The document discusses co-creation and how to involve clients in the process. It notes that clients often have a different default mindset than other participants and outlines several approaches to help level the playing field, including paying clients for their participation, thorough preparation, and creating an enjoyable experience. However, it acknowledges that some clients may still not be willing to participate as equals, in which case they should be made observers rather than calling it co-creation.

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Prepared for: newMR
By: Spring Research
Contact: 020 7428 7370
Co-creation
That takes clients seriously
Presentation
8 July, 2012
John Griffiths, Spring Research, UK
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session x Schedule: xx:xx-xx:xx (time zone)
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Thanks and a caveat
• Thanks to Anna Wills of Spring Research and Doug
Dunn of Tuned in who talked through these issues
with me
• Their opinion are not necessarily the ones I am
sharing here
• This is part of an initiative to draw up a code for
client participation to create an even playing field so
that both client and customers can create as equals
John Griffiths, Spring Research, UK
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session x Schedule: xx:xx-xx:xx (time zone)
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What we’re covering
John Griffiths, Spring Research, UK
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session x Schedule: xx:xx-xx:xx (time zone)
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What is Co-Creation?
John Griffiths, Spring Research, UK
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session x Schedule: xx:xx-xx:xx (time zone)
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Co-creation is..
• When clients and customers collaborate to create
new ideas and products
• Intermediaries may get involved but the market
conversation is between the 2 main parties
John Griffiths, Spring Research, UK
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session x Schedule: xx:xx-xx:xx (time zone)
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The mind of the market
“A market is a dialogue between the conscious and
unconscious perceptions of those marketing products and
those consuming them”
Source: Gerald Zaltman: How Customers think
marketers consumers
Conscious processes
Unconscious processes
John Griffiths, Spring Research, UK
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session x Schedule: xx:xx-xx:xx (time zone)
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What do we require of customer
participants?
John Griffiths, Spring Research, UK
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session x Schedule: xx:xx-xx:xx (time zone)
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in a word..
John Griffiths, Spring Research, UK
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session x Schedule: xx:xx-xx:xx (time zone)
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vulnerability and risk taking!
John Griffiths, Spring Research, UK
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session x Schedule: xx:xx-xx:xx (time zone)
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What do we expect of participants?
• Joining in
• Curbing cynicism and negativity
• Making creative leaps
• Risking failure
• Sharing their life experiences
• Sharing professional expertise
• Co-operation with the creative process
– Being willing to give their ideas away
– Tolerating blocking and redirecting by facilitator
and others
• No right of association with co-creators afterwards
John Griffiths, Spring Research, UK
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session x 10
Schedule: xx:xx-xx:xx (time zone)

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What is the default setting for client
participants?
John Griffiths, Spring Research, UK
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session x 11
Schedule: xx:xx-xx:xx (time zone)

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Clients and co-creation
• Their reputation in their own organisation is
based on their ability to judge and shape
ideas..
• Their own organisations may not always
recognise or reward creativity and risk taking
• They’re paying.. So its up to them how
involved they want to be
• And they’re busy people so don’t have the
time for preparation that we require of other
participants
John Griffiths, Spring Research, UK
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session x 12
Schedule: xx:xx-xx:xx (time zone)

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But..
It takes two to co-create
We need them both!
John Griffiths, Spring Research, UK
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session x 13
Schedule: xx:xx-xx:xx (time zone)

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The problem
• Mismatch between their expectations, confidence levels
and willingness to participate
• Power relations are completely distorted
• There is a danger of lower engagement even refusal to
participate ..unless we created some kind of basic social
contract and preparation for the session
John Griffiths, Spring Research, UK
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session x 14
Schedule: xx:xx-xx:xx (time zone)

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What are our obligations to those who
create on our behalf?
• They’re not employees but do they have rights?
– A sounding board for the idea seeds of others
– an oven to bake amplify their own ideas?
Or is this a form of creative bonded labour?
John Griffiths, Spring Research, UK
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session x 15
Schedule: xx:xx-xx:xx (time zone)

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Arguably they enjoy being part of a
creative project
• We prepare them to do the best they can to
minimise failure
• And we make co-creation an enjoyable activity
IS THIS ENOUGH?
John Griffiths, Spring Research, UK
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session x 16
Schedule: xx:xx-xx:xx (time zone)

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How do we level the playing field?
John Griffiths, Spring Research, UK
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session x 17
Schedule: xx:xx-xx:xx (time zone)

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Pay each client who attends
It’s a contract with a creative person
John Griffiths, Spring Research, UK
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session x 18
Schedule: xx:xx-xx:xx (time zone)

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How we motivate respondents (both kinds)
• Interesting tasks that teach them something about
themselves
• Icebreaker exercises – to create group dynamics and
“buy-in” to a novel kind of social group
• Use of space and time to maintain energy and rest
periods for refreshing imagination
• Progress waypoints so they feel what they
are doing matters and is valuable
• Treats/props including alcohol!
• Oh and the money too..
John Griffiths, Spring Research, UK
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session x 19
Schedule: xx:xx-xx:xx (time zone)

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How we prepare participants (both kinds)
• Psychological profiling – what creative skills are you
bringing?
• Pre-exercises so they immerse themselves in the problem
• Focus questions to smoke out assassins who haven’t
bought into the group
• Focus questions to smoke out assassins/ negativees who
haven’t bought into the group
• Break existing alliances and create new ones, or make use
of existing friendships
• All parties need to participate
• All need to refrain from criticism
• There needs to be mutual respect
John Griffiths, Spring Research, UK
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session x 20
Schedule: xx:xx-xx:xx (time zone)

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This should be seen as an opportunity to broker
creative skills into client organisations
These tools can be used everywhere!
John Griffiths, Spring Research, UK
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session x 21
Schedule: xx:xx-xx:xx (time zone)

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Are there hopeless cases? And what
should we do then?
• If even in spite of briefing and preparation
the client is not willing to participate as an
equal then as intermediaries we need to
confront the issue
• Revert the client to observer or expert
witness – both honourable roles –
but don’t call it co-creation..
John Griffiths, Spring Research, UK
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session x 22
Schedule: xx:xx-xx:xx (time zone)

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Thanks for listening
John Griffiths, Spring Research, UK
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session x 23
Schedule: xx:xx-xx:xx (time zone)