Case study
WHITE RABBIT PGDM 5200 INTEGRATIVE STUDIO 1-D
Professor: Michael Norton
- SPRING 2016 -
MS S TRATE G I C D ESI G N AN D M AN AG EM EN T
TA BL E OF CONT E N T S
Parsons The New School / Strategic Design and Management
PG
01. I N T R O D U C T I O N / O VER VI EW
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02. M AR KET R ESEAR C H
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03. I N SI G H T S
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04. VAL U E P R O P O SI T I O N & B U SI N ESS ST R AT EG Y
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05. P R O P O SAL : N O W -N EAR -N EXT
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06. C O N C L U SI O N
93
07. AC KN O W L ED G EM EN T S
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08. AP P EN D I X
101
09. B I B L I O G R AP H Y
143
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01 I N T R O D U C T IO N
Parsons The New School / Strategic Design and Management
INTRODUCTION STRATEGIC D E S IG N A N D MA N A G E MEN T PROGRAM AT P A R S O N S The standards for production and management of information, services, and experiences are in a constant state of evolution where the new global economy is being defined by technology. The Master of Science, Strategic Design and Management program at Parsons School of Design, seeks to form professionals that exhibit flexibility and the capacity for innovation that is required to satisfy latent needs and push new business forward despite the rapid changing businesses. Our program intends to give us the tools necessary to embrace the business world with confidence and the ability to create, manage, and lead design driven organizations by incorporating design thinking, service design and sustainability frameworks.
Management
Business
During our second semester in the program we took part in an Integrative Studio course that explores the overlap between business and design. We combined our academic and professional skills in order to generate innovative solutions to multidisciplinary projects in the current business world. Each section of the course was paired with an external partner and students develop strategic solutions to complicated situations through research methods, ideation processes and theoretical frameworks. Our team was fortunate enough to work with White Rabbit, a real-time, peer-topeer, SMS only city guide based in Berlin. The novice startup led by Luke Atcheson and Jan Tewes Thede, identified an opportunity to solve the constant desire of tourists and city dwellers to be able to experience cities as locals. Integrative Studio 1 / Spring 2016
Leadership coursework
Design-centered
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‘‘The master’s in Strategic Design and Management combines business, management, and leadership coursework with design-centered studio work.‘‘
The New School, Parsons
Parsons The New School / Strategic Design and Management
THE TEAM We are a group of interdisciplinary international graduate students with diverse backgrounds ranging from Biology, Graphic Design, Branding, International Relations, Film to Finance and Accounting. We are design thinkers and strategists looking to integrate design and business skills in order to come up with innovative ideas for White Rabbit and future clients to come. When we think about innovation, we think about the feasibility, viability, and desirability of a product or service that will stand the test of time and first and foremost answer to an unmet need of current or potential customers. We are always taking into account the fact that people are the ones that will use the information, the service, or the product we design.
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THE TEAM IS A B E L E S C O B A R Born and raised in Colombia. She worked in the world of Film and TV both in NY and Colombia and later transitioned into the Branding Industry as a Project Manager and Strategist. She is very passionate about the impact of storytelling and branding in small, medium or large businesses across all industries. She visited Berlin in 2005 by herself after a semester abroad in Italy and she wished White Rabbit had been around when she was there.
D A N IE L A Q U IN T ER O Devoted Colombian designer, specializing in brand strategy, visual identity and packaging. Worked for three years in the branding industry as a brand consultant and graphic designer. Committed to producing nothing less than memorable solutions through design thinking. In love with typography, color schemes and visual concepts. Even though she’s never been to Berlin, as a foreign student living in NY, she often wishes White Rabbit would be available to her.
N AT T IN E E WA N C HA N Multidisciplinary brand executive who possess practical knowledge of corporate branding and integrated marketing communication. Worked for five years in brand communication and marketing strategy which she gained a wide-range of skills both in business and design. Born and raised in Thailand. She loves to travel and explore unique experiences. Believing life is full of surprising journey, to be a part of ‘White Rabbit’, is one of the privileges fulfilling her journeys.
A L L IS O N B L IT Z Passionate and innovative design thinker and strategist. Skilled in business operations, project leadership, and branding. Professional experience in education, media, and international relations. A doer and a thinker who loves to experiment and explore, find simplicity in complexity, and define innovative strategies and design solutions that advance the human experience. Obsessed with great design and organized spaces. With a love of travel and familial roots in Germany, she is excited to be part of the White Rabbit team. 11
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THE TEAM O L IV IA L A FA IR E User experience designer and strategic systems thinker. Born and raised in Chicago, IL. Her aim is to always gain deeper understandings of people and phenomenons. She believes travel is a great outlet to continue this learning and is very excited about what White Rabbit offers for customers.Â
L O U R D E S MA R T IN E Z Dogs. Yoga. Organization. Those are the things I love. I lived in Lima-Peru all my life, and as an inevitable consequence I am always looking for new experiences that involve exquisite and exotic flavors. I have a Bachelor in Communications and I have worked the last 6 years of my life in the digital media as manager, content creator, strategist and project leader. When I travel I enjoy to have a local experience, so I am thrilled to work in the White Rabbit project.
C A I MIN (S T E P H AN I E ) A focused and determined brand manager, two years branding experience, using human and societal culture to create brand culture for business opportunities. Born and raised in China, loves to travel abroad and believes a great trip starts with good preparation. Wishes White Rabbit would become a handy tool for everyone.
C O L IN R E N Experienced fashion & image consultant with demonstrated success in planning and executing regional and international campaigns. Applied knowledge of strategic planning with skills in client relations, talent management, branding, and identifying essential industry trends. Bilingual in Chinese. Still looking for his wonderland in New York.
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THE TEAM V IC T O R IA S E ME N O VA A fashion marketing manager with experience in international commerce & retail. Originally from Russia, then lived and worked in Paris, after that moved to New York. Big traveller: 4 continents, 42 countries. Empowered by different cultures and experiences. Prefers mobility and varied living experiences to the familiarity of a single place. Wishes to have more “White Rabbit� friends in every city she travels to.
F U LYA T U R K ME NO G L U A designer and executor. Born and raised in Istanbul. Moved to New York to get fashion design BFA degree at Fashion Institute of Technology. After graduating has been worked in NY as a fashion & textile designer. Loves to be in different cities like an insider and to get inspired by different places, people,and cultures.
MA R C IO O L IV E IR A S I LVA Behavioral biologist using New York City as his playground.
A D E MIL O L A A G O R O Future right hand to an African dictator, occasional minimalist and cheesecake enthusiast.
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THE TEAM THE TEAM
S H E ID A VA R S H A BI An accounting background, distinct organizational and social skills as well as trained abilities to work international as well as complex surroundings. Theoretical and practical experiences in the field of research and analysis, industrial and consumer. Born and raised in Iran, passionate about experiencing different lifestyles and getting inspiration by different people and their thoughts. Found the opportunity to work with White Rabbit very exciting and inspirational and feel proud of being in this journey.
Pro f e sso r
OUR PROFESSOR: MICHAEL NOR T O N Michael Norton is currently in the business of Brand creation and reinvention, working with clients to establish market-smart strategies and engaging brand stories. He has served as Global Creative Director on Maybelline NY, Executive Creative Director of Arnell Group and as Creative Director of Brand Development at DDB New York. He’s led creative, strategy and
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product innovation on global businesses, including Samsung, Jose Cuervo International, Maybelline, Unilever, Pepsi, LVMH, Martha Stewart, Chanel, Tommy Hilfiger, GNC and the Guggenheim Museum. Ultimately, there is always the same goal: create dynamic solutions that build relevance and desire, invite engagement and fuel business.
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WHITE RABBIT AND PARSONS In August 2015 Luke Atcheson, founder of White Rabbit, came to Parsons to the Integrative Studio classroom and presented the current state of the company which had been launched two months prior to our meeting. We were presented with a company full of potential that could benefit exponentially from the design thinking methodology taught at Parsons. The challenge that was presented to us was to develop a sustainable business model for this real time, SMS-based city guide that will allow White Rabbit to scale up, ensure the quality of its service, realize profitability and expand beyond Berlin to other travel capitals of the world.
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Challenge: Develop a sustainable Business model that will allow White Rabbit to:
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SCALE UP ENSURE THE QUALITY OF ITS SERVICE REALIZE PROFITABILITY EXPAND BEYOND BERLIN
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TIMELINE
WEEK 1
JA N 2 8
I NTEGRATIVE S T U D IO 1 FE B 4
WEEK 2
Sp r i ng 2016 WEEK 3
FE B 1 8
WEEK 4
WEEK 5
MARCH 3
A PRIL 2 8
WEEK 14
WEEK 15
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A PRIL 1 4
WEEK 12
WEEK 13
M AY 5
MA RCH 3 1
WEEK 10
WEEK 11
AP R IL 21
MA RCH 1 0
WEEK 8
WEEK 9
AP R IL 7
FEB 25
WEEK 6
WEEK 7
MARCH 17
FEB 11
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MAY 1 2
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TIMELINE WHITE RABBI T
Sp r i ng 2015- Sp r i n g 2 0 1 6
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WHITE RABBIT BACKGROUND White Rabbit was founded by Luke Atcheson and Jan Tewes Thede. Atcheson is an Irish journalist, who has been living in Berlin for ten years. He acquired extensive knowledge of the city through writing for city guides including Timeout, Unlike, & 38 Hours. Tewes is a Hamburg born Berliner with an Economics PhD who has been working in strategy, trend and market research for the past 8 years. They describe White Rabbit as an ultra-personalized, convenient, trustworthy, and always up to date city guide. They target both city dwellers and travellers who are eager to discover the places they visit through an insider’s point of view. They answer all of their customers questions and requests via text messages in real time.
LUKE ATCHESON (PRODUCT/MARKETING)
JAN TEWES THEDE (BUSINESS/STRATEGY)
WHITE RABBIT IS A REALTIME, PEER-TO-PEER, SMS ONLY CITY GUIDE. U LT R A - P E R S O N A L I Z E D - C O N V E N I E N T - T R U S T W O R T H Y- U P -TO-DATE
“We are your friend in the city, a trusted person you can turn to when you’re not sure where to go next. We answer every question as if it were a friend writing to us. And for this reason, the more information users can give us about their request, their taste, budget, location and so on, the better our answer will be.”1 -Luke Atcheson
1 “Berlin’s White Rabbit Continues the Evolution of the Text Message.” Red Herring. July7, 2015. Accessed May 2, 2016
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W HI TE RABBIT-CU R R E N T B U S IN E S S MO DE L CURRENT STAT E O F B U S IN E S S White Rabbit’s current business model relies on local knowledge to provide value added information about restaurants, events, bars, exhibitions and other insights into local market activities of interest to the customer. The system relies on local operators using SMS based service. White Rabbit advertises through word of mouth, Facebook, and their website. Currently, the company has no partners or investors. They use founders and friends to provide the time and labor needed to run the service.
CUSTOMER VA L ID AT IO N
2,OOO SMS
Based on White Rabbit’s most recent data collection, they received and answered more than 2,000 SMS requests from over 900 customers. 50% of the users had more than 2 requests, 10% of customers made more than 5 requests, and 66% of the requests were from repeat customers. Repeat customer requests demonstrates customer satisfaction, and helps validate the value proposition of the brand.2
2 This was taken from the original Deck White Rabbit provided the students at Parsons
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WHI TE RABBIT-CU R R E N T B U S IN E S S MO D E L CURRENT REV E N U E S T R E A M White Rabbit’s current revenue model is based on customer donations alone. A voluntary payment approach that relies on the generosity of the customer and that customer’s willingness to pay for a service. This is evident in the fact that while White Rabbit made a total of 258 donation requests, it received only 85 EUR from 23 customers. Less than 10% of their customers gave donations for the service provided. In addition, an average donation of EUR 4 per customer probably undervalues the service considering that some customers used the service as many as 5 or more times. The business model does not provide a viable basis for converting value added service to revenue.
COMPETITION MAT R IX
*See appendix for industry related research and our opportunity map
PERSONALIZED AND CONVENTIENT TO USE
This chart was created by Luke and Jan to position themselves in the market. It places White Rabbit amongst its competitors using two axes of information that correspond to the values White Rabbit prescribes to.
USER-GEN. GUIDES
Yelp Trip-advisor Foursquare
WHITE RABBIT CURATED GUIDES
Wallpaper TimeOut Superfuture
LOCAL BLOGS
CeeCee Still in Berlin Daily Secret
TRUSTWORTHY AND UP-TO-DATE
3 This was taken from the original Deck White Rabbit provided the students at Parsons
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W HI TE RABBIT’ S C U R R E N T C O N C E P T
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THE ETHOS OF ALICE AND THE UNIVERSE OF WONDERLAND TOOK HOLD OF OUR IMAGINATION, AND—150 YEARS LATER—WE ARE STILL FOLLOWING HER DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE.4 It’s been 150 years since the book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll was first published and people all over the world know the story of the little girl who fell down the rabbit hole and found wonderland since it has been translated into 174 languages.
White Rabbit today wants their customers, both city dwellers and tourists, to go down the rabbit hole and help them find the place where they belong with the knowledge of local savvy insiders. It is our intention to keep and respect White Rabbit’s concept of Alice in Wonderland and leverage the power of storytelling behind the concept throughout the proposed business model that will be explained in this report. There is potential for the company to explore this concept beyond just an illustration. White Rabbit has the opportunity to utilize a story that has been popular for 150 years and merge it with the technology that has inundated our lives in the present economy and make it their own. White Rabbit’s service should focus on experience rather than information. It can offer these experiences while telling stories.
