Strategic Planning & Research

My left-brain is a cement mixer turning liquid research into solid ideas.

But my true right is a 1980’s piñata bursting with Skittles that rain down in a glorious techno remix.

And these two halves make me whole. It takes both

strategic thinking and creative passion to make an idea

grow, bounce and swagger.

Creative Strategist

Roadmap A

Eclectic Products’ Shoe Goo Skate Good Data

John Deere Brand Innovation

Allen Hall Advertising Footprint

WPP Interview Insight

Burberry Brand Essence Video Creative Strategy

Resume

Paul Goodnight

Baxter Auto Parts Client Pitch

Project Purpose

Self-introduction Narcissism

Fade: !"#$!! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!Cross-Cultural

Sun Tzu

5 things I believe

1. LEARN A SECOND LANGUAGE

Take away the comfortable and think about every word you speak. It’ll fire off a few of those dormant neurons.

2. Read TRASHY NOVELS

Trashy? I prefer to call it “All American.”

3. Maintain FOCUS

Keep eye contact and take notes. Laptops and cell phones are concentration suicide.

4. TECHNO REMIX IT

Bad mood? Dance that shit off.

5. EDIT

Find the flow. Read out loud to literally hear the pause, sway and tone of the language.

I am neither hoity, nor toity. Ethnography starts with understanding people.

I am motivated and organized. Focus is time for a fifth revision of already good work.

I am culturally aware. The Taiwanese have wet t-shirt contests? Let’s talk about it.

And what’simportant

Under-medicated

Over-medicated

Not medicated

On a scale of one to a million:

Party in the back

Business in the front

More business, some party

Shakespeare Me

SELF-INTRODUCTION

SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THOUGHTAuto maintenance is a rite of passage.

GOAL Drive the growing number of DIY car maintenance customers to Baxter Auto Parts by embodying the father-son bonding experience.

PROBLEM Baxter lacks an engaging brand personality to distinguish itself from other auto parts stores in the Pacific Northwest, all of which offer the same promises – inexpensive parts, good customer ser-vice and convenient locations.

FATHERS Our secondary audience consists of males age 30-55 who in large part already do their own basic car maintenance. For these men, car maintenance is a value because it is easy and saves money; however, they can be deterred by a lack of time. Seventy-five percent of this audience is interested in passing on auto repair knowledge and independence to their children.

CLIENT PITCH

STRATEGY1. Establish a brand personality: Create a brand personality by positioning Baxter as a rite of passage where fathers teach their sons to become men. Clever, generational messages connect our primary audience to their fathers. 2. Attract new users: Create incentives to take the plunge, including secondary audience encouragement, coupons and free basic maintenance lessons. 3. Build store loyalty: Build store loyalty using unique promotional features, including free basic maintenance lessons, coupons and punch cards. 4. Encourage father-son bonding: Encourage father-child car maintenance education through advertising messages and and free maintenance workshops.

SONS Our primary audience consists of young males age 16-26 who do not perform their own basic car maintenance. Sixty-two percent are willing to learn basic maintenance to save money and time and agree that they are prevented only by a lack of knowledge. This audience represents the greatest opportunity to expand Baxter’s current maintenance business.

RECOMMENDED TARGET AUDIENCEConnect fathers and the sons on the bond that happens when a father passes his car knowledge on to his son, establishing car maintenance knowledge as right of passage.

!"#$%&'()*!+&,-

$%).*/%&"0*!1!00!23

!"#$#%&$'''()*&#")+&,-!)"&$

4&5*)0&6*!/7&0*.

$&0/1&"'*)'&'$)8

.!/,!6/+!'9*/%&:)/*!/(!/*!/$%60$%8/

4&5*)

0

&6*!/7&0*.

!"#$#%&$'''()*&#")+&,-!)"&$

!!

!"#$%&'()*!+&,-

$%).*/%&"0*!1!00!23

!"#$#%&$'''()*&#")+&,-!)"&$

4&5*)0&6*!/7&0*.

$&0/1&"'*)'&'$)8

.!/,!6/+!'9*/%&:)/*!/(!/*!/$%60$%8/

4&5*)

0

&6*!/7&0*.

