I have been developing a short worksheet over the passed year or so for certain jobs. Its purpose is to collate the different influential factors on a rebranding or redesign of content brands – in this instance one thats sits on multiple platforms. It I have been using it in lieu of user research but I think it would sit well with it or before it on many of my more recent jobs. The most recent time I used it I felt I didn’t have a strong enough starting point before I undertook the trust part of the work. We shred the document between the key figures of the job and I quickly got back this great picture of where we needed to go.
A. Brand proposal
1. What are the basic objectives of a loyal reader?
2. What are the basic objectives of a new reader?
3. What rational will they use to choose Your Product either over another source of information or as well as another source of information?
4. What can the print product, design and journalism do to influence these customer decisions?
5. “If Your Product is the answer, what is the question”?
(Borrowed from the Matt Watkinson’s brilliant book “The Ten Principles Behind Great Customer Experience”. If you want happy customers buy it and read it. If you don’t… be like that then. http://mattwatkinson.co.uk)
B. Influential products:
– What is it about Influential Product 1 that is useful to Your Product?
– What other products have those qualities?
– What is it about Influential Product 2 that is useful to Your Product?
– What other products have those qualities?
– What are the brands and information sources which Your Product might be seen as a part of?
– What are the brands and information sources which Your Product might be seen as in competition with?
– What are the non-content based products that are influential in this culture?
– Do they have anything to offer Your Product in print?
– What are the brands and information sources that Your Product will it be competing with over the next 5 years?
C. New message
– What can Your Product say that we are not saying?
– What are the other brands and products that this community respects?
– What qualities does Your Product needs to impart to the the market in this environment?
– What can Your Product can say it is best at providing?
ideas/forms/functions 