LEWIS CARROLL
ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND
4 “Alice: 150 Years of Wonderland”. The Morgan Library and Museum. http://www.themorgan.org/exhibitions/alice
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DESIGN T H IN K IN G - P A R S O N S A N D W H I T E R A BBIT
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EMPATHIZE
WE ARE ALL MORE CONNECTED THAN WE KNOW. WHETHER IT’S BUSINESSES OR ANY OTHER SYSTEMS-LEVEL ORGANIZATIONAL CHALLENGE, DESIGN THINKING HELPS US APPRECIATE AND MAKE SENSE OF THE COMPLEX CONNECTIONS BETWEEN PEOPLE, PLACES, OBJECTS, EVENTS, AND IDEAS. THIS IS THE MOST POWERFUL DRIVER OF INNOVATION.5
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DEFINE
–Idris Mootee, Design Thinking for Strategic Innovation-
IDEATE
Design thinking is a methodology that understands products, processes, and services through the lens of human centered design. It is a problem solving protocol that leads us to finding strategic and feasible solutions through innovation.
PROTOTYPE
With a design thinking approach, this course allowed us to approach White Rabbit’s situation with an open mind and gave us the time and space to brainstorm, ideate, and iterate multiple concepts and test their feasibility. This framework allowed us to build on each other’s ideas and collaborate with each other in order to offer the best viable solution for White Rabbit.
TEST
5 Mootee, Idris. Design Thinking for Strategic Innovation: What they can’t teach you at Business or Design School (Title in Italics). (New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons Inc, 2013), ibook, p. 31
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DESIGN TH IN K IN G - P A R S O N S A N D W H I T E R A B BIT
The design thinking methodology consists of five iterative stages that seek to discover opportunities, test assumptions, develop insights and rapidly implement solutions in a sustainable and strategic manner. These are the 5 stages: empathize, define, ideate, prototype and test. During our empathize stage we delved deep into research in order to understand what happens beyond the environment of White Rabbit. Given the nature of White Rabbit’s business we focused deeply on how peer-to peer services and the sharing economy affect the tourism industry. In addition, we analyzed how different business models have rewritten consumer behaviors and expectations. We interviewed travelers from all over the world, conducted multiple surveys and immersed ourselves in secondary research. After our research we were able to define and synthesize all our findings, preparing us for ideation. Through the ideation process we explored a variety of solutions through brainstorming sessions and co-creation workshops and then rapidly prototyped the solutions that were most viable for White Rabbit and tested through various experiments.
THROUGH THE DESIGN THINKING PROCESS, WE DESIGNED A BUSINESS AND BRAND STRATEGY TO OFFER WHITE RABBIT AN IMPROVED
BUSINESS MODEL.
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NEW CH A L L E N G E S D U R I N G O U R P R O C E S S Towards the beginning of the project we identified these challenges that forced us to change directions and adjust our research plan accordingly.
NOT OPERATI O N A L In Spring 2016, founders Luke Atcheson and Jan Tewes Thede put White Rabbit on standby, despite their initial launch buzz and promising press coverage in magazine such as Wired, Interview, Spiegel Online, Exberliner and Taggespiegel. In addition, Luke and Jan could not personally compensate for the lack of funding and revenue stream, and therefore could not maintain a flow of dedicated local insider recommendations.
UNDERSTANDIN G T H E E X IS T IN G CUSTOMER B A S E Since White Rabbit developed a solely texting based business without any mandatory authentication, customers remain mostly anonymous outside of a collection of random phone numbers. White Rabbit’s SMS system did not have the appropriate features for data storage and collection that would lead us to their existing customers. As a result we were not able to contact them directly for us to gather proper qualitative research on the current customers. In addition to an absence of customer access, the system White Rabbit is built upon was never set up to produce actionable analytics. Without any existing analytics we were unable to understand or analyze any customer behavior or engagement patterns in any sort of quantitative way.
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NEW CH A LL E N G E S D U R I N G O U R P R O C E S S U NDERSTAND IN G B E R L IN As previously mentioned, White Rabbit was launched in Berlin, Germany. Without any immediate way to experience Berlin first hand, we relied on secondary research for our understanding of the city. To compensate, we focused on the patterns and behaviours
of travelers in New York to get a better understanding of city dwellers and travelers from a different point of view. Even though these new factors changed our research plan and methodology it allowed us to broaden our horizon and look for solutions in different ways.
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02 M AR KET R ESEAR C H
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MARKET RESEARCH Currently, by providing customers with local tips about Berlin, White Rabbit is competing in the information services market. This industry is already extremely crowded, with growing competition, due to proliferation of media and communication outlets. In addition, various platforms already give customers information services for free or at a low cost. If White Rabbit decides to keep pursuing this market the company will face the following reality:
CEE CEE This is a local blog based in Berlin that offers customers weekly newsletters with curated recommendations of the best things to do in the city.1
Direct competitors: numerous existing blogs, webs, and apps provide curated information about what people can do in certain cities around the world, and are therefore White Rabbit’s direct competition. These are important competitors to consider: • Cee Cee • Magic • Sosh • Wallpaper • Upallnight • Heylets
MAGIC Magic is an on-demand personal assistant. Customers can send a text message for free and get a customized answer from the company for whatever they need. The service is available 24/7.2
SOSH This app was so successful that it was acquired by Postmates, an American logistics company. Sosh completely reimagined the way people experienced cities, allowing customers to find things to do through a highly curated list. It supplied recommendations through careful expert curation and user-generated reviews.3
1 Cee cee. About. 2016. http://ceecee.cc/en/about/ 2 Yeung, Ken. Magic to start charging $100 an hour for SMS-based delivery service that was previously free. Venturebeat. January 4, 2016. http://venturebeat.com/2016/01/04/magic-tostart-charging-100-an-hour-for-sms-based-delivery-service-that-was-previously-free/ 3 Tedcrunch. Postmates Acquihires Activity Concierge Sosh. Nov 5, 2015. http://techcrunch.com/2015/11/05/postmates-acquihires-activity-concierge-sosh-in-a-fire-sale/
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MARKET RESEARCH
U PALLNIGHT Upallnight is an online platform that allows people to discover and book the best events in a city and plan their night by being their personal concierge. It is a subscription-based event discovery and concierge service that provides users entertainment information to maximize a user’s nightlife experience.4
H EYLETS Is a social city and travel guide application that allows users to discover amazing activities and experiences. Powered by locals, it helps users find the best places to visit when traveling. Besides providing recommendations and insider tips based on the user’s interests, it also allows people to book, share their adventures and follow other people in the community.5
WALLPAPER Is a curated guide that provides savvy travelers with an insider’s checklist of the best places to visit in every major city of the world.6 4 Wefunder. Invest in Upallnight. https://wefunder.com/upallnight 5 Heylets. About. 2016. http://heylets.com/#home 6 Wallpaper. 20 Sept, 2006. Wallpaper* City Guides. http://www.wallpaper.com/travel/wallpaper-city-guides#kB9CGoEmAL5EGjml.99
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MARKET RESEARCH The comprehensive investigation of our client’s competitors helped us identify threads of commonality as well as points of uniqueness.
WHITE RABBIT’S DIRECT COMPETITORS ALL REFLECT SERVICES THAT PROVIDE CUSTOMIZED TRAVEL OR CITY SPECIFIC INFORMATION TO ITS CUSTOMERS.
White Rabbit’s direct competitors all reflect services that provide customized travel or city specific information to its customers. Currently, this is the arena White Rabbit is competing in. However, White Rabbit can differentiate itself by leveraging what makes it unique; the service that ensures you will have an awesome experience in Berlin. White Rabbit has a specific target and passion, a great party, and it must build upon this to get out of the crowded information service market.
PEER TO PEER: In the evolving digital economy, peer-to-peer businesses are becoming more common and more successful, as entrepreneurs see sectors with excess capacity as ripe opportunity for sharing and exchange. Airbnb has brought the sharing economy to the travel industry through its website in which anyone around the world can list, find, and rent lodging. White Rabbit should take advantage of peerto-peer opportunities.
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COMPETITION
PEER PEER TO
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COMPETITION
INFORMATION IS
FREE Integrative Studio 1 / Spring 2016
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MARKET RESEARCH I NFORMATION IS F R E E In the digital world, information can be found quickly and at zero cost. Anyone with an internet connection has instant access to powerful search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo and can get the information they are looking for in a matter of seconds.
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I WOULD NEVER PAY FOR THE WHITE RABBIT SERVICE BECAUSE I FEEL I CAN FIND THE SAME INFORMATION FOR MYSELF. MAYBE I’M NOT GOING TO BE ACCURATE, BUT I CAN GET 70% OF THE RIGHT INFORMATION I NEED FOR SURE
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-Piero Olcese, 34
To prosper in this saturated market as an SMS service, White Rabbit needs to offer extremely fast and unique text responses, as it is competing with services that already aggregate similar information, work well, and also that have a share of the market and potentially want to get a bigger one.
will differentiate itself from other competitors. Also, the perceived value will increase and the chance of people being willing to pay for White Rabbit services will be higher. In order to have a clearer idea of what other aspects should be considered we identified the need to emphasize with the customers. To understand their pain and gain points and gather quantitative and qualitative data we conducted 5 surveys which were answered by 106 people and we interviewed 45 people about their travel experiences.
Knowing all of these factors, we realized that White Rabbit needed to pivot its target market from the information industry to the experience industry. That way, if White Rabbit manages to create an authentic experience for customers it
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SECONDARY RESEARCH S MS Despite the rise in popularity of smartphones and Internet based messengers, SMS remains the most popular means for two-way person-toperson communication.7
#1 TIME While travelers still use web based platforms to plan their trips and share their experiences afterwards, people are spending less time conducting online research.
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...PEOPLE ARE NO LONGER DOING LONG RESEARCH SESSIONS. THEY ARE DOING LOTS OF SMALLER SESSIONS. CONSUMERS ARE DOING RESEARCH IN THE MANY CONNECTED MOMENTS ON MOBILE AND DESKTOP THROUGHOUT THEIR DAY.8
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7 Why people are still using SMS in 2015? http://thenextweb.com/future-of-communications/2015/02/16/people-still-using-sms-2015/#gref 8 Travel trends 4: Mobile moments changing consumer Journey. Think with Google. https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/articles/travel-trends-4-mobile-moments-changing-consumerjourney.html
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SECONDARY RESEARCH E XPERIENCE: Airbnb is a good example of how experience can become a new revenue stream, by offering different types of activities like guided tours, hiking, bike excursions, food and drink tastings and others:
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FOR AIRBNB, THE ADDITION OF EXPERIENCES WOULD ADD A VALUABLE NEW REVENUE STREAM, WHILE ALSO IMPROVING THE OVERALL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE FOR ITS GUESTS. AND THE INITIATIVE FITS IN WELL WITH THE COMPANY’S AMBITIONS TO BECOME NOT JUST A HOTEL ALTERNATIVE, BUT ALSO A MUCH BROADER HOSPITALITY BRAND.9
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9 Airbnb Experiments With ‘Experiences,’ Offering Everything From Bike Tours To Home-Cooked Meals http://techcrunch.com/2014/05/16/airbnb-experiences/
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03 IN SIG H T S
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INSIGHTS
QUALITAT IV E RESEAR C H
Q U A N T I TAT I V E R E S EA R C H
IN SIG H T S
After conducting interviews, surveys, primary and secondary research, we started an arduous process of synthesising the quantitative and qualitative data. From observation, interpretation, conversation, and intuition, we compiled four important insights that guided our creative and innovative ideas we addressed White Rabbit’s needs for revenue, scalability and exportability.
Uncovering insights is not an easy feat. They take time and a lot of patience and usually after the revelatory moment of an insight, there is a realization of obviousness. Once it feels natural, and we are able to verbalize an idea that has not yet been realized we know we have a strong basis for moving forward.
The four insights that jump started our ideation process and inspired us to arrive to a viable, sustainable and feasible Business Model for White Rabbit were the following. • People Value Experiences more than information • People want to find where they belong in the city • People want to share their journeys • People value human interactions in an increasingly digital world
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PEOPLE VALUE EXPERIENCES MORE THAN INFORMATION PEOPLE WANT TO FIND WHERE THEY BELONG IN THE CITY PEOPLE WANT TO SHARE THEIR JOURNEYS PEOPLE VALUE HUMAN INTERACTIONS IN AN INCREASINGLY DIGITAL WORLD 39
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INSIGHTS PEOPLE VALU E E X P E R IE N C E S MO R E THAN INFORMAT IO N In the very beginning of the project, we quickly realized that White Rabbit had something different, and it had potential to be that one business in the industry that could stand out and innovate amongst its competitors. We realized that White Rabbit did not belong in the industry of information.
focused on creating and offering experiences for its customers instead of providing information alone. We interviewed 45 people from around the world and we found that even though they have the ability to find information online for free, they are looking for experiences instead of information. The search for information is the first step in the road to creating memorable experiences, whether they are traveling to a new city or country or they are discovering their own.
Our research and our instincts told us that this industry was cluttered and saturated and we were not going to go up against industry giants like Google. In order to be more successful, White Rabbit would be more efficient if it
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I CARE MORE ABOUT IF I CAN ACTUALLY GET IN SOMEWHERE AND EXPERIENCE IT MYSELF, ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE EXCLUSIVE PLACES, EVENTS OR PARTIES. AND I DON’T MIND PAYING EXTRA FOR A SERVICE THAT OFFERS THIS.