!"#$#%&$'''()*&#")+&,-!)"&$

!!

Click here to view all research, creatives and media plan online.

Charlton Engel Marketing, Inc. recruited teams of four to pitch their client Baxter Auto Parts. As planner and writer for our team, I worked to create a strategy to capitalize on the opportunities for Baxter in the growing DIY car maintenance market. Our strategy built on economic research and personal interviews to define the Baxter brand based on the father-son bonding experience.

Our team successfully won the $300,000 Baxter Auto Parts pitch with a research-based strategy as the cornerstone for the creative executions and media plan.

After seeing crop subsidies and exports fall during the recession, family owned farms lost the confidence to make a significant invest-ment in new farm machinery. To tackle this problem, I developed a how-to guide on speaking farm confidence, emphasizing the American farmer’s reliance on community, technology and partnerships.

sPeak farm

coN fiDent:

by paul goodnight

a how-t o

guide

problem?

loss of farm confidence

audience?

farmers living on their grandfather’s father’s land

insight?

in hunting, fishing and farming communities, investment doesn’t mean a new mini-mall

tone?

a cup of coffee at the local diner

strategy?

when farmers succeed, we succeedmessage?

farm proud

Click here to view the how-to guide online

JOHN DEERE BRAND INNOVATION

sPeak farm

coN fiDent:

by paul goodnight

a how-t o

guide

problem?

loss of farm confidence

audience?

farmers living on their grandfather’s father’s land

insight?

in hunting, fishing and farming communities, investment doesn’t mean a new mini-mall

tone?

a cup of coffee at the local diner

strategy?

when farmers succeed, we succeedmessage?

farm proud

BackgroundIn 1837 John Deere forged the world’s first steel plow, specifically built for farming in the rich, Midwest soil. Deere & Co. has since expanded into a multinational corporation with 56,000 em-ployees, as well as Credit, Wind and Crop Insurance branches. After seeing profits fall during the 00s recession, Deere & Co. sales forecast was better than expected for 2010, citing increasing con-sumer demand for combine harvesters and large tractors. John Deere spends nearly 170 million a year on advertising and promotions.

AudienceWhile 90% of America’s farms are still family owned, recent years have seen a decrease in the number of farms and an increase in farm size. Deere’s major business locations include the Plains, the Southeast, the Great Lakes and the West with each area growing different crops and facing unique climate conditions. John Deere also has a cult following in the Midwest, where John Deere represents farming history and an in-group symbol.

ProblemDuring the economic downturn, John Deere has seen a drop in farmer confidence, hurting both its large-scale machinery sales and credit applications. Furthermore, weak agricultural exports and a decrease in government subsidies are major barriers for farmers in the purchase of new farm equipment. John Deere large-scale farm equipment sells for as much as $200,000 USD.

Insights 1. In 2010 new farm investment is expected to center on technologically superior, large-scale machinery representing a 10-20 year investment. 2. John Deere Credit and Crop Insurance are providing farm-specific policies based on a past knowledge of crop damage issues. 3. Many of the qualities associated with American farmers, such as tradition, depend ability, community and integrity, are passed onto the John Deere brand.

SolutionDeere & Co. needs to show farmers that its credit and insurance branches buttress an invest-ment in large-scale machinery. This can be achieved through in-community advertising that draws on John Deere’s new advancements in farm technology, as well as demonstrates the farm-specific policies Deere & Co. branches offer.

StrategyWhen farmers succeed, John Deere succeeds.

Research Brief

Creative Brief

paRtn Erships

Disaster Relief

With John Deere Foundation at the head, each local branch of the company aids in Red Cross disaster relief efforts. Local branches donate warehouse spaces, provide volunteers and make equipment available to help in community recovery efforts.

River Music Experience The River Music Experience gives residents of Quad-City, Iowa an opportunity to get to know the music of the Mississippi River. The museum hosts a collection of Mississippi River history, and the music hall provides a location for concerts, music classes and local music sharing.

The River Music Experience supports the Quad-City’s musical history through the John Deere community betterment and restoration project.

Opportunity International Opportunity International works to provide loans for African farmers in Malawi and Mozambique. Each loan leads to an increase in agricultural production, more food in local markets and a higher family income. As the loans are paid off, the money will be redistributed to new areas.

