Strategy Research Blog

Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze?

Become a Research Superhero With An Activation Workshop

In consumer insights and analytics, you may discover your brand or organization needs to make a significant change using strategic pricing, segmentation, communication or new product research.

Now that you have this key information, you need to communicate it to the organization. How do you get the organization involved and energized to accept this new information and incorporate these findings into future plans and actions? This is the optimal time and the place for an Activation Workshop.

An Activation Workshop is a collaborative session that aligns the team and key stakeholders, finalizes planning, prioritizes actions, assigns responsibilities, and drives positive business change. These sessions are typically conducted at the conclusion of large strategic research projects but could be used at any important crossroad where major business decisions must be made.

Team Building. One important benefit of an Activation Workshop is getting the whole team together. This is especially important for people who have not met in person or haven’t seen one another in some time. When the entire team is working on a set of issues or opportunities, there is energy and enthusiasm; people feed off each other’s capabilities and the ideas they are generating. There are more ideas, better ideas, and the group is more engaged with those ideas than they would have been if only a couple of people or if only one department were working on the strategies.

We recognize that getting large groups together for a meeting such as this can be difficult for an organization, and utilizes valuable time and resources. However, we have found, and know our clients agree, that the long-term benefits of a workshop like this greatly outweigh the short term “squeeze” caused.

Thoughtful Planning. Activation workshops must be customized to the goals and needs of each project. For a successful workshop, it is critical that you recognize the place the organization is starting from and where they want to go. For example; at times workshops can become a Segmentation 101, where we help organizations internalize what a segmentation is, what the benefits are, and how each department might utilize it; and at times organizations may have been using a segmentation for years and our workshops are structured to help “bridge” the new segmentation to the old, helping to ensure that all teams are comfortable and marching in the same direction.

Outside Facilitator. Having an unbiased session leader (or team) without an internal agenda or ulterior motives is strongly recommended. The outside facilitator can ask important questions and introduce topics that might otherwise be taboo.

Keys to a successful Activation Workshop

• A facilitation guide that is agreed upon with key team members, outlining not only the flow of the session, but also the amount of time dedicated to the various topics and activities.
• Pre-assigned and reviewed breakout sessions (both in-person and virtual). Typically, it is ideal to have teams in these breakout sessions be composed of those who do not work together routinely, so that they can ideate without the restrictions of job titles and responsibilities affecting the free flow of ideas.
• A readout of the research results (and any other pertinent information) that is distributed to participants in advance.
• In general, we recommend two half-day sessions. Ideally held “off campus” which helps clients focus more on the session. If it is extremely detailed, two full-day sessions may work best.
• The right participants should be in the room (or virtual room)—a cross-functional team from all the key departments that will use the results and the new processes. This can include people from within the organization, as well as key agency partners. While it’s preferred to conduct the sessions in person, in the age of hybrid workforces, we find many times that is not possible. A good visual presentation of all materials makes it easy for participants to understand and follow along. It is also critical to utilize virtual tools to help keep the in-person and virtual teams feeling engaged and working together as a group.
• An appropriate number of knowledgeable and experienced facilitators are needed to design and manage the group session and any breakout sessions. For example, a large group with 20 or more participants would ideally have 3 or 4 experienced facilitators to accommodate the smaller breakout sessions.
• Clear communication is needed regarding participants’ roles and responsibilities.
• Built-in breaks, including lunch and time to check email help keep the team on board.
• List the action steps and timing with the responsible parties at the end of the session.
• Addition of KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) for processes and/or changes during or immediately after the Activation Workshop will help the team measure the success of the strategies. Determine the appropriate timeline of 6, 12, 24 months, etc. These KPIs could be goals for a new product line, plans for expansion into a new market or country, etc.
• Have fun! These new strategies are the ideas that will propel the business forward in ways that may never have been discussed or expected. Participants find these sessions to be fun, motivating, and exhausting. (in the best possible way).

Our clients have found Activation Workshops extremely effective in both consumer and B2B environments. The more dynamic the business environment and the more strategic the research is, the more important it is to conduct an Activation Workshop. The results are internally generated and increase buy-in for both the strategy and the steps needed to execute it. Activation Workshops provide a strategic “jump-start” for an organization.

All your research efforts will be worth it, when you utilize Activation Workshops to identify, prioritize, and assign duties for the strategies that will drive your business forward.

In other words, the juice will be worth the squeeze.

Bonnie Janzen

President

Bonnie helps drive growth for client companies based on strategic consumer insights, innovation, and analytics to shape customer experience, marketing campaigns and new product development programs. She has a depth of experience in research and consulting for strategic initiatives, including new business acquisitions, new business concepts, global expansion, and brand development and extension.

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Clay Dethloff

Senior VP, Qualitative Research

Clay works with clients to incorporate research results when developing strategies and formulating tactical recommendations that fit with the client's goals, capabilities, and overall strategy. When guiding cross-functional workshops, Clay utilizes many techniques and "games" that are designed to spark both individual and group creativity.

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