Yep, Cassie said it. People want to experience things themselves. As travellers or city dwellers, they don’t want to go over the extensive amount of options on the internet of the top ten everything and subsequently make lists of their own to keep tabs on the things they want
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- Cassie (Interviewee)
to explore. They want to be there, present. They don’t want to read about it in Time Out or the blog of the month, instead they want a service that can offer this experience, and for us this can be offered by White Rabbit.
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INSIGHTS PEOPLE WAN T T O F IN D W H E R E T H E Y BELONG IN TH E C IT Y People search for authenticity and they are overwhelmed with the amount of information that is provided. We live in a world full of distractions and too much information for people to digest and process.They don’t know how to find what is authentic to them in a sea of options. Until someone has the time and patience to go over every single piece of information that the internet provides, White Rabbit can help their customers narrow their options. We found out that people want to feel included, they don’t want to experience the same things everybody does. They want to belong. They want to find the space where they feel connected and identified with the people sharing this space with them.
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‘‘
I TRY TO LOOK FOR MORE TAILORED EXPERIENCES TO ME. I DON’T FIND TOURISTY THINGS AS FUN. I WANT MORE UNIQUE THINGS - Lauren Thomson (Interviewee)
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INSIGHTS PEOPLE WAN T T O S H A R E T H E IR J OURNEYS
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people are in sharing their trips, their journey and their experiences. Even though the amount of people who are using the digital platforms is increasing, there are still people who share these experiences in an analogue manner. They collect souvenirs, save concert stubs and even save the menus from their favorite restaurants. Either through digital or analogue outlets, people want to share with their friends and family what they’ve experienced as well as collect these souvenir to keep their memories alive.
‘‘
In September of 2016 Facebook owned Instagram hit 400 million users. Instagram is a social network that leverages the communication power of photos and visual media, a medium in which people share their journeys, their experiences or their boredness through visual content. “Among the last 100 million to join, more than half live in Europe and Asia with Brazil, Japan and Indonesia adding the most Instagrammers. The app said 75 percent of its users live outside of the U.S.”1 Through our research, both qualitative and quantitative, we observed how invested
I USUALLY SHARE MY TRIP AS I GO WITH MY FRIENDS IF I SEE SOMETHING CRAZY OR INTERESTING. I DON’T REALLY WAIT. - Max Ollivier (Interviewee)
1 http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/23/instagram-hits-400-million-users-beating-twitter.html
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INSIGHTS PEOPLE VALU E H U MA N IN T E R A C T IO NS I N AN INCREA S IN G LY D IG ITA L W O R L D The internet and technology have become a crucial part of our lives. In such a competitive industry as is information, businesses have turned to predictive analytics to get a better understanding of customers, products and patterns. This trend can be described as the practice of forecasting future probabilities by collecting information from existing data sets. By examining pools of data and content, companies are able to make better future decisions, foresee business opportunities and deliver in the most optimized way what customers want. Data and algorithms are both used to identify trends and create extensive statistical analysis. It is necessary, as our
qualitative research shows, to combine the advantages of technological advancements with the needs and desires of the people who generate such data. Travelers not only want information from machines, they want the inside scoop from the people that have experienced the city first hand. This is where we found a great opportunity for White Rabbit to differentiate itself from all its competitors. Talking to people and interacting with them makes White Rabbit’s service more relatable and special. Luke’s and the circle of insiders that feed White Rabbit’s recommendations gives their customers a personal touch that google or yelp could not offer.
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WE LOVE TO TALK TO PEOPLE SO WE USUALLY STOP PEOPLE IN THE STREET AND TALK TO THEM. OR WE TALK TO THE CONCIERGE AT THE HOTEL, OR EVEN IF WE GO OUT TO A BAR WE TALK TO THE INTERNET AND TECHNOLOGY HAVE BECOME A CRUCIAL PART OF OUR LIVES. IN SUCH A COMPETITIVE INDUSTRY AS IS INFORMATION, BUSINESSES HAVE TURNED TO PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS TO GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF CUSTOMERS, PRODUCTS AND PATTERNS. THIS TREND CAN BE DESCRIBED AS THE THE BARTENDERS OR THE PEOPLE WE MEET RANDOMLY.
‘‘
-Natalia Pedraza (Interviewee)
Kwapien, Agatha. Top 10 Business Intelligence and Analytics Trends for 2016. Datapine. December 10, 2015. http://www.datapine.com/blog/business-intelligence-trends-2016/
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04 VA LU E P R O P O SIT IO N BUSIN ESS ST R AT EG Y
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VALUE PROPOSITION Insights from survey research provided us with a better understanding of White Rabbit’s value proposition. We found that a value proposition that offered a customized insider experience over unfiltered, easy access information resonated more powerfully with end users.
WHITE RABBIT SHOULD PROVIDE A SHORTCUT TO INSIDER EXPERIENCES THAT MATCH THE TASTES OF THE CUSTOMER.
B U S I N E S S S T R AT E G Y We envision a business strategy to deliver this value proposition as follows:
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OWN BERLIN
OWN GERMANY
LOCAL PRIDE GO BEYOND SMS 51
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BUSINESS STRATEGY
OWN BERLIN Since White Rabbit started in 2015 in Berlin, it already has a strong base of existing insider knowledge. Also this market benefits from characteristics that will support our proposed value proposition for White Rabbit.
vibrant culture, fabulous cuisine, cutting-edge architecture, a lively party scene and rich history. Berlin’s nightlife is reputed to be one of the most diverse and animated in Europe.
With a mixture of grit and glamour, Berlin is one of the most dynamic cities in Europe. It offers a
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BUSINESS STRATEGY
“
IN BERLIN, THE REAL FUN IS FOUND BETWEEN THE CRACKS OF SOCIETY, THE SEMI-LEGAL SQUAT RAVES, THE FREE CLASSICAL CONCERTS, THE WACKY ART PROJECTS, THE HYPED NEW POP-UP RESTAURANTS, THE THINGS THAT HAVE TOO OFTEN BEEN SQUEEZED OUT OF OTHER PLACES. BERLIN’S BEST SPOTS ARE HIDDEN AND TRANSIENT. AND IT’S THESE PLACES THAT ONLY AN IN-THE-KNOW LOCAL CAN TELL YOU ABOUT. AND THAT’S WHERE THE WHITE RABBIT COMES IN.
“
- Luke Atcheson
NUMBERS Germany is among the top 10 worldwide destinations for tourism and culture1. Berlin is the third most visited city in Europe2 and is also one of the leading international destinations for conventions, conferences and events.3 Tourism has become a key contributor to Berlin’s economic success4.
82% event visitors
In 2014, Berlin had over 28.7 million overnight stays and 10.9 million convention attendees5. With 82% of event visitors traveled to Berlin from other cities within Germany5, and with German visitors to Berlin accounting for 56,4%5 of overnight stays, the majority of travels to Berlin share a common culture and language with White Rabbit’s German (and English) speaking staff. Therefore, we recommend that White Rabbit further develop its business model in Berlin before moving into new cities. 1 2 3 4 5
TOP 10 destination
3rd most visited European city
German National Tourism board, incoming Tourism Germany, facts and figures 2014, edition 2015 https://www.germany.travel/media/pdf/dzt_marktforschung/GNTB_Incoming-Tourism-Germany-2015.pdf Tourism figures for 2013: Berlin sees faster growth than Germany as a whole http://press.visitberlin.de/en/news-release/tourism-figures-for-2013-berlin-sees-faster-growth-than-germany-as-a-whole Cochrane, Allan. 2006. Making Up Meanings in a Capital City Power, Memory and Monuments in Berlin. European urban and regional studies 13, no. 1: 5-24. Huntington, Samuel P. 1997. The clash of civilizations and the remaking of world order. Penguin Books India. Berlin-Brandenburg, Amt für Statistik. 2015. «Visit Berlin.» Visit Berlin. February. Accessed march 12, 2016. www.visitBerlin.de/en/berlin-visitor
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BUSINESS STRATEGY
OWN GERMANY Once White Rabbit has perfected its value proposition and execution capabilities, we recommend expanding the activity to other cities in Germany. The benefits of this approach include: • Common culture and language throughout the country, which facilitates effective communication between customers and staff. • Similarity of customer tastes will facilitate the development of authoritative local knowledge • With so many visitors to Berlin coming from other parts of Germany, White Rabbit will benefit from an existing reputation and image at the time it begins offering service within a new city. • This reputation will assist in attracting staff with local knowledge. • Several other cities in Germany have tourism characteristics similar to Berlin, including vibrancy, youth culture and a reputation for trendsetting. The cities of
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Hamburg and Munich would be logical cities for initial expansion. White Rabbit should take advantage of its existing local knowledge in Berlin to perfect its value proposition and its execution model. Once it has penetrated this local market and developed a strong authority, it should expand to other cities in Germany. This strategy should minimize cost while optimizing probability of success. We recommend that the company adopts an internal motto of :
“OWN BERLIN, OWN GERMANY”.
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BUSINESS STRATEGY
LOCAL PRIDE Our strategy relies on local communities of knowledgeable «experts» to help develop White Rabbit’s business model. Research shows that people who want to know about their neighborhoods and their surroundings connect more with people who are proud of where they come from. Local pride creates a sense of ownership among staff that translates into a higher customer enthusiasm and satisfaction. This in turn leads to higher repeat business, more word of mouth referrals and greater brand identity. The concept of local pride leads to targeting staffers who have specific backgrounds or areas of expertise. This approach ensures pride and expertise in key areas of customer interest.
leverage the relationships its staffers build with repeat customers to expand its access to local experts and to encourage greater word of mouth advertising. As a more personal medium, SMS lends itself to this capability.
L EVERAGE POC K E T S O F V IB R A N C Y As Design Thinkers and strategists we cannot forget the most important aspect of any business: the people. White Rabbit should
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GO BEYOND SMS DON’ T LOSE IT ! N O O N E E L S E IS D O I N G I T White Rabbit’s current strategy focuses exclusively on sms to deliver its service. SMS services are cost effective for local customers and tourists traveling to Berlin from elsewhere in Germany. It also differentiates White Rabbit’s service from the competition and emphasizes the company’s core value proposition of personalized local knowledge. Texting with an insider is like texting to a friend. Texting has become common and familiar, making it feel more personal. However, this customized approach can be improved considering the following:
A ) TIME IS C R IT IC A L B) W IFI VERSU S P H O N E C O N N E C T IO N C) MULTICHA N N E L W H IT E R A B B IT D) MULTIPLAT F O R M W H IT E R A B B IT E ) NO LISTS Integrative Studio 1 / Spring 2016
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BUSINESS STRATEGY A ) TIME IS C R IT IC A L The response time of the service is one of the critical factors for achieving high customer satisfaction. Currently, White Rabbit’s response times are inconsistent. Our tests of the current service show that customers response times range from immediate to more than seven hours. In some cases, White Rabbit failed to respond at all. Therefore, we recommend that White Rabbit invest in improving its SMS service. This improvement may require additional staff, an expanded database to reduce research time and improve insider awareness for new staff, and develop predictive (LATE RESPONSE)
(NO RESPONSE)
B) W IFI VERSU S P H O N E C O N N E C T IO N While SMS is an effective technology for accessing local customers and tourists from Germany, it may not be ideal for foreign travelers. SMS is often expensive to use in roaming mode. Tourists may prefer using wifi, which is typically a free service within hotels and some coffee shops, bars, restaurants and other public places. Therefore, developing technologies that utilize wifi may improve customer access.
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BUSINESS STRATEGY C) MULTICHA N N E L W H IT E R A B B IT Customers should be able to access the service through all the platforms on which White Rabbit is present. Customer convenience may also be improved by offering multichannel service utilizing Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger, Viber and other web based services. We recommend that White Rabbit begin developing these additional channels of service delivery.
D) MULTIPLAT F O R M W H IT E R A B B IT While White Rabbit relies heavily on SMS, its website and social media platforms are critical for creating brand awareness. The website should convey the value proposition and unique customer experience which the service provides. White Rabbit’s website would benefit from enhanced graphic design and brand storytelling. White Rabbit should also develop its social media presence, as this has become an important factor for customer awareness and brand identity.
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BUSINESS STRATEGY E) NO LISTS White Rabbit is unique; it provides the real insider’s view into the different pockets of vibrancy within the city. It gives the customers local context and relevance as no other service can. It gives them access and experience unlike any magazine or top 10 list.
WHITE RABBIT GIVES AUTHENTIC AND CONTENT RICH INFORMATION IN REAL TIME LIVE, AND PUTS LISTS BEHIND US. IT GIVES CUSTOMERS THE
“REAL” BERLIN WHENEVER THEY WANT IT.
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05 N O W/N EAR / N EXT
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NOW-NEAR-NEXT NOW -NEAR - N E X T core to White Rabbit’s identity, brand, and business strategy, and thus our tactics reinforce the critical recommendation that the company should live in the experience industry instead of the information industry.
We developed a toolkit for White Rabbit based on our research, findings, generated insights, and business strategy proposal. For us, when we hear “White Rabbit” we think “experience,” “belonging,” “people,” “adventure,” “memories,” and “knowledge.”
THE NOW- BRANDING
White Rabbit is always about storytelling; from Lewis Carroll’s 1865 literary classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and the numerous television and film adaptations that followed, to the name White Rabbit connotes and the adventure it will take you on today, tomorrow, or in the future.
INSPIRED BY AN INSIGHT
• People value experiences more than information
BRAND NAME White Rabbit’s brand name is very important but isn’t ownable, with many companies using the same name. By effective branding White Rabbit can give new life to its name and identity, attracting people overtime to become infamous and recognizable. Currently the company lacks a proper style guide, the logo is not owned or custom designed to suit the personality and attitude of White Rabbit.