This program aims to develop a sustainable farming structure in Africa and is supported by John Deere’s commitment to finding solutions for world hunger.

Farm machinery today is replaced not for wear and tear, but for technologically superior equipment that gives farmers an edge over competitors. When investing in a new tractor, header or seeder, farmers care about new technology that can save money for the next ten years.

Customers making new purchases in 2010 will make sure that in an unstable economy, their investment saves expensive seed, water and fuel.

John Deere’s 600C Series Corn Head can harvest corn downed by the wind. Owning one reduces insurance costs and allows a partial harvest after a wind disaster.

tech N ologY

1

LED lights installed on new John Deere tractors can last up to 44 years and won’t be damaged by water or vibrations. These lights will never need to be replaced.

New large-scale tractors, headers and seeders come with an AutoTrac GPS system that eliminates double plowing and seeding. AutoTrac helps farmers create perfect rows for planting and harvesting.

GreenStar helps farmers record and manage irrigation channels to conserve water. Reduced inputs and higher yields save money throughout the farming season.

2

3

4

led lights

gps

irrigatio n

commUnitY Two thousand miles of American farms don’t all face the same climate conditions. The insurance and machinery needs of American farms are as diverse as the land itself.

Division in the American farm industry requires area specific advertising, and while John Deere has an extensive dealer network, those dealers also sell competing equipment brands.

State-specific trade magazines can send a mes-sage that penetrates nearly 90% of crop acres. These magazines reach land blocks with similar climates and similar crop and livestock industries.

While industry magazines like Farm Equipment target dealers, these publications also include competitor brands and speak to vendors as a whole, with no climate segmentation.

In place of targeted magazine ads, collect-able community mailers focused on crop-specific concerns can connect with farmers curious about new technology.

The research brief was disassembled and the problems were tackled in parts in a how-to guide on speaking farm confident.

Community introduces local John Deere resources put in place to support farmers based on crop-specific concerns because citrus farmers in California need different support than cotton farmers in Mississippi. Local resources include dealers, insurance agents and Group Risk Plans.

Technology helps justify investing in a new John Deere header or tractor by emphasizing the money saving advancements in GPS-based plows and irrigation, as well as headers that can harvest wind-downed crops. Partnerships shows that John Deere is supporting the communities that support them. John Deere gives back to local farmers in times of crisis and sends help to build strong farm communities overseas.

State-to-State Collectable Mailers

Click here to view more mailers

Front

Back

Front

Back

practicaLl y

inVentedthe ph rase

“WildgReeN

oR egon

yo

N d

e R”

lAn d thaT

600 d dra per fr o nt

70 serie s combi ne

Two thousand miles of American farms don’t all face the same climate conditions, so John Deere offers insurance coverage and farm machinery as diverse as the land itself.

Low yields often affect entire farm communities, so John Deere Crop Insurance came up with a Group Risk Plan that compares your current yield to past averages.

In a bad year, John Deere covers you and your neighbors because when farmers succeed, we succeed.

practicaLl y

inVentedthe ph rase

“WildgReeN

oR egon

yo

N d

e R”

lAn d thaT

600 d dra per fr o nt

70 serie s combi ne

Two thousand miles of American farms don’t all face the same climate conditions, so John Deere offers insurance coverage and farm machinery as diverse as the land itself.

Low yields often affect entire farm communities, so John Deere Crop Insurance came up with a Group Risk Plan that compares your current yield to past averages.

In a bad year, John Deere covers you and your neighbors because when farmers succeed, we succeed.

miSSissi PP i

.

l

anD t

h a

t m

aD

e m

uS

ic i t s So ul

b e

a r

7 7

60

cotton picker

Two thousand miles of American farms don’t all face the same climate conditions, so John Deere offers insurance coverage and farm machinery as diverse as the land itself.

John Deere offers a Flood Plan that covers cotton growing communities in a natural disaster because when farmers succeed, we succeed.

