May 28, 2006
The Fuzzy Front End
From: Central Office of Design
Most companies are very uncomfortable at the beginning of this diagram, and in fact I think this is one of the main reasons for “agencies” failure to innovate with clients. Ironically, clients that need to innovate, hire consultancies, and then balk at up front time exploring possibilities. As one professor told me “spend some time in the fuzzy front end, it’s a cheap place to shop”.
In the end a consultancy that is pushed too quickly to a mundane, run of the mill solution is at fault.
One Comment, Comment or Ping
Tim Whelan
You are true all the way. Sloppy work has to be the responsibility of those who performed it, or in this case, those who let themselves get pushed into it. This seems to be the issue with most agencies and consultants. I guess they would rather eat than take a chance on loosing the client. Then who really pays attention to the ideal of being true to ones self and ethical morality in business.
The idea of the customer experience is not owned by marketing and ad agencies, but it does and should drive them. They perform a visible aspect of the customer experience concept and when they fail then the customer experience fails. Bye, Bye loyalty, retention and hello low acquisition and what was that, oh yes, what happened to the cash flow.
Some day marketing, ad agencies and branding firms may wake up and discover that the way they do business isn’t working any more.
May 29th, 2006
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