We designed a tactics toolkit that encompasses the story White Rabbit will tell. Like any journey, our toolkit has a beginning, middle, and end. For that reason, we have organized recommended tactics into a now, near, and next framework, allowing White Rabbit to organically build its business and brand, as the company writes its next chapters from here on forward.
WHY REBRAND? It is necessary to develop a strong and original brand proposal because an iconic visual identity is extremely valuable for White Rabbit offering recognition and other avenues to generate income and value. White Rabbit’s visual identity should be inspired by the concept of “Living in an illustrated world,” where Alice in wonderland began. The design should have a minimal almost drawn look, communicating a modern
The “NOW-NEAR-NEXT” represents a natural yet essential progression that White Rabbit must take; it needs to build authority as well as acquire and retain a user base in order to advance into its next phase. Storytelling is Integrative Studio 1 / Spring 2016
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BRAND ATTRIBUTES W HITE RABBI T
GRITTY
COOL
AGAINST THE GRAIN
ALTERNAT IVE
MODERN
UNORTHODOX
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NOW-NEAR-NEXT and contemporary experience, not necessarily binding itself to the Alice in Wonderland story but breathing new life to the brand and story.
designed logo can be applied on multiple fronts including app icons, promotional items and different color variations.This isn’t a solution but the beginning of a design process that could be valuable for the brand.
T HE VALUE O F R E B R A N D IN G Effective branding can be extremely lucrative for brands allowing diversification of revenue. For example Playboy generates half its revenue from licensing its logo on merchandise and apparel. In 2014, Playboy’s bunny logo generated $1.5 billion in retail sales from licensing agreements, while brands like Apple and Hello Kitty logos generate billions in revenue with Apple’s logo and brand worth over $200 billion, and Hello Kitty’s logo licensing agreements generating over $6.5 billion. White Rabbit as a company needs to communicate the kind of experience it offers, so it is vital to develop an iconic visual identity and language that reflects this experience. We decided to research and show the directions White Rabbit could take regarding their brand. These are not final iterations but concepts that should be considered for exploration:
M O N O C H R O M AT I C L O G O
L OGO CONCE PT
MOOD A ND S T Y L E
MONOCHROM AT IC L O G O The logo should be simple. We suggest White Rabbit use a monochromatic black and white color palette with a tertiary color. Minimal design and colors don’t distract the customer’s attention from the logo, they enhance the logo making it more iconic and recognizable. Brands like Apple, Playboy and Hello Kitty are companies with successful simple logos. White Rabbit’s brand identity has the potential to be valuable. Our example shows how a thoroughly Integrative Studio 1 / Spring 2016
COL OR PA L E T T E
Garcia, Tonya, and Ciara Linnane. ‘‘Here’s How Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Makes Its Money.’’ MarketWatch. 2015 http://www.marketwatch.com/story/heres-how-hugh-hefners-playboy-makes-it-money-2015-10-13. ‘‘Playboy’s Logo Is What Matters—It Earns More Than Nudes Do.’’ Wired.com http://www.wired.com/2015/10/playboys-logo-is-what-mattersit-earns-more-than-nudes-do/ Since First Appearing 40 Years Ago on a Tiny Vinyl Coin Purse. ‘‘How Hello Kitty Built a Massive Business Empire.’’ CNNMoney. http://money.cnn.com/2015/08/20/news/hello-kitty-sanrio-business
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NOW: WHITE R A B B I T ZINE
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THE NOW- WHITE RABBIT ZINE I NSPIRED BY T H E S E IN S IG H T S
music, politics, feminism, art, design and travel. Travel zines, for instance, are characterized by content focused on travel experiences and anecdotes told by real people. They are akin to personal journals, with first person accounts, scoops, tips, and overall thoughts about a certain experience. Often, travel zines have collages, maps, illustrations, hand-written phrases, and photographs in the interior pages.
• People value an experience more than information • People want to find the shortcut to where they belong in the city • People value human interactions in an increasingly digital world
ZINES We propose White Rabbit designs, produces and publishes a monthly zine. This zine will include content generated by creatives that will be invited to contribute to the monthly publication. The content includes written pieces, illustrations, photographs and any other creative work that explores and explains how creative ambassadors offer readers personal recommendations for events, restaurants, shops, and nightlife. To understand our proposal we researched the world of zines in the United States as well as Europe.
T H E VA L U E O F Z I N E S Despite living in a digital era, the desire and need for tangible and handmade products is growing. According to Lone Gamble, founder of Polyester zine, “right now is a really strong time for zines in the sense that there are so many exploring different topics and issues”.2 The internet has revived the zine scene and creative people are returning to analogue mediums as forms of expression. Zine fairs and fests are becoming increasingly popular, attracting different profiles of people from all over the world who are searching of authentic printed work.
W HAT ARE ZIN E S ? Zines are small-circulation, independent publications created as forms of expression, connection, and communication and appear in a plethora of shapes and sizes. They are usually distributed by word of mouth, happenstance, or exchange and are known for thriving at a local level.1 Cheaply made and priced, zines usually have a DIY, photocopy “look and feel” and come either saddle stapled or folded.
Oyler, Lauren. Top ten zines. Dazed. 2014. http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/17205/1/top-ten-zines 2 Weinstock, Tish. The 12 most radical zines of the moment . April 14, 2015. https://i-d. vice.com/en_us/article/the-12-most-radical-zines-of-the-moment 1
They cover a wide array of subjects such as
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THE NOW- WHITE RABBIT ZINE PRINT OFFERS NO INTERRUPTIONS, AND UNLIKE DUSTY OLD GLOSSIES, PROVIDES A REALISTIC PROPOSITION OF WHAT THE FUTURE OF MEDIA COULD LOOK LIKE.3
• Europe has a strong analogue printed culture; people still value and buy city guides or maps.
EXPERIMENTS In order to test whether or not our initial idea would be viable, we tested the following hypothesis in the city of New York. “If we reach out to 5 creatives we will receive a contribution or suggestions from at least one of them.” We had 3 responses.
THE ZINE RENAISSANCE HAS BEEN ITS ABILITY TO REESTABLISH PHYSICAL COMMUNITIES IN THE THRUST OF THE DIGITAL AGE.4
Ziyad, a Chicago based indie musician and producer, was one of the creatives we talked to during our experiments. His input was extremely valuable and touched on a lot of important points as to why the concept of the zine resonated with the values and essence of
WHY ARE ZINE S A G O O D ID E A ? • The “DIY/photocopy” look and feel of zines can help easily deliver the desired underground and gritty mood identified in the co-creation workshop.
I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT YOU ASK
• Not only are zines cheap and easy to produce, but they also have a retro-essence which links back to the person to person relationship that resonates with SMS.
CONTRIBUTORS WHAT THESE PLACES THAT THEY ARE RECOMMENDING MEAN TO THEM PERSONALLY. LIKE NO ONE GIVES A SHIT ABOUT THE “BEST RAMEN”. YOU CAN LOOK THAT SHIT
• Zines contribute to the omnichannel experience that the brand seeks to offer its users and are a great way of creating brand awareness and acquiring and captivating users.
UP ONLINE. PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW WHAT PEOPLE’S TOP FIVE MOST MEANINGFUL PLACES ARE IN A CITY. THE CONTRIBUTION NEEDS TO
• Zines can feel more authentic than traditional travel guides. Visually engaging for users, zines take on a fun and exciting vibe.
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Gamble, Ione. Dazed. How the internet revived the zine scene. 2015. http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/25561/1/how-the-internet-revivedthe-zine-scene 4 Gamble, Ione. How the internet revived the zine scene. Dazed. 2015. http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/25561/1/how-the-internet-revivedthe-zine-scene 3
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WHY A ZINE ?
DELIVER THE DESIRED UNDERGROUND AND GRITTY MOOD
LINKS BACK TO THE PERSON TO PERSON RELATIONSHIP
CONTRIBUTE TO THE OMNICHANNEL EXPERIENCE
FEEL MORE AUTHENTIC THAN TRADITIONAL TRAVEL GUIDES
PEOPLE STILL VALUE AND BUY CITY GUIDES OR MAPS 71
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THE NOW- WHITE RABBIT ZINE
BE INSIGHTFUL AND PERSONAL. YOU NEED TO
S H O R T T E R M Z I N E S T R AT E G Y
MOVE PAST INITIAL POSITIVE VIBES AND MAKE
For the first year of this tactic we propose White
EMOTIONAL CONNECTIONS TO THE CITY. YOU
Rabbit focuses on user acquisition and brand awareness instead of bringing in profit through the zines. In year one, White Rabbit should publish one issue per month and distribute them at local coffee shops, businesses, and art galleries.
NEED TO LET PEOPLE GET A TRUE FEELING FOR THAT CITY.5 - Ziyad Asrar, Age 25
White Rabbit. These three responses prove that with low budget and little time, we have the feasibility of creating an attractive zine with content that resonates with White Rabbit’s values of authenticity and emotional connection.
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Collaborating with different creatives will allow us to reach customers who have different interests; art, film, cuisine, technology and literature. With the input from creatives in local communities, city dwellers as well as tourists will be able to experience the city from a specific
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THE NOW- WHITE RABBIT ZINE 1. Subscription model: subscribers will pay a monthly fee for 3 to 5 zines a month. Each issue focuses on a different pocket of vibrancy. For example: “Williamsburg through the eyes of a foodie” or “Exploring Dumbo through the lens of a photographer”.
point of view that builds on insider knowledge. This is how Zines will help us leverage the “pockets of vibrancy” that we have found are recurrent in cities such as Berlin and New York. People will experience the city through curated content instead of general information about a city that can easily be found online.
2. Independent issues: Selling the zines as individual issues will help White Rabbit reach one time customers like tourists. We propose that the zines be sold in the local businesses and coffee shops with whom White Rabbit had the opportunity to create strong relationships during the first year of publication.
LONG TERM Z IN E S T R AT E G Y Once they have established a solid readership and better curated content there are few ways on how the revenue model can be structured.
3. Other products based on original zines: We have to take advantage of the amount of information and experiences that White Rabbit collects throughout the years (evergreen tactic). Example 1: White Rabbit can gather the content from the year and create a book or collection of books with higher production value to sell separately. Example 2: Art frames with our collaborator’s artwork. Keeping memories and documenting one’s experiences has constantly come up during our research and design process, and this is a way of offering our customers what they value most when traveling and discovering new cities; souvenirs that reminds them of their positive experiences during their travels.
Ziyad Asrar: Chicago Based Indie Musician and Producer. One of the people we got in touch with on our experiments. 6 Ziyad Asrar: Chicago Based Indie Musician and Producer. One of the people we got in touch with on our experiments. 5
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NEAR: WHITE R A B B I T EVENT
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NEAR- W H I T E R A B B I T ’ S E V E N T D I V I S ION I N SPIRED BY T H E F O L L O W IN G IN S I G H T S :
interests a place to belong for the purposes of sharing information, ideas, conversations and laughs over food, drinks and music. Revenue for the social event business industry has increased over the past five years, because of the growth in disposable incomes and corporate profit.7
• People value an experience more than information • People value human interactions in an increasingly digital world • People want to find the shortcut to where they belong in the city
As a result we proposed that part of the revenue of the event division is from entry fee and membership fee. We can learn from similar businesses like the nightlife business, especially membership based clubs. Internationally, the nightlife scene is very diverse. In London, another city known for its nightlife, private clubs that required annual member fees are typically anywhere between $750 and $4,000 had long been common. Those clubs started off catering to different interest groups as places for social and work meetings but, over time, expanded their offerings by providing sports facilities, restaurants, and clubs.
WHY EVENTS? White Rabbit knows which places are popular in the city and what experiences their customers are looking for. We propose White Rabbit creates an event division that offers curated and memorable experiences to its customers. These events will be designed for people, city dwellers or travelers, who are looking for a place to belong in a city. We will give them the opportunity to share their journey with others. In an era where people flock to Facebook to find friends or communicate solely via the internet there’s a growing niche in the market where people want to meet other people the old-fashion way: in person. As digital connections have blossomed, so too has a sense of loneliness among some users and people are eager for face to face interactions This tactic will help White Rabbit build brand awareness as well as generate revenue.
The Arts Club in London’s Mayfair district was one example. Founded in 1863 and re-launched in 2011, the club served as a gathering spot for members interested in the arts and sciences. In addition to numerous dining and lounge areas, the space featured a nightclub—Club Nouveau—that was run by celebrity DJ Mark Ronson.8 For corporate client segment, according to Event Track Study, 83 % of the marketers
MARKET ANALY S IS Social events give individuals with similar
Event Marketing Institute. “EventTrack 2015.” 2015 Edition. http://www.eventmarketer. com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/2015EventTrackExecSummary.pdf 8 Event Marketing Trends. http://www.bizbash.com/event-marketing#.VyaUEGP9Jg0 7
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WHY AN EVENT ? W HITE RABB IT
ME MORA BL E E X PE RI E NCE S
E V E NT
CURAT E D E X PE RI E NCE S
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NEAR- W H I T E R A B B I T ’ S E V E N T D I V I S ION responding said events did a better job at driving sales than driving awareness. Digital technology helped this process when marketers started using social media to connect events with online audiences and brand influencers. The Event Track study also revealed that events had a positive influence on consumer purchase intentions. Of the 1,100 consumer survey respondents, 65 % said they actually bought the product during or soon after the event and 70 % said they became regular customers
of the company sponsoring the event. So for corporate clients, the demand for social events is robust and companies are expected to grow their event marketing budgets. [1]
9 Event Marketing Institute. “EventTrack 2015.� 2015 Edition. http://www.eventmarketer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/2015EventTrackExecSummary.pdf
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NEAR- W H I T E R A B B I T ’ S E V E N T D I V I S ION W HAT IS NOT A L IC E ? In the music, nightlife and event market, there are many businesses that have already taken White Rabbit as the name of their brands. To differentiate the event division from those existing businesses, we decided to give it another name which can bring the personality of the brand alive. Our inspiration came from Andy Warhol’s Factory which represents the iconic culture of a generation. You can’t define it merely as an art studio, social salon or club. It’s the combination of everything. This leads us to the character of millennials - a generation who worships free spirit and doesn’t want to follow the norm or stereotypes created by others. They want to be everything that others think they are not. The fairytale doesn’t exist. The world is not wonderland. And you are not Alice! But you can define your own wonderland. So we name the event division NOT ALICE, which we envision to
Studio 54
Burning Man
become an iconic experience and destination that defines a generation, a life-style and a state-of-mind.