Farmers across Mississippi face hurricanes and Flood waters.

miSSissi PP i

.

l

anD t

h a

t m

aD

e m

uS

ic i t s So ul

b e

a r

7 7

60

cotton picker

Two thousand miles of American farms don’t all face the same climate conditions, so John Deere offers insurance coverage and farm machinery as diverse as the land itself.

John Deere offers a Flood Plan that covers cotton growing communities in a natural disaster because when farmers succeed, we succeed.

Farmers across Mississippi face hurricanes and Flood waters.

State-to-state direct mailers represent one execution of the creative strategy. As a collect-able set, the mailers appeal to John Deere’s cult audience, while at the same time allowing John Deere to target climate blocks. These post cards emphasize local insurance offers, as well as let farmers know the specific support John Deere can offer in a bad year.

Mailers allow John Deere to talk farmers from Mississippi cotton to Oregon grass seed through community building appeals.

Shoe Goo Skate: An Ethnographic Research Sample

Eclectic Products hired my team to gather ethnographic research on the hard-to-reach skateboarding audience in Eugene, OR. The company has a niche audience of skateboarders using its Shoe Goo shoe protection product and wanted to know more about skater attitudes, communication channels and purchasing habits before making further retail and design decisions.

As team manager, I organized and implemented in-depth interviews and focus groups with local skaters, then presented our findings to Eclectic Products. Working with Eclectic Products, I learned about the research process while supporting and learning from senior team members.

1. The vast majority of skaters are aware of Shoe Goo’s skate use

2. Skaters communicate though viral videos and local skate communities

3. Skater’s shop at both skate boutiques and bargain stores for skate goods

4. Skaters prefer skate products with professional skater endorsement

5. Skaters are most worried about traction, flexibility and comfort when shopping for shoes or a shoe repair product

6. Skaters prefer a clear, fast drying product for shoe repair

7. Skaters would prefer Shoo Goo come in smaller packaging

8. Skaters would like a cloth patch and glue bundle for repairing holes

Major Findings:

Skateboarders were asked a series of questions relating to

their awareness and attitude toward Shoe Goo. 21 of 25

skateboarders said that they had heard of and could

recognize the product. One skater mentioned, “Every skater

knows about Shoo Goo.” Of the 21 skaters familiar with the

product, 11 had heard of the product from friends, five from

skate shops, three from personal use and only one had read

about the product in a magazine.

The report is broken down into methods, results and recommendations with important information presented as easily readable charts coupled with detailed descriptions.

Click here to view entire report.

Ex.

GOOD DATA

So what we can teach the heavy hitters?

Sustainability

Stay Positive:No one likes a

nagging brand or a Debbie Downer.

Offenders:Big non-profit,cookie-cutter donation ads

Reward Brand Loyalty:Keep it fresh, and physical rewards are always greater

than e-rewards

Allen Hall Advertising

Offenders:Sign up for our e-coupons and get

500 e-mails a week, Comcast 6-month price increase,

Credit Cards with strings-attached rewards

Two Big Winners

Get GoFuel Perks

Angelo’sResturant

$20 off cardwith $100purchase

Remember Brand Medium:No hypocrites.

Offenders:WWF save the trees inmagazine, Aquafina

“green” bottles

White Space:Some media gaps

exist for a reason. Don’tgo viral without a strategy.

Offenders:Corporate fan pages,blogs and Facebook

Two Big Winners

Coke ZeroFacial Profiler:

both interesting and relevant to

brand and product

Burger KingSacritice Your

Friends Facebook App:brand-relevant

and rewards free burgers.

Allen Hall Advertising:University of Oregon Office of Sustainability

Brand:On the surface, we’re supported through the Office of Sustainability, but underneath, we are waging guerrilla warfare against waste. We raise awareness about sustainable practices through unique and, of course, sustainable messages.

Whether promoting non-packaged foods, using rocks as business cards or creating a literal monster from old plastic bags, we want people to think about the personal choice to reduce. We use recycled materials in unusual ways – ways that ignore the conventional, nagging sustainable voice and really start changing behavior.

Challenge:Sustainability is one long, invisible word. It’s easy to ignore the small efforts that people can take toward creating less waste. Preaching the obvious will get you nowhere, but create a buzz, and damn, you’ve actually got student’s interest. We need to engage the student body and get them thinking about sustainability, then hit them with the message.

