1. Why are you studying Mandarin Chinese? What do you hope to gain?
A1. I hope that it would be of interest for a future career. As I am a civil servant possibly it could involve work within government, possibly. It is a work opportunity and also a personal interest.

Q2. What software/device do you use for language learning: why do you use this device?
A2. Occasionally I have used a dictionary on mobile for reference. Sometimes sentences, words and characters.

Q3. How much time do you devote to language learning: why do you devote only this much time?
A3. I devote about one and a half hours class and one hour of own time. I don't have any more time.

Q4. How can the experience of language learning be improved; if you compare traditional learning and interactive learning?
A4. How do I think that traditional learning can be improved?..I make connections between characters, find a way to remember the look of a character.
How can interactive learning be improved?...There should be multimedia...it sounds a bit cliche! but it's still a useful aid. You hear it, you see it, read it in a sentence, see 'it' (a character, word or term) straight away in a simple way along with a few examples.

Q5. What is your ideal way to learn a language: how will an app help you?
A5. I usually prefer learning in a classroom, and see apps as a supplement for learning. For me face-to-face teaching, speaking and writing is what I am mainly used to.

Additional comments:
My pleasure. I might go and get a tea now (interviewed after a 1.5 hour mandarin lesson.).

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Tuesday 1 May 2012

Business & Innovation - PG03-11 (Cycle 3) Research (01 May 2012)


Things to improve:
Understanding the 'Market'
Understanding the 'User'

Customer profiles are not in depth enough

See another person for a 30 min interview

Types:
- Young professional
- Casual learner
- Mature learner

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Considering new roles for the group:

Antonio - Head of Marketing Materials
Maria - Social Media
Elkin - Finance/Strategy
Me - Brand

*** Email questions to Antonio and Maria to also ask.

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20 mins


> 1. why are you studying mandarin Chinese: what do up hope to gain?
> 2. what software/device do you use for language learning: why do you use this device
> 3. how much time do you devote to language learning: why do you devote only this much time?
> 4. how can the experience of language learning be improved; compared to traditional learning and interactive learning?
> 5. what is your ideal way to Learn a language : how will an app help you?


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