Coachella
which allows us to lay out the idea White Rabbit can create memorable experiences for their customers. Our primary targeting group of the business are millennials. They are selfexpressionist and don’t like to be prescriptive and they crave freedom. Thus, to create the collective and memorable experiences for them we need to create an iconic place of this
RESEARCH A N D T E S T Our insight for the first research is that people value experiences more than information,
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NEAR- W H I T E R A B B I T ’ S E V E N T D I V I S ION generation where they can express themselves freely. What does ‘iconic place’ mean to them? To answer this question, we conducted an in-depth interview to 17 millennials working in creative industry. From the answers, we found out that the most mentioned iconic places are Studio 54, Burning Man and Coachella. These reflect the lifestyle and state-of-mind of the young generation. What’s more, all those places have some compelling elements that make them become a part of culture and a destination for people to belong. Our assumption is that if we can provide a collective and memorable experience where people feel they belong, they would love to be part of it and are willing to pay for it. To test the assumption, we interviewed a group of 20 millennials asking what kind of experience they value, proposing the concept of NOT ALICE event for feedbacks, and asking whether or not they will pay for the experience. Most of them expressed that their memorable experiences are those that shared with people they love in places where they feel belonging. They strongly resonated with the concept and value of NOT ALICE, and they are willing to pay for the experience. But due to their financial limits, they can’t pay too much for it, which means NOT ALICE also needs to develop corporate clients to generate more revenue and keep their membership and entry fee affordable. All this information we gathered during research and our experiments, helps us better understand the core value of the iconic place and how we can use it to bring NOT ALICE alive.
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NEAR- W H I T E R A B B I T ’ S E V E N T D I V I S ION REVENUE MO D E L : SHORT TERM:
NOT ALICE event division focuses on building community and raising brand awareness. During this first stage, we propose they organize one big social event and 1-2 small gathering parties monthly to increase people’s engagement. All events are held in unexpected venues with creative set-ups to create memorable experiences for guests to share. NOT ALICE charges guests for entries just to cover the cost of production and operation. To minimize the cost of production, we propose NOT ALICE collaborates with venue and catering partners. It’s also a good starting point to develop potential sponsorship for the future. In terms of operation, we propose NOT ALICE builds a community of volunteers with people who are interested in the social event business and the NOT ALICE brand in order to lower operation costs.
LONG TERM:
Our second stage focuses on developing a membership social event business. By this time we project NOT ALICE has already become a more established brand. They can further develop it through a membership business model and charge for a membership fee. NOT ALICE can use the revenue to create more events and elevate members’ experiences. Another important way to generate revenue is to develop corporate businesses. With the solid members base and brand signature, NOT ALICE can create customized brand events for corporate clients, as well as land lucrative sponsorship deals for membership events.
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N E X T: WHITE R A B B I T APP
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NEXT- THE WHITE RABBIT APP content, and the expectation for developers and also for marketers is that they can exist in a world where it’s about information, not containers.” said John Milinovich, CEO and cofounder of URX. (exchanger 2016) This all comes to accordance with the latest trends on user experience, where it shows that especially with the recreational experience market, users need a really seamless interface to browse, discover and go, to go through each part of the customer journey. And the fact is that these things already exist across apps and the mobile web, however just a few put them together in a very curated way.
I N SIGHT The future is around content, and whether that content is accessible through the mobile web or an app is only as relevant as the question: Where does it make the most sense for a user to engage in this particular situation?
There are only so many people on the planet and there are only so many apps you can have on your phone – eventually you reach a saturation point and have to start focusing on engagement. And this is where White Rabbit stands out from its competitors. The core value of White Rabbit will provide the necessary customized personal side to foster the true connection between the insider and the users to truly engage them into keep using the app. That’s why it makes so much more sense to deliver exactly what someone is searching for as quickly as possible without them having to go through unsatisfying lists and inaccurate information they can have from google or sorts.
At this point where White Rabbit is already offering three communication ways to engage its users on the authentic curated experience that only an insider is capable of offering– The SMS, Not Alice, and Zine – It is time to expand White Rabbit’s platform to create a place where the users can unify the communication streams and expand it to new ways of engagement. This new platform boils down to navigation, discoverability and recommendations to keep the engagement going. In other words, White Rabbit will offer an immersive channel for users to explore the city through insider’s eyes through an app.
It is important to highlight that the app is a customizable platform that speaks to the innate drive across all platforms of media, not only digital media, to create content that appeals to an audience and helps aggregate an audience. At the end of the day, if White Rabbit is
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WHY AN APP ? WHITE RABB IT
PLATF ORM
NAVIGATION
DISCOVERABILITY
RECOMMENDATIONS
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NEXT- THE WHITE RABBIT APP by letting users experience them and react to them. So, during this prototyping cycle the hypotheses was that if we actively participated on the Instagram account, we would gain 100 followers by week’s end. Even though we reached 100 followers, we understood understood that White Rabbit’s account could easily find followers but not generate loyalty from potential users. Most of the followers stopped following after a couple of days.
successful in doing it, it will create a great miniecosystem for advertisers to connect with this audience.
QUESTION/ R E S E A R C H To test and proof the more relevant assumptions about the importance of an app to the evolution of the White Rabbit business model, we implemented a collection of design thinking testing methods to run through the first few design cycles.
PROTOTYPE 2:
PROTOTYPE 1 :
For our second prototype we asked what was the maximum amount an individual is willing to sacrifice to procure an app – the willingness to pay for an app. We interviewed 7 stakeholders in NY. We asked them about their preferences when it comes to downloading apps, how they use them and for how long they keep them on their mobiles. Ultimately we asked them how much would they pay for an app that helps you navigate your day offering curated tips. After prototyping cycle many insights were proven wrong, and luckily from this point forward the research started following the few right ones that led us to a new path.
At this early stage, we tested the viability of establishing a brand through social media, in this case Instagram (fig i). In other words, to verify the extent to which the current White Rabbit brand is recognized by potential customers, and also correctly associated with a particular product, we created a White Rabbit Instagram account in NY that was actively participating on local and tourist groups in order to get followers. The fundamental way to test a prototype is
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NEXT- THE WHITE RABBIT APP The most relevant results were that people tend to not download and use an app without having a trustworthy recommendation from someone they know or a specialized opinion. Also, people tend not to keep using the same source of information without receiving some sort of positive reinforcement, the provision of information is not enough to keep people engaged (or loyal) to an app or source of information. For instance, they told us that access to exclusive places through the app, the capacity of interaction between two or more apps without changing the primary app (ex. Embedded google maps inside seamless) functioned as positive reinforcements.
MOST PEOPLE MENTIONED THAT THEY WOULD BE WILLING TO PAY BETWEEN 8 TO 12 DOLLARS TO HAVE ACCESS TO A PREMIUM SERVICE.
In conclusion, users tend to expect to pay for curated information, especially on the personalization level White Rabbit is offering. Most people mentioned that they would be willing to pay between 8 to 12 dollars to have access to a premium service. Not everything being sold lends itself to subscriptions. Impulse purchases typically don’t. For example, a power-up that will help you cross this level in a game, or an Instagram filter. In such cases, it is best to start with a freemium model and then offer subscriptions to your regular customers to drive purchases further. Content (magazines, music streaming, movie streaming) has been commonly a subscription business. For these, it is a good idea to start with the accepted subscription, but remove any ceiling on purchases and consumption by offering more content that can be purchased in-app in addition to the subscription.
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NEXT- THE WHITE RABBIT APP PROTOTYPE 3 : What is the value proposition for the White Rabbit app? We asked what are the pains, gains and unmet needs of a local or tourist when they are looking for something to do. Following the Value Proposition Canvas Model, we interviewed a group of 10 stakeholders in order to populate the customer profile (fig - A) and the value map (fig - B) with insights about the White Rabbit app market target. After an extensive discussion about the relationships (bridges) that connect the variables of this system, we could streamline the rationale
(figure - C)
behind the White Rabbit app to come up with its value proposition (fig - C) These are the results:
MARKET/ POTENTIAL
(figure - A)
Apps are handy little containers for content and personalized experiences. But they’re also mainly isolated from each other, and the app stores are so saturated that discoverability is basically nil. The industry has started to respond with a number of solutions that speak to the breaking down of barriers between apps and the mobile web, between apps and other apps, and also apps and objects (internet of things). On White Rabbit app evolution, the virtual touches the real. The app speaks to Not Alice and the Zine, and all of them resonates with the city and its dwellers. The three elements coexist into the city to feed each other with novelty and brand awareness. Thus, opening the market to White Rabbit engage its users. But how does that change the economy around user acquisition? (figure- B)
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NEXT- THE WHITE RABBIT APP FREE FEATURES
Ditiga l Zine
ex plor e berlin
ques tions page
as k the ra bbi t
ev en t (not ali ce )
Meet Inside r
Journe y cr eation
ma p
PREMIUM FEATURES
re sonanc e pock oc keettss
F REE FEATUR E S The White Rabbit app follows the freemium model. For free it will offer new features like the integration of White Rabbit to google maps, an exclusive digital version of the Zine, an “Explore Berlin” feature, a questionnaire page where users answer basic questions about their experiences discovering the city, and naturally the White Rabbit SMS service with limited access.
can be seasonal, coming and going according to the market receptiveness. Also, this way, the cost to develop the White Rabbit app can be minimized and distributed over time.
PREMIUM – A D D O N F E AT U R E S
2. Not Alice events: the app, gives you access to exclusive events hosted by the event division of White Rabbit, Not Alice. Meet insiders and Journey creation are daily suggestions of activities and events for users molded to the user data and information. And naturally, free access to White Rabbit SMS feature.
1.Pockets of vibrancy Map: an interactive map of Berlin showing users in each district and how popular and active these districts are. This feature is based on predictive analytics and user data.
The White Rabbit app gives the user the control over how they interact with the app features. The features are interchangeable, where the users only pay for the features they want to use. Having each feature at a different price, the final price for subscription will vary according to the need and taste of the customer. Many features
To become a premium user the subscriber must
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THE TACTICS TOGETHER pay for at least 3 new features or subscribe for the unlimited White Rabbit SMS service (the most expensive feature on the menu).
F UTURE Although virtual reality headsets, slick new phones, the Internet of Things and driverless cars will steal most of the headlines at the media coverage these next years, it’s mobile software – the thing that powers all these things – that’s set to be a sleeper theme.
NOW
Branding / Zine
NEAR Not Alice event
NEXT All in one app
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BUSINESS MODEL CANVAS VA LU E P R O P O S I TI O N
MORE THAN INFORMATION WE GIVE YOU A SHORTCUT TO THE INSIDER EXPERIENCE YOU ARE LOOKING FOR
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BUSINESS MODEL CANVAS KE Y P A R TN E R S
KE Y AC T IVIT IE S
B O U TI Q U E HOTELS
CURATE INF ORMATION TO PROV I D E
E V E N T P LANNERS (art fai rs, m usic f e st i va l s , fashi on w eek)
E X PE RIE NCE S E S TA BLIS H PA RTNE RS HIPS
S TA R TU P BUSINESSES ( r e st a u r ants, bars, g a l l e r i e s , cl ubs)
COMMUNICATING WITH CUS TOM E R S BUILDING COMMUNITIE S COOL HUNTING (tr e n d wa tc h in g)
TR AV E L ADVISORS AND A G E N TS
A CTING A S CONCIE RGE S DE V E LOPING ICONIC POINT OF V IE W
TO U R I S M BUREAU (gov’ t) C O N TE N T PROVIDERS ( e d i t o r s/ bl oggers)
E S TA BLIS HING A LIF E S TY LE
KE Y R E S O U R C E S C O N TRIBUTORS (i nfl uencers: a r t i st s, w ri ters, foodi es)
INV E S TORS BE RLIN A ND OTHE R CITIE S
E M P LOYEES
TE CHNOLOGY (in fr a str u c tu r e a n d n e w p o ssib ilitie s)
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C U ST O M ER SE G M EN T S
CU S TO M E R RELATI O N S H I P S C O M M U N ITIES
TRAVELERS LOOKING FOR AN AUTHENTIC LOCAL EXPERIENCE
C O - C R E ATION
LOCALS TRYING TO EXPAND AND ENHANCE EXISTING EXPERIENCES
P E R S O N AL ASSISTANCE TR U S TI N G AND INTIM ATE P E E R TO PEER C O N F I D A NTE (securi ty / t h e r a p i st/ fri end/i nspi rati on/ d a r e s/ l i fe j ourney)
C H AN N E L S SMS
PUBLICATIONS
WEBSITE
BRICK AND MORTAR
SOCIAL MEDIA
CO S T S TR U C TU R E
APP ANALOGUE
D E V E LO P M ENT AND I N F R A S TR UCTURE C O S TS (websi te, app and al l t e c h n o l o gy)
WORD OF MOUTH FEEDBACK (ratings)
R E V E N U E ST R EA MS
A N A LY TI C S SUBSCRIBERS
P AY R O LL AND FREELANCERS
PRODUCT SALES : zines, maps, collectibles, coffee, merchandise
R E N T ( O FFICE, BRICK AND M O R TA R ) P R O D U C TION: PUBLISHING, P R I N TI N G, DISTRIBUTION
PROMOTIONS SALES
M A R K E TI N G AND COM M UNICATION
EVENT SALES
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CONCLUSION
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CONCLUSION Our goal at the start of this engagement was to develop a profitable and scalable business model that maintained a quality customer experience that aligned with existing White Rabbit values. We approached this open ended challenge through the lens of a design thinking process. This human centered process positioned us to consider that services and products are designed for people and not solely for profit. In the end we pursued four different tactics to help holistically address our challenge.