Make a message that boldly stands out, then just fades away.

Solutions:

Click images to view some of our work.

Working with Allen Hall on the Sustainability account taught me lessons that apply to even the biggest brands:

FOOTPRINT

Burberry: Creating a Brand Essence Video

Burberry Ad Brief:

Background: Burberry is a living celebration of British heritage. Started in 1856, the brand has undergone numerous expansions and overhauls to become a global luxury retailer. In 1997, Burberry began its most recent expansion, while at the same time reeling in licensing and distribution agreements to re-move brand inconsistencies. This latest expansion left Burberry more popular than ever, but the brand fears that its trademark check may become overdone and that its British chic di-minished by non-target audiences.

Audience: Burberry has a large youth following across Europe, the U.S. and East Asia. The launch of the Prorsum haute couture line has helped Burberry to maintain its high fashion appeal, but easy accessibility to Burberry London and Brit lines remains a nagging problem with a non-target audience displaying Burb-erry without regards to its heritage and vogue brand culture. Burberry’s target is an upscale 20-35 year old consumer with an interest in functional couture.

Ambition: Burberry is luxury with a function: the classic trench costs around 1,500$ U.S. but lasts through rain, snow and even fashion trends. The brand wants to maintain its royal, elite image, as well as introduce a new Brit perfume collection and children’s wear line.

Problem: The brand voice of Burberry has been inconsistent, hopping too quickly from stodgy to luxury to commonplace. The brand is straddling the line between the luxury and designer good catego-ries – a place it may not achieve longevity. Burberry’s pricing level places the brand in competition not only with luxury brands like Gucci and Chanel, but also with lifestyle collections, such as Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and even Target. Burberry also feels its classic check is becoming overdone, and while aspi-ration buyers want the check, Burberry needs to innovate beyond one symbol.

Strategy: Burberry is a living celebration of British heritage. The brand is an iconic representation of British high fashion and should present itself as such throughout all media, product releases and fash-ion events. Promoting Burberry’s tie to the streets of London through color and culture will keep the brand rooted even as it grows internationally. Finally, its trademark check should be used more conservatively along with increased pricing and exclusive retail locations to main-tain the luxury appeal.

I developed this creative brief and brand essence video for Burberry based on a Harvard Business School case study. Burberry is an icon of functional, British luxury and needs a campaign that hon-ors just that. Working on this Burberry video taught me how to use both brand research and beau-tiful presentation to pitch a client.

By transitioning the brand from the runway to the streets of London, I pitched Burberry as a

“A Living Celebration of British Heritage.”

Click Image for Youtube Video.

CREATIVE STRATEGY

This book brings my Chinese language and cultural studies to fruition. Fade was photographed, designed and written by three Chinese college students, and along with another international student, I provided the English translation and editing, as well as a cross-cultural voice to discuss China’s pollution issue. Fade allowed me to further develop Chinese communication skills while working in an international team.

Fade is currently being redesigned for non-profit publish and will be in press Summer 2010.

Fade: !"#$Fade details the green movement in Beijing both before and after the 2008 Summer Olympics. The book highlights weaknesses in local education, increases in demand for energy and rapid economic growth as the major barriers the people and government of Beijing must overcome to tackle the city’s environmental issues.

Ex.

CROSS-CULTURAL

An interview at WPP:

Think about something that seems doomed but in your view is safe.

Think about something that seems safe but in your view is doomed.

You have a younger sister who accuses you of being bossy. She’s just e-mailed you to say that she’s about to accept a job 5,000 miles from home with an independent film producer she met yesterday in a bar. What do you email back?

America’s suburbs, your days are numbered. Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Washington D.C.

and Detroit are just a few cities with suburbs in distress. Taking Washington D.C. as

an example, slum districts all over the city are experiencing renovations and rent

increases for an influx in young urbanites. The origins of D.C. change are ordinary in

many American cities. With an undergraduate degree costing upwards of $80,000,

it’s hard to think that any recent graduate can afford a house. For example, a friend

of mine recently graduated from the University of California Santa Barbra and has

over $800 in loan payments every month. The suburbs of the past 60 years are dead

and buried under six feet of college loans.

