Taylor Trusty CEO of Blackstone Media All Things Open 2016 October 26-27, 2016 Raleigh, North Carolina

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The Anti-Henry
Ford
How 200 hour discoveries
revolutionized the way we do business

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EARLY THOUGHT PROCESSES
“A car for every purse and person.”
“If I had asked people what they wanted,
they would have said faster horses.”
— Henry Ford
— Alfred Sloan

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A Tale of Two Companies
● In 1921, the Ford Motor Company
sold about 66% of all cars built in
the U.S.
● By 1926, this share had fallen to
approximately 33%.
● In 1927, the percentage fell to
about 15% when Ford belatedly
brought the Model A to market.
--Harvard Business Review
GM // FORD

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Taylor Trusty
CEO - Blackstone Media
Speaker. Cookie Aficionado. Podcast Nerd.
@ttrusty

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WHO WE ARE
Since 2006, Blackstone Media has been
known for creating both beautiful and
functional, digital experiences that
deliver results—we are committed to
delivering the WOW with every
engagement. Guided by values of
integrity, positivity, and passion, we
strive for the win-win in all situations.

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THE CHALLENGE

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THE CHALLENGE

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THE CHALLENGE

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BY DEFINITION
Discovery is the process of gathering
data and insights, analyzing the
gathered information, and using it to
create memorable experiences.
The process of aligning expectations
with reality to create a personalized
experience that resonates with your
consumer.

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STEPS TO DISCOVERY
Tech & Brand Audit
Onsite Workshop
Competitive Intel
User, Stakeholder,
& Customer Insights
Design & UX
Strategic Findings
& Direction

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OUTCOME OF A GOOD DISCOVERY
Better Clients
Take the clients you
want, not the clients
you need.
Profitability Gains
Who doesn’t like to
make more money?
Timely Deliverable
On time projects
are profitable
projects and lead
to...
Happy Clients
Happy clients tell
their friends about
you.
Happy Team
A happy team is
more innovative
and intuitive and
leads to more...
Efficiency Gains
Create capacity
within teams.

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TECH & BRAND AUDIT
Understanding
performance. Empowering
your brand by learning your
strengths and weaknesses.

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BUILD WITH YOUR CUSTOMER
Familiarize
Identify Goals &
Objectives
Align w/ Client Vision
Learn Brand & Culture
Product & Consumer
Information
Uncover Strategy
ONSITE WORKSHOP

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COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE
Bridging the data gap.
Insight into client,
consumer, and competitor
relationships.

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Market Analysis
Between client and top competitors
CTA & UX/UI Analysis
Keyword Performance
Organic & Paid
Search Analysis
Domain authority
Ranking
Responsiveness

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USER, STAKEHOLDER & CUSTOMER INSIGHTS
Start talking. Having
conversations with key
individuals both inside and
out of an organization can
hold the key to growth.

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DESIGN & UX
Tell a story. Enhance the
user-experience and
create a memorable
interaction for your client
and theirs.

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INSPIRATION
Take inspiration from the data
gathered and the everyday
situations and processes your
clients experience.

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STRATEGIC FINDINGS & DIRECTION
Utilize the data gathered
to enact change within a
process and to push
innovation within the
client’s industry.

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“
“Companies are realizing that traditional
methods of innovation — developing new
product ideas in-house, conducting focus
groups and customer research to
determine feasibility and market potential
— don’t always reflect customer's actual
needs and desires. To address this
shortfall, more and more firms are putting
the customer at the heart of their
innovation efforts.”
Jennifer Lee
Partner at Deloitte

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COMPANIES WITH THE RIGHT IDEA
An online community. Members
can find new creations from other
fans and submit designs for new
sets. Fans vote and give
feedback.
LEGO Ideas
If a project gets 10,000
votes, LEGO reviews the
idea and picks a winner for
an official set to be created
and sold worldwide.

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COMPANIES WITH THE RIGHT IDEA
A leading manufacturer of
high-quality power tools.
DeWALT
To gain info on where they should
innovate, they use an award-winning
insight community of more than
10,000 end users.
The company uses its
community to get to know
customers and their needs
while gathering product,
packaging and marketing
feedback.

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“
“If your stories are all about your
products and services, that’s not
storytelling. It’s a brochure. Give
yourself permission to make the
story bigger.”
Jay Baer,
Author of ‘Youtility’ & ‘Hug Your Haters’

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Thank you.
Any questions?
Taylor Trusty
@ttrusty
ttrusty@blackstonemedia.com
To learn more:
blackstonemedia.com