NOW
We hope these solutions inspire a platform for innovation and open a dialogue for future idea generation. While we pursued these four tactics that doesn’t mean these solutions are final or that there isn’t room for more brainstorming.
THIS IS JUST THE START OF WHITE RABBIT’S BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. IT WILL BE VERY EXCITING TO SER HOW THE STARTUP MIGHT CONTINUE TO GROW.
NEAR
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07 A CK N O WL ED G EM EN T S
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THIS WAS AN INTERESTING AND REWARDING STUDIO. EACH WEEK, WE EXPERIMENTED WITH THE APPLICATION OF PRACTICAL DESIGN THINKING TOOLS FOR A REAL COMPANY STRUGGLING WITH CHALLENGES COMMON TO START-UPS. HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE PROVIDED A TEMPLATE WHICH WE USED TO TEST OUR THEORETICAL STUDIES AND CREATIVE IDEAS. THROUGH TRIAL AND ERROR, WE HAVE DEVELOPED AN APPROACH THAT WE BELIEVE PROVIDES WHITE RABBIT WITH A VIABLE PATH FORWARD.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to thank Rhea Alexander and Raz Godelnik for organizing and leading us through this program. Their support and assistance was appreciated throughout the semester.
across industries and their passion for a noble cause. Dawn Nidy, an Experience Design Leader from Intuit, whose insightful workshop on rapid ideation and prototyping helped us to find a specific solution for a customer problem and conduct quick experiments to test our ideas.
Michael Norton for his guidance, patience, and availability. His willingness to share his vast experience and knowledge was very valuable for the team.
We would also like to thank the people who took the time to answer our surveys and interview questions. Without their help, we could not have developed the strategy.
White Rabbit and Luke Atcheson, for giving us the opportunity to work on this project. It was challenging and exciting to be a part of this journey. We appreciate Luke’s availability and openness to our ideas.
Our fellow colleagues for their hard work and creativity that made this project possible. Our difference in backgrounds and perspectives led into a lively debate and productive collaboration.
We also benefitted from the insights and guidance of several notable guest speakers, all of whom we would like to thank: Abigail Posner, who, as Head of Strategic Planning for Google, gave us tips on effective research techniques. Rohini Sahni, Brand Planning Director from Arnold, and her inspiring presentation that helped us identify real insights and the path leading to them.
THANK YOU ALL
Sarah Arnell, CEO of Karmic, who helped us organize our initial thoughts. Her feedback was very useful to understand how to present our ideas concisely.
FOR YOUR DEDICATION AND CONTRIBUTION!
Steven Mendelsohn and Joe Coleman from the Trevor Project, for helping us to understand the consistency of the design thinking process
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08 AP P EN D IX
PG
1. EC O SYST EM
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2. SW O T AN ALYSI S
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3 . COM P ET I T O R O VER VI EW
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4. O P P O R T U N I T Y M AP
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5. T R EN D S
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6 . INTE RV I EW S AN D SU R VEYS
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7. EM P AT H Y M AP
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8. P ER SO N AS
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9. J O U R N EY M AP
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10 . CO-CRE ATION W OR KSH O P W I T H L U KE
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ECOSYSTEM After doing some secondary research and conducting various workshops in class, as a group, we created White Rabbit’s ecosystem from a customer’s perspective. By mapping it out, we identified the company’s key elements that either relate or influence the White Rabbit business. As visually identified in the map, it is composed of 4 main categories: competitors, stakeholders, communication and technology, and two main external elements: trends and external factors. These last two, encircle the
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four main categories to visually express the fact that they directly and indirectly affect the tourism industry. It is important to point out that the customers were placed in the middle of the ecosystem, as part of the stakeholder’s category, for they have the most influence in the company’s decisions and top bottom line. Besides, customers are also responsible for influencing the competitor’s businesses and the pace of innovation and technology. Moreover, the “partnerships” are also part of the stakeholder’s category for they help complement White Rabbit’s offer.
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ECOSYSTEM
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ECOSYSTEM Listed below, we included the most important elements that compose each category.
proposition, we decided to include the category of technology as one of the main components of the ecosystem. Technology currently plays an important role in people’s life, directly affecting the White Rabbit business. • • • • • • • •
C OMPETITOR S : White Rabbit’s competitors offer customers trust-worthy and up-to-date information as well as personalized and convenient product and service usability. Considering that these companies offer a variety of value propositions, we decided to group them into the following categories: • • • • • • • • • • • •
Tourist information centers Travel agencies Google search Friends Travel guides Local blogs User generation guides Printed guides Curated Guides Locals (word of mouth) Personal assistance Benchmark
C O M M U N I C AT I O N : The category of communication includes all of the main components that White Rabbit uses to leverage the brand in the industry. Even though the company has not invested in marketing their offer to the world, we find that communication does play an important role in this ecosystem for it is the best tool a brand can use to differentiate itself in today’s crowded landscape. • • • • • •
T ECHNOLOGY: Considering that White Rabbit uses SMS as their main channel to deliver their value Integrative Studio 1 / Spring 2016
SMS Analytics Predictive analytics Usability Apps The internet of things Automation Advanced extensive
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ECOSYSTEM • Legal • Economy • Language
S TAKEHOLDER S : Stakeholders are the main actors involved in the White Rabbit system. The parties listed below all play an important role for they either contribute or affect the organization’s actions, objectives and value proposition. • Customers • Partnerships • Developers • Founders • Designers • Investors • Employees
TRENDS Trends can be described as the general tendencies that reflect the people’s behaviors at a given time. The trends listed below all affect White Rabbit’s value proposition and have a direct and indirect impact in the traveling industry. Understanding the consumers’ behaviors, needs and desires will help redefine the White Rabbit business and offer. • Gamification • The internet of things • Over connected • Convenience • Timespace • Authenticity • Brand transparency • Peer to peer • Experience economy • Sustainability • Health & healthy life-style • Real time • Personalization • Sharing Economy • Photo-based Media
E XTERNAL FAC T O R S : The external factors are the influences or circumstances outside White Rabbit business that the company cannot control. They are important in this ecosystem for they impact the White Rabbit’s value proposition and the rest of the categories included in the map. • Economy • Time zone • Currency • Politics • Culture • Weather
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ECOSYSTEM
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SWOT After we created the Ecosystem map, as a class, we analyzed White Rabbit’s SWOT by using our research, customer’s feedbacks, interview and ecosystem in order to find out the key issues that might affect the business. All the critical points were identified in four aspects: Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat. To point
out the key issues in the SWOT graph, we began analysing the core value of the business and then expanded to the customer aspects and the trends that might affect the business.
STRENGTH
- Existing database - Reuse suggestions - Location - Berlin
- Up to date information - Sevice has been tested in Berlin with positive outcomes
- Create own members club based on WR brand lifestyle - Experience Market is not really competitive - Social media/ New media age - Expanding from SMS-based -Customer becomes an insider - New generation/ New way of exploring cities - Subscription based - Partnerships
- Owner’s background & network in the travel industry - Trendy -- P2P, sharing economy
OPPORTUNITY
- Brand name immediately tells story - Convenient service platform - SMS
SWOT
ANALYSIS
- Promise of immediacy
WEAKNESS
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THREAT
- Competition - No current Investment - World full of distractions - Founders’ split vision
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SWOT
STRENGTHS 1.BRAND STORY AND CONCEPT
The name “White Rabbit” immediately tells a story. People know “Alice in Wonderland” and this creates a perception of mystery and fun that reinforces positively on the brand.
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2. SMS-CONVENIENT SERVICE PLATFORM
SMS based service creates several benefits for the business. It is a fundamental feature for any mobile phones, it is familiar and convenient. In addition to this, SMS represents a customized
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SWOT
‘‘
‘‘
interaction rather than a communication generated by technology.
T H E N A M E WH IT E R A B B IT IM M E D IAT ELY T EL L S A ST ORY.
3. OWNER’S BACKGROUND AND NETWORK.
Luke’s local and insider experiences are advantageous for building information that can allow customers to see and experience the city from an insider perspective. The recommendations and experiences offered by White Rabbit are more customized compared to other travel guides.
WEAKNESSES 1. LIABILITY AND SAFETY
Is White Rabbit liable for recommendations? Is the company held responsible for what happens after recommending an event, a place or a restaurant?
complications to do it given that they have to do it through PayPal. 4. UNREGISTERED TRADEMARK
The “White Rabbit” name and trademark is not registered. Unregistered trademark might have drawbacks for the business especially when it needs to expand in a global scale.
White Rabbit’s SMS system does not have the appropriate features for data storage and collection that can lead us to useful information for future endeavors.
‘‘
3. BUSINESS MODEL
‘‘
2. CAPACITY
WH I TE R A B B I T’ S B U S I N E S S M ODE L I S N O T G E N E R ATI N G A N Y R E V ENUE G I V E N TH AT I T D E P E N D S O N WI LLI N G N E S S O F D O N ATI O N .
Currently White Rabbit’s Business model is not generating any revenue given that it depends on willingness of donation. If people decide to donate they come up with even more
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SWOT
O PPORTUNIT Y 1. EXISTING DATABASE
White Rabbit has been operating since 2015 therefore the company has been able to accumulate data on recommendations as well as customers. 2. BERLIN
Luke and Jan have a strong network of insiders in Berlin and they know Berlin inside and out. This allows White Rabbit to offer unique information to the customers and show them the city through a local’s point of view.
T HREAT 1. COMPETITION
2. INVESTMENT
The travel and information industry is a saturated market. There are many travel apps in the market such as Tripadvisor, Fever, Google and Airbnb which have already established their brand in the consumer’s mind.
There are still several paint point in the White Rabbit business that need to be defined. A critical issue is the amount of resources required to develop a platform that includes direct payment and multiple interactions.
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SWOT White Rabbit still doesn’t have the funding to account for all the resources needed. 3. WORLD FULL OF DISTRACTIONS
In today’s world where information is available to anyone at any moment, people are struggling to process the amount of distractions they face. Attention spans and patience are on the decline, while technology and options are on the rise. 4. SPLIT VISION
The different visions of the founders lead the business in an ambiguous direction. Poor business positioning might minimize the opportunities and weaken the brand story.
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AT TENTION SP A N S A N D P AT IE N C E ON A R E ON THE DECL IN E , W H IL E T E C H N O L OG Y A ND OPTIONS A R E O N T H E R IS E .
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COMP ETITOR OVERVIEW
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OPPORTUNITY MAP Creating the positioning matrix to unwrap the competitive landscape, we found out that White Rabbit falls along unattended market opportunities.
establish its business model. Most of the competition falls along the generalist side of this matrix, where their solutions are made for a broader and less demanding audience. Thus, not representing a direct threat to White Rabbit.
On offering convenient curated experiences for a low price, White Rabbit distances itself far from other competitors while finding free space to
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CURATED
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TRENDS Trends are patterns or behaviours that persist over a period of time. In order to stay relevant, companies must pay attention to existing trends and experiment with them. After researching and analyzing various trends we consider the following are the most relevant for White Rabbit:
P EER TO PEE R DESCRIPTION
RELATIONSHIP TO WHITE RABBIT
‘‘The sharing economy is characterised by a shift from a centralised model toward a peer to peer model whereby products, information and services are sold or shared directly between individuals, without the middle man.’’1
White Rabbit can take advantage of the rise of the sharing economy by creating local communities with the Zines proposed by Parsons. Not only will knowledge be shared but a sense of ownership will be created by the artistic contributers in order to create a larger White Rabbit community.
SUBSCRIPTIO N MO D E L S DESCRIPTION
RELATIONSHIP TO WHITE RABBIT
The digital economy is a reality and each time it becomes more important. Today, more and more organizations shift from the traditional hourly or project-based billing to subscription business models. This will become the most important in many markets such as software companies or travel agencies.2
Importance for revenue models for the proposed business model for White Rabbit. These subscription models will be useful for the Zines tactics proposed by Parsons Students as well as the app.
1 http://crebiz.eu/index.php/news/109-emerging-trend-the-sharing-economy-peer-2-peer 2 Pardo, Nancy. 2016. «Subscription Is The Mega Trend For 2016 | PTC». Ptc.Com. http://www.ptc.com/product-lifecycle-report/subscription-is-the-mega-trend-for-2016.
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TRENDS MEMBERSHIP DESCRIPTION
RELATIONSHIP TO WHITE RABBIT
Companies implement tiered membership structure to deliver product value, generate more profits, and improve member retention.3 Tiered membership allows users to choose the value proposition which best satisfies their needs.