On the upswing are America’s independent farms. After all, you are what you eat. The

farmers farms are back with produce not grown by oppressed workers in Chile, not

sprayed with pesticides and not genetically modified for perfection. Local farmers

markets, such as the one here in Eugene, OR, are growing larger and more popular.

Since Upton Sinclair’s description of the meat on our plates as a cesspool of half-

processed pork loin soaking in congealed blood and filth, Americans have been weary

of agro farm. The movement to buy local produce and meats in the Pacific North-

west is spreading east and south with each new Sinclair case of hepatitis A causing

green onions and each new medical discovery that hormones given to dairy cows

increase breast cancer risks.

Becky, thinking back to the days when we would slide down the back hill in the

mud when it rained, I cannot imagine us ever being old enough to handle this

sort of predicament. I’m glad that you chose me to confide in about this decision,

and I want to ask you to please reconsider before moving away and hurting the

people that love you most. You’ve always had a way of shocking us all by jumping

out of the ordinary, like the time you dyed your hair into green with pink stripes.

And Mom’s face was classic when you painted your room by dumping paint in

streams all over her pancake beige walls.

I’ve always admired your courage to step up and challenge other people’s con-

ventions, I’m not asking you to live with brown hair and white walls because I

would never want that from you. I just want you to be safe and happy, and I do

not think this is a choice that can give you the freedom you want. If you need to

go, just wait, and I’ll fly with you. Just allow some time for the magnitude of the

move to sink in, and remember that you no longer have green and pink hair and

you painted walls in your room beige again. Sometimes we all need to breathe

and reconsider.

When interviewing for a 2010 Marketing Fellowship at WPP, planning guru Jon Steel asked me some tough questions. Though I didn’t get the job, my takeaway from the process helped me realize my curiosity for strategic reasoning and writing. His questions, my answers:

INSIGHT

Paul Goodnight

ExperienceAllen Hall Advertising

Account Planner: UO Office of Sustainability09/09 - 08/10 Link client ideas, expectations and budget with research methodology Organize and analyze research findings to determine key brand strengths, weaknesses and opportunities Write creative and research briefs, which help solve client problems with new audience and market insights

Charlton Engel Marketing, Inc.

Planning Intern: Baxter Auto Parts Pitch Team03/10 - 06/10 Developed research methods to best understand the choices, behaviors and segmentation of Baxter’s auto maintenance audience Analyzed market competitors, including ad spending and past campaign successes and failures Interviewed Baxter customers, identifying key insights in personal value, retailer choice and purchase habits Presented findings with creative team to Baxter Auto Parts clients, successfully winning the $300,000 pitch with a strategy emphasizing value in the recession and the “father-son bonding” experience during car maintenance

Eclectic Products

Research Assistant09/09 - 02/10 Compiled research data on skater retail purchases, media use and shoe repair habits from primary research and secondary syndicated tools, including MRI, Mintel, IBIS World and Standard and Poor’s Designed research questionnaire and focus group guides tailored for an audience of young skaters, supporting the 2010 product launch of “Stitch Protector” shoe repair product Analyzed data and presented recommendations to client marketing team for future ad channels, product design and retail locations

EducationUniversity of Oregon, Eugene, ORB.A. Advertising and Chinese, June 2010GPA: 3.92, Magna Cum Laude

Study Abroad: National Taiwan University, 国立台湾大学 Taipei, Taiwan 09/08 - 09/09

Activities and HonorsAmerican Language Institute Volunteer Chinese Translation and Tutoring: 09/09 - 06/10University of Oregon Dean’s List: Eight-time recipient Journalism Scholarship Recipient: 2008 & 2009

LanguagesMandarin Chinese reading, writing and speaking fluencyNational Security Education’s Chinese Flagship Program Graduate, 2010 Translator for Lin JingYang’s Chinese Advertising Colloquium at the UO School of Journalism and Communication

Publications“王土十一: Fade” by Liu, Zhang, Hu and Zhu (in press Fall 2010) English translation Cross-cultural content editing

pgoodnig@gmail.com724.249.7745

Strategist and Problem-Solver

•••

•

•••

•

•

•

www.be.net/paulgoodnight