PLAYSTUDIO
SM
Where the discipline of inspiration meets the practice of business. Prophet’s PLAYSTUDIO curates experiences and perspectives, creates tools and mechanisms, and leads workshops to engage leaders and their companies around innovation challenges.
INSPIRATION. REALIZED.
(inspiration)+(creativity) = innovation
PLAYSTUDIO is a process and environment for creating ideas by purposefully removing clients from their daily routines. It’s a mental and physical space that inspires teams, uncovers insights, and encourages divergent thinking. In addition to our dedicated PLAYSTUDIO locations within Prophet’s Richmond and New York offices, our mobile studio can join you at any location. We bring our proprietary tools and world class thinkers to you and provide exactly what your mind is craving.
WHAT WE DO From insights and inspiration to idea creation to leadership development, we offer a range of programs that allow innovation to flourish.
Our programs are ideal for a variety of creative business challenges and are custom-built to meet your goals and objectives. No two are just alike.
TOPICS
PROGRAMS
New product development
Creativity & innovation workshops
Consumer insights
Ideation projects
Brand & marketing
Customer learning expeditions
Growth strategy
Leadership development programs
White space identification
Training classes and workshops
Leadership development Creativity & innovation skill building
DAY IN THE LIFE
DAY 1
morning
Innovative Introduction. Review program objectives. Inspiration: Human Library. Conversations with in and out of category experts.
afternoon
Human Library debrief and rapid idea capture. Inspiration: Look At More Stuff (LAMS) experiential immersion at relevant nearby location(s) with translation back to workshop objectives. LAMS debrief and rapid idea capture.
DAY IN THE LIFE
DAY 2
morning
Discussion and debrief of Day 1 activities. Think About It Harder (TAIH). Synthesize observations and insights into new ideas using proven creative thinking tools and mechanisms.
afternoon
Filter ideas based on success criteria and strategic parameters. Refine top ideas, capture and outline next steps. New ideas to grow your business.
PLAYSTUDIO programs utilize our proprietary tools.
Human Library
INSIGHTS & INSPIRATION
IDEA CREATION & FILTERING
EUK
Thief & Doctor
Innovation Blueprint
De/Re
Ten Commandments
Gather insights through unique in-market learning expeditions
EUK
Comes with journals, pens and anything else needed to capture inspiration as it comes
Change your perspective through conversations with a variety of in- and out-of-category experts
HUMAN LIBRARY
This concept was born in Malmo, Sweden as a way to promote cultural understanding among residents
Identify successes and best practices from outside of your industry and apply them to your business challenge
THIEF & DOCTOR
This tried and true tool inspires possibilities thinking and rapid idea generation
Break down a challenge into its component parts to find new innovation areas
DECONSTRUCT RECONSTRUCT
Exaggerate, eliminate, substitute or simplify your way to new solutions
Summarize and define the key characteristics of a target consumer
TEN COMMANDMENTS
This effective tool is used for synthesizing insights and defining criteria for filtering ideas
Capture the next steps needed to move ideas forward using pre-determined filter criteria
INNOVATION BLUEPRINT
58% of PLAYSTUDIO concepts make it through the next stage of concept testing
A DIFFERENT WAY OF WORKING Leave the PowerPoint at home. PLAYSTUDIO programs are experiential and human, using immersive experiences to connect people with insights. The results are bigger, bolder ideas and faster time to market.
LOOK AT MORE STUFF. THINK ABOUT IT HARDER.
LAMSTAIH is a mindset, philosophy, process and practice. It requires you to get out from behind your desk, seek inspiration from the world around you, and creatively translate your observations and insights into powerful ideas. It’s what we do every day to help our clients unlock their innovation potential and drive growth.
EXPERIENCES, NOT INFORMATION
We know that the most revolutionary thoughts, ideas and solutions come from people discovering insights for themselves. PLAYSTUDIO’s highly collaborative and immersive programs provide the optimal environment for people to discover, create and get fully engaged in innovation.
SLIGHTLY DISRUPTIVE
We’re slightly irreverent and appropriately disruptive. We dial up energy, challenge traditional thinking and push people out of their comfort zones while maintaining a clear line of sight to strategic objectives.