Whether Fremium or premium, the App proposed for White Rabbit will fall in these categories
TIME- SPACE DESCRIPTION
RELATIONSHIP TO WHITE RABBIT
This trend refers to the leveraging of time in space, which not only implies multi-tasking of products and services, but also the overlaying of careers, and leveraging the economic value of time. As futurists Erica Orange and Jared Weiner explain, time is the ultimate luxury; it is what we demand most and is in shortest supply.
White Rabbit will be able to deliver on its value proposittion by offering its customers the luxury of time
CONNECTIVIT Y DESCRIPTION
RELATIONSHIP TO WHITE RABBIT
This trend makes reference to the «connectedness» of modern society and the accessibility to the wide array of digital channels. The use of computer networks to communicate is quickly redefining how people interact, relate with others, share information, connect ideas and make business.
The expansion of White Rabbit from SMS will allow customers to follow the company easier and thus creating a larger following as well as brand awareness and presence.
3 Rossell, Tony. 2016. «Membership Marketing Blog: Growing Revenue Through Membership Packaging». Membershipmarketing.Blogspot.Com. http://membershipmarketing.blogspot. com/2007/09/growing-revenue-through-membership.html
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TRENDS UP ALL NIGHT DESCRIPTION
RELATIONSHIP TO WHITE RABBIT
This refers to the compulsive and addictive behavior of being digitally connected. Not being able to disconnect from the virtual world is depriving millennials and young generations from sleep. In today’s internet age this habitual dependency to technology and the constant need to feel connected 24/7 is quickly isolating people from reality.4
White Rabbit can take advantage of this trend but instead of isolating people from reality, use technology to bring people together in the physical world by integrating the four tactics proposed by Parsons. The increase in technology will allow White Rabbit’s customers to connect outside of the digital world to the physical world.
GAMIFICATION DESCRIPTION
RELATIONSHIP TO WHITE RABBIT
Gamification is a new trend for businesses and organizations that can be applied in different segments of business from employee (intrinsic/ extrinsic) motivation to customer loyalty by using different design tools. In general, gamification helps build brand awareness and customer loyalty. In a tourism (service design) context : “Products become more like services, services are becoming more like experiences.”
White Rabbit can certainly use to its advantage the trend of Gamification through its integration of the event division and subsequently the app that will be developed afterwards. White Rabbit will be able to gain customer’s loyalty by leveraging the intricacies of gamification.
PREDICTIVE A N A LY T IC S DESCRIPTION
RELATIONSHIP TO WHITE RABBIT
Predictive analytics can be described as the practice of forecasting future probabilities by collecting information from existing data sets.5 Powered by machine learning it allows businesses to get a better understanding of customers, products and current patterns.
Even though White Rabbit uses SMS as its primary channel of communication, the service can be greatly improved by the use of predictive analytics. By using technology in the back end and operational side of the company, it will retian and acquire uses through better service.
4 Omede, Orobosa. The social disconnect of social media. The John Jay Sentinel. May 23, 2014. http://johnjaysentinel.com/2014/05/23/the-social-disconnect-of-social-media/ 5 Kwapien, Agatha. Top 10 Business Intelligence and Analytics Trends for 2016. Datapine. December 10, 2015. http://www.datapine.com/blog/business-intelligence-trends-2016/
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INTERVIEWS AND SURVEYS An important characteristic of the Design Thinking methodology is to center the process and possible solutions on the customer. Following that logic, we decided to approach two different types of customers that could be interested in using White Rabbit as a helpful source of information.
visiting it for different reasons. Some of them may be travelling for holidays, others may be there for business or just as a transit stop. Our customer research consisted in: • 5 surveys answered by 106 people (76 travelers, 30 locals of Berlin)
LOCALS: • 45 interviews (40 travelers interviewed + 5 locals interviewed)
People who live in a particular city but are looking for new experiences even though they already know the place.
All the customers who were part of our research were male or female, between 25-35 years old and from all over the world.
TOURISTS: People who do not live in a particular city but are
FEMALE/MA L E
30 LOCALS + 76 TRAVELERS
40 TRAVELERS + 5 LOCALS
106 ANSWERED
45 INTERVIEWS
AGES: 25-35
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INTERVIEWS AND SURVEYS I NTERVIEW Q U E S T IO N S Our research, has as one of the objectives to gather qualitative data based on detailed interviews made in person or remotely to people from all around the world. From the 45 in depth interviews we made, 40 were answered by travelers and 5 by locals. Each of the interviews
lasted a minimum of 20 minutes. We wanted to focus on how White Rabbit customers consume information, how they do it during a trip, what are their expectations when they travel and which are the variables that can affect their experience.
1) HOW OFTEN DO YOU TRAVEL? • • •
Why do you travel? • What percentage of the time is it for leisure vs other travels times? High level - What do you like most about traveling? High level - What do you dislike about traveling?
2) CAN TELL ME ABOUT ONE OF THE MORE RECENT TRIPS YOU HAVE TAKEN FOR FUN? • •
Where did you go? Why did you choose the place you went to? • How did you learn about that place?
3) DO YOU TYPICALLY PLAN FOR YOUR TRIPS? • • • •
Can you tell me how you planned for that trip? • Dig deeper. Ask Why. What about the trip planning process was fun? What about the trips planning process was the biggest headache? Is that typically how you plan for most of your trips? • Can you tell me how you typically plan? • What is your preference?
4) WHAT TOOLS DID YOU USE WHILE RESEARCHING AND PLANNING FOR YOUR TRIP? • •
What did you like about the tools? What didn’t work out so great?
5) ONCE YOU ARE ON THE TRIP WHAT DO YOU ENJOY DOING MOST? • •
For example. Do you find yourself exploring, following your plans closely, sharing your experience? After your trip do you ever share your plans with friends? • How do you typically talk about your experience with friends?
6) IF YOU HAD A MAGIC WAND THAT COULD DO ANYTHING IN YOUR TRIP PLANNING PROCESS WHAT WOULD IT DO?
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“It’ll be great if they provide reservation and booking service, too.” “Something like social media where you can make comments and post photos of the places they recommend.”
“Reservation especially for those cool exclusive places/events.”
“A good recommendation is good. but i also want to know how packed/ empty a place is before i go.”
“I like that it is a customized service. i see it as an app, where i can go and there is a plan for all my week and i can put checks and other type of personal input.”
“It’s helpful but it has to be free!” “I would like to receive information about the name of the place, how to get there, pictures of how it looks and what kind of people go there, you know, because sometimes you don’t want to be surrounded by tourists.”
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INTERVIEWS AND SURVEYS S URVEY RESULT S
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INTERVIEWS AND SURVEYS S URVEY RESULT S
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79% USE THEIR PHONE ON FREE COMMUNICATION
85% 11%
ARE NOT WILLING TO PAY FOR SMS SERVICES TO GIVE INFORMATION
BUY SIM CARDS ABROAD
51% NO SMS BASED
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INTERVIEWS AND SURVEYS Based on the survey results and interviews conducted in the research phase, we were able to identify the following insights:
I NSIGHTS CO N S U ME R S People appreciate the opportunities of going out and usually plan ahead for a better experience
People prefer not to pay for information that they can find themselves
People are always looking for ‘NEW’ and authentic experiences
Google is the most used tool for getting information, either to find or to back-up a recommendation
People love customized information, enjoy sharing their experiences and aspire to belong
People usually go for their trust sources for goingout/travel information (eg. friends’ recommendations)
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EMPATHY MAP After completing the interviews and surveys, we created an Empathy Map. This Design Thinking tool helped us develop a deeper understanding of White Rabbit’s customers. We conducted several interviews and tried to understand what travellers and Berliners really cared about.
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As a result, our Empathy Map consisted of 4 categories: W HAT PE OPL E S AY ? W HAT DO T HE Y F E E L ? W HAT PE OPL E T HI NK ? W HAT DO T HE Y DO?
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EMPATHY MAP While analyzing different interviews, we tried to identify similarities and contradictions across the interviewees. After gathering this data, we categorized the main insights into common perspectives for further exploration.
TOURISTS:
WHAT P E O P L E S AY ?
W H AT D O T H E Y F E E L ?
• There are two opposite types of travelers: those who plan their trips carefully in advance, and those who have no time or interest in planning • Many customers confirm that they mostly use free and easy access information sources, like the Internet and friends / word of mouth. • Most people in each group were open to new solutions to trip organization, and might consider paying for the services that White Rabbit provides.
• Travelers expressed feelings of frustration, skepticism, and being lost when using traditional Internet based services. They often felt overwhelmed by excess information, uncertain of the quality of such information, and weren’t sure that their findings were right for them. They were looking for a place to belong but often did not identify with search results.
W H AT P E O P L E T H I N K ? • In general travellers look for a different and unique experience, they try to avoid tourist traps and save time on research while planning. • In conclusion, Internet searching appears to leave many travels dissatisfied, confused or uncertain. This implies that a new service that provides a more meaningful level of personalized dialogue would be of interest to travelers.
WHAT D O T H E Y D O ? • All the possible customers who were part of our research often used the most common trip planning methods: Google search, friends, blogs
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EMPATHY MAP LOCALS:
W H AT P E O P L E S AY ?
W H AT D O T H E Y F E E L ?
• Berliners go out mostly on weekends • Most people were open to new solutions to entertainment organization; and might consider paying for the services that White Rabbit provides.
• Locals, similar to visitors, expressed a desire to find new experiences. They want to explore “hot” and upcoming spots hidden away from large crowds. Many expressed a desire “to feel special, exclusive, VIP” in their own city and discover places offering limited access.
W H AT D O T H E Y D O ? •
W H AT P E O P L E T H I N K ?
Interviewees indicated that they often use Internet based services for search: Facebook, Google and apps. They also frequently ask friends for recommendations
•
In conclusion, Berliners expressed a desire for new and exclusive places to go. They found on-line searching and word of mouth to be their only reliable access to information along these lines. They seemed to love the idea of having access to a local insider instead of to have access to a local insider for entertainment information given that is a more humane and
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In general, while locals have their favorite places to go, they are always looking for something new to discover in the city.
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PERSONAS By understanding and splitting our customers between tourists and locals, we began to focus on both groups and understand what each group desired. This helped us figure out what direction White Rabbit should take. The two groups we came up with four different personas, split between locals and tourists. Here are the personas:
LOCALS Locals are individuals who either live or come into Berlin frequently over a period of time. We interviewed a couple of locals and our interviews informed us on the certain outing habits of local Berliners. For example, locals go on outings an average of twice a week and are more interested in finding unique and new experiences. With this information we split the locals into two, the partygoer and youth seeker.
TOURISTS Tourists coming into Berlin are split between Germans from other parts of the country and Europeans and the rest of the world. Tourists may not fully plan their trips depending on if they are visiting for the first time. Instead relying on an itinerary of things to do and sometimes spontaneity. Based on this information and our interviews with different frequent fliers, we split our tourist personas into restaurant lover and culture hungry.
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PERSONAS LOCALS:
PARTYGOER Tim is a 23 year old student lover of electronic dance music, music festivals, culture and clubbing, something of a veteran of the city’s late night party scene. He is always looking for new experiences and adventures. Although he doesn’t have a ton of disposable income, his eagerness to explore and youthful exuberance make up for his lack of significant finances. Although he relies heavily on his network of friends and social media, Tim is looking for a more streamlined way of finding things to do in Berlin.
‘‘
PROFILE
(PE RS ONA -L OCA L )
GOOD RECOMMENDATIONS ARE GREAT. BUT I ALSO WANT TO KNOW HOW PACKED/EMPTY A PLACE IS BEFORE I GO.
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PERSONAS LOCALS:
Y O UTH-SEEKER A constant regular in Berlin due to work commitments, Simon is a banker from Switzerland. An experienced 45 year old professional with a desire to feel young again and have fun, his access to disposable income makes this almost possible, except Simon lacks the information and network to be in the know. Simon wants to be an insider with access to exclusive experiences and is willing to pay for this information.
PROFILE
(PE RS ONA -L OCA L )
‘‘
I WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE INFORMATION ABOUT THE NAME OF THE PLACE, HOW TO GET THERE, PICTURES OF HOW IT LOOKS AND WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE GO THERE, YOU KNOW BECAUSE SOMETIMES YOU DON’T WANT TO BE SURROUNDED BY TOURISTS
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PERSONAS TOURISTS:
RESTAURANT L O V E R With the last of his youth almost beyond him, Piero is a seasoned traveler with an eye for taste and a mouth eager to experience it. With his nuanced taste Piero’s interests are more niche and focused. Unlike other tourists, Piero is almost solely interested in visiting the very best of restaurants and bars before they are talked about. He enjoys the thrill of finding new restaurants every time he visits hoping for something new from the last.
PROFILE
(PE RS ONA - T OURIS T )
‘‘
FIRST I TRUST MY PERSONAL REFERENCES, LIKE FRIENDS BECAUSE MAYBE THE APP GIVES ME INFORMATION THAT IS TOO MAINSTREAM. EVEN IF THEY PROMISE TO GIVE LOCAL INFORMATION I WOULD CONTRAST IT WITH MY FRIENDS RECOMMENDATIONS
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PERSONAS TOURISTS:
CULTURE HUN G RY A young 25 year old professional on her third travel, Cassie is looking to expand her mind and experiences by following a predetermined daily guide of activities and adventures determined by her google searches and friend recommendations. Although her interests include seeing tourist attractions and visiting friends, Cassie also hopes to be exposed to an authentic experience that captures some of the essence of Berlin that tourist attractions lose and google searches can’t find.
