LEARNING LAUNCH

CHALLENGE

Our Company a Tours & Travel firm has been in existence for over five years but has

been constantly experiencing decline in sales and profits. Like any other Company

being faced by scarcity of resources and stiff competition; the major aim of

organizations is to effectively and efficiently utilize the available scarce resources to

enhance maximum productivity. Hence our challenge was to improve sales using the

limited resources. The project was to be carried out by a select committee from our

marketing department and the finance department which I was representing was to

ensure the team was working within the budget and time. What we wanted to

uncover was why in spite of investing in marketing of our services we could not

retain or attract more tourists.

SELECTION

After carefully going through the various design thinking tools we chose leaning

launch as it is fast and cheap. According to Frank Bahr learning launch is a carefully

designed experiment designed to test the key underlying value-generating

assumptions of a potential new-growth initiative.

APPLICATION

Our first learning launch, we focused on the design of the travel packages which

were offered to our potential customers across the globe. Here it was evident that

designing of unique tailor made travel packages which suits the customer’s needs

was going along way in addressing the ever growing needs of our customers. This

tested our assumption that the services offered to our customers were not customer

oriented and that’s why the number of customers was not growing as expected. Our

team took one week to brainstorm and come up with a document that had clear

structured processes and means of achieving tailor made travel packages that could

meet customers’ demands.

Our second learning launch we focused on the marketing process or activities. Here

we concentrated on reaching out to individual customers (one on one process) as a

marketing strategy in order to incorporate the views that meet our customers’

demands or expectations. This tested our assumption that the marketing process

was not well structured, marketers used to send brochures to potential customers

containing pre-planned travel package which customers could choose what is

available not what they wanted. The team embarked on analysing how an online

platform of marketing could help the marketing department in reaching out to a

bigger market globally. Finally we proposed development of an online platform

system which could ensure marketers reach customers and building up of a tailor

made tourist programmes that suits their needs.

INSIGHT

By applying the learning launch tool, we were able to identify our assumptions and

designed launches to test these assumptions using very little resources. Also in

applying the learning launch tool it was very important for us to mitigate confirming

biases as this could jeopardise the whole process due to poor judgements. The team

was able to interview a good number of potential customers who were willing to

share their experiences from using some of our competitors’ services hence the

team was compelled to in designing travel packages that were better than what was

offered in the market.

However some of our stakeholders were more concerned with the challenges of

going into global market in reaching out to customers. One of the challenges was the

issue of language especially when reaching out to those markets or regions that

don’t speak English, hence the need to hire marketers or tour operators who are

multilingual. Another challenge was the issue of patent rights in relation to the use of

brand name or logo as you go into foreign markets. Therefore it was important for

the team to review the insights and incorporate them into future launch designs.

APPROACH

After going through various design thinking tools, our team preferred the learning

launch tool which is a way of thinking that relies on generating and testing

hypotheses and then you prototype. This is learning as you go. This hypothesis-

driven approach is based on the idea of learning, rather than knowing. Hence our

team needs to review the insight gained from the first two launches and incorporate it

into future launch designs and come closer to a solution ready for a full rollout.


LEARNING LAUNCH CHALLENGE Our Company a Tours & Travel firm has been in existence for over five years but has been constantly experiencing decline in sales and profits . Like any other Company being faced by scarcity of resources and stiff competition ; the major aim of organizations is to effectively and efficiently utilize the available scarce resources to enhance maximum productivity . Hence our challenge was to improve sales using the limited resources . The project was to be carried out by a select committee from our marketing department and the finance department which I was representing was to ensure the team was working within the budget and time . What we wanted to uncover was why in spite of investing in marketing of our services we could not retain or attract more tourists . SELECTION After carefully going through the various design thinking tools we chose leaning launch as it is fast and cheap . According to Frank Bahr learning launch is a carefully designed experiment designed to test the key underlying value - generating assumptions of a potential new - growth initiative . APPLICATION Our first learning launch , we focused on the design of the travel packages which were offered to our potential customers across the globe . Here it was evident that designing of unique tailor made travel packages which suits the customer ’s needs was going along way in addressing the ever growing needs of our customers . This tested our assumption that the services offered to our customers were not customer oriented and that ’s why the number of customers was not growing as expected . Our team took one week to brainstorm and come up with a document that had clear structured processes and means of achieving tailor made travel packages that could meet customers ’ demands . Our second learning launch we focused on the marketing process or activities . Here we concentrated on reaching out to individual customers ( one on one process ) as a marketing strategy in order to incorporate the views that meet our customers ’ demands or expectations . This tested our assumption that the marketing process was not well structured , marketers used to send brochures to potential customers containing pre - planned travel package which customers could choose what is available not what they wanted . The team embarked on analysing how an online platform of marketing could help the marketing department in reaching out to a bigger market globally . Finally we proposed development of an online platform system which could ensure marketers reach customers and building up of a tailor made tourist programmes that suits their needs . INSIGHT By applying the learning launch tool , we were able to identify our assumptions and designed launches to test these assumptions using very little resources . Also in applying the learning launch tool it was very important for us to mitigate confirming biases as this could jeopardise the whole process due to poor judgements . The team was able to interview a good number of potential customers who were willing to share their experiences from using some of our competitors ’ services hence the team was compelled to in designing travel packages that were better than what was offered in the market . However some of our stakeholders were more concerned with the challenges of going into global market in reaching out to customers . One of the challenges was the issue of language especially when reaching out to those markets or regions that do n’t speak English , hence the need to hire marketers or tour operators who are multilingual . Another challenge was the issue of patent rights in relation to the use of brand name or logo as you go into foreign markets . Therefore it was important for the team to review the insights and incorporate them into future launch designs . APPROACH After going through various design thinking tools , our team preferred the learning launch tool which is a way of thinking that relies on generating and testing hypotheses and then you prototype . This is learning as you go . This hypothesis- driven approach is based on the idea of learning , rather than knowing . Hence our team needs to review the insight gained from the first two launches and incorporate it into future launch designs and come closer to a solution ready for a full rollout .