OPTIMALLY OPTICAL
On walls. With cards. In journals. Using illustrators or cameras. Our programs are visually vibrant. The more senses we engage in the experience of learning, the better people engage and remember what they learn.
LOOKING (AND THINKING) AHEAD
Think differently. Behave differently. Lead differently. Behavior change crystallizes in the 30 days post a learning event, so we carefully plan ahead for what happens when you are back at your desk to keep the inspiration and innovation flowing.
STORIES & RESULTS We have designed and led more than 700 PLAYSTUDIO sessions with some of the world’s largest and most respected brands.
CONSUMER INSIGHTS Capital One Designed and led an EUK that had marketers spend a day walking in the shoes of their target consumer. Used the experiences as the springboard for generating a large volume of potential new product ideas.
Charles Schwab Led an ideation workshop to engage key stakeholders in the world of the transitional retirement consumer and generate ideas for tapping into this growing segment.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT GE Designed and led an immersive training program for rising GE Healthcare executives to help them think, behave and lead differently.
Mars Developed a learning program that gives global leaders new tools for understanding and leading around complex strategic challenges.
PRODUCTS, SERVICES & EXPERIENCES Timberland Developed new footwear concepts including the awardwinning Travel Gear™ system which combines one chassis (for support) with three shells (for style) and dramatically reduces the amount of space shoes take up in your suitcase.
Moen Created attractive, ADA compliant product ideas for kitchen, bath and shower that help aging customers maintain their independence and sense of security for longer. The SecureMount™ Grab Bar Installation System was named one of the top 100 products in 2009 for its ultimate combination of strength, style and functionality.
BRAND & MARKETING Hanes Led an ideation process to create high-buzz marketing and promotional ideas for launching the Tagless T-shirt – the first major innovation in undershirts in nearly 50 years.
Hilton Garden Inn Created customer experience concepts – like amenities, in-room programming, and check-in rituals – that activated Hilton Garden Inn’s health and fitness positioning.
CREATIVITY & INNOVATION SKILLS DEVELOPMENT L’Oreal Led a series of training classes to help marketers develop their individual creative mindsets and apply innovative thinking to new product launches.
Genworth Developed a tiered learning program around the company value of ‘ingenuity’ that taught new-hires, managers and executives to apply creative thinking in their roles.
We have designed and led more than 700 PLAYSTUDIO sessions with some of the world’s largest and most respected brands.
My experience with Prophet was one of the best I’ve had at GE. It can be hard to be creative at such a big company, but Prophet made it happen. I have gotten rave emails from key leaders who were in the program.� GE
“I’ve been in this industry 20 years, and I can’t remember a project that was more productive in terms of product development or building relationships.” Timberland
“It struck me yesterday that our team seems to be gaining competence and confidence with this ‘innovation’ thing! It’s great to see everyone engaged and the project gaining traction and momentum.” Union First Market Bank
“The program was great! It took us outside of our element to focus on the generation of new ideas, and it worked! Let’s face it; a conference room is a terrible place to uncover new thinking. Innovation just doesn’t work like that.” Merrill Lynch
“I got so much value out of the opportunity to think freely, outside the boundaries of the work environment and take risks with the ideas we came up with. And the ‘action learning’ approach was so much better than what we would have gotten from a lecture-type session.” Merrill Lynch
“Ground breaking, excitement, eagerness to take the leap! It has been a discovery for all. A realization that we need to raise the bar and a passion to do so!� Mars
“The leadership program was terrific, and made all 200 of us realize that ‘looking at more stuff’ is uncomfortable but incredibly enriching if you just open your mind to it.” Healthways
“When I’m working at the PLAYSTUDIO, I find myself thinking way beyond our norms and finding new ways of doing things. I’m constantly challenged to come up with more creative ways to deliver on my objectives, and PLAYSTUDIO stretches my thinking.” Ford Motor Company
NEW IDEAS ARE A PHONE CALL AWAY CATHERINE STROTMEYER
+1.804.474.3588 cstrotmeyer@prophet.com
ABOUT PROPHET Prophet is a strategic brand and marketing consultancy. We help our clients win by delivering inspired and actionable ideas that drive growth. For more information visit us at www.prophet.com.