‘‘
PROFILE
(PE RS ONA - T OURIS T )
A TRIP TO A NEW COUNTRY, A NEW CITY, IS ALWAYS A ADVENTURE. EVERYTHING’S NEW FOR ME.
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JOURNEY MAPS Based on the personas, we developed two journey maps: one for the locals and another for the tourists. Each journey map includes five stages: dreaming, planning, booking/reserving, experiencing and sharing. We identified the people’s actions (“doing”), what they were thinking (“thinking”), how they were feeling during each stage (“feeling”) and what were the different touch points along the experience. This helped us understand the gain points and pain points for White Rabbit’s possible consumers.
J OURNEY MAP T O U R IS T:
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JOURNEY MAPS J OURNEY MAP L O C A L :
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CO-CREATION WORKSHOP LUKE After researching the business, customers, and landscape surrounding White Rabbit, we compiled our findings into a midpoint presentation. We showed Luke our most prominent findings that emerged from the extensive research, whether they had come from surveys, interviews or from our secondary research. In addition, we printed out some mood-boards to share with him as well.
described White Rabbit. We opened the discussion for us to understand in depth what was going through his mind while making these choices.
As a team we designed a Co-Creation workshop with Luke to help us lead us in the right direction and further understand White Rabbit within the crowded landscape of competition. Our main objective for this workshop was to truly understand and further explore our conclusions as to why White Rabbit differentiated itself from the rest of the companies, startups and applications that already exist in the market. This Co-Creation Workshop took place right after the Midway Presentation where we also showcased our insights which helped us design the workshop. The workshop would lead us into the next step of our design thinking process.
According to Luke the tones and values below are the ones that most accurately describe the brand: • Modern • Fun • Authentic • Underground • Witty • Gritty • Cool • Spontaneity • Unorthodox • Other and Different • Against the grain • Sneaky • Weird and wonderful Adventures • Off the beaten track • Alternative
We divided the workshop into two stages: • 1. Descriptive vocabulary • 2. Mood Board
1 . DESCRIPT IV E V O C A B U L A RY In the First Stage we placed Luke in front of a poster board with a variety of words. He was instructed to circle the words that best
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CO-CREATION WORKSHOP LUKE
This co-creation workshop opened up a lot of ground for designing a visual and brand language. It allowed us to get closer to defining what White Rabbit stands for without having to discard potential customers. Customers with higher disposable incomes who lead more luxurious lives but still want to have a taste of what it is to experience Berlin or any city from an underground or the White Rabbit’s point of view.
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CO-CREATION WORKSHOP LUKE 2 . MOODBOAR D S For our second phase of the workshop we showed Luke different mood boards in order for us to test our assumptions of the look and feel of the brand. We had carefully curated these images in a way that reflected our research as well as the multiple times we conversed with Luke in the past. The mood boards presented were the following:
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CO-CREATION WORKSHOP LUKE
‘‘
‘‘
We asked Luke what were the images that most resonated with him while thinking about White Rabbit. Adjectives like raw, gritty, misterious, industrial, decadent came up in this second stage of the workshop. Yet. it is important to point out that the concept of saying things too on the nose, or trying to hard to be something does not resonate with the brand. The idea of White Rabbit being too commercial goes against the spirit of the brand and what the company is looking to achieve. The most important aspect of these workshops was to highlight the prominence of authenticity that needs to be communicated through the brand and the services offered.
BEING COUNTERCULTURE IS ABOUT BEING AND NOT SAYING THAT YOU ARE. - Luke Atcheson
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CO-CREATION WORKSHOP LUKE A week after our Co-Creation workshop we decided to send Luke another batch of images that would further explicate the essence of the Brand and further support our findings of what the mood and values of the Brand should always communicate to the outside world. These images best serve this purpose. This is what Luke said to these: ‘‘This is maybe my favorite. I appreciate the irreverence of it, but mainly it’s not because of the word ‘Fuck’. Again this may be too obvious. But the look and feel of this is really cool. Minimal, mysterious, retro! It just feels like you are about to get some awesome nefarious information from some unknown insider. Bit like in the lm The Matrix when the hackers start getting these all-knowing messages from somewhere. Would love to explore this style, mood and typography more!’’ - Luke Atcheson
‘‘This looks like a good party. Gritty location, freaky fun crowd. Nothing too obvious about the image either which is good’’ - Luke Atcheson
‘‘
COOL PICTURE. PEOPLE STANDING ON TOP OF THE CITY (BIRD’S EYE VIEW), SHOWS A COOL GRITTY NEIGHBORHOOD (KREZUBERG, RATHER THAN FAMOUS TOURIST SITE.
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CO-CREATION WORKSHOP LUKE The workshop allowed us to go in a more concrete direction for our ideation and brainstorming sessions. After having worked with Luke so closely we got to know the brand in a more profound way that allowed us to explore the possible ideas in a specific direction, one that would resonate more with the brand and gave us the opportunity to place White Rabbit apart from the crowded landscape of competitors we researched. The workshop helped us uncover what truly makes White Rabbit stand out and differentiate itself from the rest of the existing platforms in the market.
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09 B IB L IO G R AP H Y
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BIBLIOGRAPHY • «Alice: 150 Years of Wonderland.» The Morgan Library & Museum. 2014. Accessed May 07, 2016. http://www.themorgan.org/exhibitions/alice. • «Berlin’s White Rabbit Continues the Evolution of the Text Message — Red Herring.» Red Herring. 2015. Accessed May 08, 2016. http://www.redherring.com/startups/berlins-white-rabbit-continuesevolution-text-message/. • «Brainstorm Rules.» Design Kit. Accessed May 01, 2016. http://www.designkit.org/methods/28. • «Brainstorm.» Design Kit. Accessed May 01, 2016. http://www.designkit.org/methods/1. • «Co-Creation Session.» Design Kit. Accessed May 01, 2016. http://www.designkit.org/methods/33. • «Design Thinking...What is that?,»Fast Company, Accessed 4/26/2016, http://www.fastcompany. com/919258/design-thinking-what. • «Facebook’s Instagram Hits 400M Users, Beats Twitter.» CNBC. 2015. Accessed May 08, 2016. http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/23/instagram-hits-400-million-users-beating-twitter.html. • «History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places | Smithsonian.» History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places | Smithsonian. Accessed May 08, 2016. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/madchallenge-translating-alices-adventures-wonderland-180956017/. • «The Design Thinking Process,» Stanford University, Accessed 4/26/2016. http://dschool.stanford. edu/redesigningtheater/the-design-thinking-process/. • «Top 10 Business Intelligence Trends for 2016.» BI Blog Data Visualization Analytics Blog Datapine. 2015. Accessed May 02, 2016. http://www.datapine.com/blog/business-intelligence-trends-2016/. • «Tourism in Germany – Travel, Breaks, Holidays.» Tourism in Germany – Travel, Breaks, Holidays. Accessed 4//9/2016. https://www.germany.travel/media/pdf/dzt_marktforschung/GNTB_ Incoming-Tourism-Germany-2015.pdf. • «Travel Trends: 4 Mobile Moments Changing the Consumer Journey.» Think with Google,Accessed,May,08,2016. https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/articles/travel-trends-4-mobilemoments-changing-consumer-journey.html. • «Why Are People Still Using SMS in 2015?» The Next Web RSS. 2015. Accessed May 06, 2016. http://thenextweb.com/future-of-communications/2015/02/16/people-still-using-sms-2015/#gref. • “About,” Cee cee, Accessed 5/4/2016, http://ceecee.cc/en/about/. • “Event Marketing Trends.” Accessed 03/13/2016 • “EventTrack 2015.”Event Marketing Institute. 2015 Edition. Accessed 04/10/2016 http://www. eventmarketer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/2015EventTrackExecSummary.pdf • “Heylets,” Heylets, Accessed 3/10/ 2016, http://heylets.com/#home. • “Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary.” Zines. Accessed 4/23/2016. http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/zine • “UNWTO Tourism Highlights,” 2014 Edition, Accessed 4/28/2016 (WR DECK) • “Wallpaper City Guides,” Wallpaper, Accessed 3/24/2016, http://www.wallpaper.com/travel/ wallpaper-city-guides#kB9CGoEmAL5EGjml.99 • “Worldbank,” Accessed 3/21/2016, http://data.worldbank.org/topic/urban-development.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY • Alivernini, Andrea, Emanuele Breda, and Eva Iannario. 2014. International tourism in Italy (19972012). Bank of Italy Occasional Paper, no. 220. • Amt für Statistik, “Berlin-Brandenburg,” 2015, “"Visit Berlin." Visit Berlin,” February. Accessed 3/12/ 2016, www.visitBerlin.de/en/berlin-visitor. • An Introduction to Design Thinking Process Guide. Stanford: Institute of Design at Stanford, 2010. • Bartel, Julie. From A to Zine: Building a Winning Zine Collection in Your Library. Chicago: American Library Association, 2004. • Berlin - A Success Story. Berlin: Press and Information Office of the Federal State of Berlin, 2014. • Berlin, “Press and Information Office of the Federal State of,” 2014. Berlin - A success story. • Berlin: Press and Information Office of the Federal State of Berlin. • Brown, Tim. Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation (title in italics) • HarperCollins, NY. 2009 Borison Rebecca, “Business Insider,”21 Year old Snags $3 Million for his Event Discovery App, Accessed 4/7/ 2016, https://drive.google.com/a/newschool.edu/folderview? id=0B6FvdB7mKONXTWlicWNtdFhSTkU&usp=drive_web. • Bundesagentur für, “Arbeit,” 2015. Make it in Germany, Accessed 4/28/2016, http://www.make-itin- germany.com/en/. • Cochrane, Allan. 2006. Making Up Meanings in a Capital City Power, Memory and Monuments in Berlin. European urban and regional studies 13, no. 1: 5-24. • Frankfurter Societäts-Medien, “GmbH,” 2016, Deutschland.de Your llink to Germany, Accessed 03/7/2016, https://www.deutschland.de/en. • Gamble, Ione. “Dazed.” How the internet revived the zine scene. Accessed 4/25/2016. http://www. dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/25561/1/how-the-internet-revived-the-zine-scene • Gamble, Ione. “How the internet revived the zine scene.” Dazed. Accessed 04/26/2016. http:// www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/25561/1/how-the-internet-revived-the-zine-scene • Garín-Muñoz, Teresa. 2009. Tourism in Galicia: domestic and foreign demand. Tourism Economics 15, no. 4: 753-769. • http://www.bizbash.com/event-marketing#.VyaUEGP9Jg0 • Huntington, The clash of civilizations and the remaking of world order. Penguin Books India, Samuel P. 1997. • Kirchhoff, Thomas, Werner Schweibenz, and Jörn Sieglerschmidt. 2008. Archives, libraries, museums and the spell of ubiquitous knowledge. Archival Science 8, no. 4: 251-266. • Lawler, Ryan. «Airbnb Experiments With ‘Experiences,’ Offering Everything From Bike Tours To Home-Cooked Meals.» TechCrunch. 2014. Accessed May 09, 2016. http://techcrunch. com/2014/05/16/airbnb-experiences/. • Leeking Inc. “What is a Zine.” Accessed 04/26/2016. http://www.leekinginc.com/xeroxdebt/ whatisazine.htm • Mootee, Idris. Design Thinking for Strategic Innovation: What they can’t teach you at Business or Design School (Title in Italics). New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons Inc, 2013. 147
Integrative Studio 1 / Spring 2016
Parsons The New School / Strategic Design and Management
BIBLIOGRAPHY • Oyler, Lauren, “Top ten zines. Dazed.” Accessed 4/24/2016. http://www.dazeddigital.com/ artsandculture/article/17205/1/top-ten-zines • Paumgarten, Nick. «Berlin Nights.» The New Yorker. March 24, 2014. Accessed May 01, 2016. http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/03/24/berlin-nights. • Schroeter, A, LR Ward, B Rowe, et al. 1994. Salmonella enteritidis phage types in Germany. European journal of epidemiology 10, no. 5: 645-648. • Sinek, Simon. «How Great Leaders Inspire Action.» TED. September 2009. Accessed May 01, 2016. https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action?language=en • Sobe, Tama, Sarah Vreugde, Hashem Shahin, et al. 2000. The prevalence and expression of inherited connexin 26 mutations associated with nonsyndromic hearing loss in the Israeli population. Human genetics 106, no. 1: 50-57. • Tedcrunch, “Postmates Acquihires Activity Concierge Sosh,” Accessed 3/5/ 2016, http:// techcrunch.com/2015/11/05/postmates-acquihires-activity-concierge-sosh-in-a-fire-sale/. • This was taken from the original Deck White Rabbit provided the students at Parsons, Accessed 5/8/2016. • Wefunder, “Up All Night,” Accessed 3/9/2016, https://wefunder.com/upallnight. • Weinstock, Tish. “The Zines you need to know about now.” I-D Vice. Accessed 4/23/2016, https:// i-d.vice.com/en_gb/article/the-zines-you-need-to-know-about-now • Yeung Ken, “Magic to start charging $100 an hour for SMS-based delivery service that was previously free,” Venturebeat, Accessed 3/4/2016, 2016.http://venturebeat.com/2016/01/04/ magic-to-start-charging-100-an-hour-for-sms-based-delivery-service-that-was-previously-free/. • Ziyad Asrar: Chicago Based Indie Musician and Producer. One of the people we got in touch with on our experiments. • Zolberg, Aristide R, and Long Litt Woon. 1999. Why Islam is like Spanish: cultural incorporation in Europe and the United States. Politics and society 27: 5-38.
Integrative Studio 1 / Spring 2016
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Integrative Studio 1 / Spring 2016