Reflection – Visualization & Learning Launch

Challenge

Currently, I work in an agrochemical company, which has been in Colombia for more than 10 years  in the market. I belong to the Research and Development team, which includes the Marketing  area. Colombia is a country that stands out for its great diversity of flora, but even being so  diverse, it is still very traditional, since it is not an economic sector that is close to technology, in  fact, many of the farmers who work in the fields do not even have a cell phone, so we continue to  perform many activities in person and by traditional methods of communication, such as radio. For  this reason, we are constantly searching for activities that are innovative for our target client and  that differentiate us from other companies. I believe that during the time I have been part of this  team, I have somehow applied Design Thinking, without knowing it.

As a country that depends so much on agriculture, there are many external factors that can affect  our market, such as the weather, which are completely out of our control. Any weather extreme  can be fatal to our economy, both nationally and internally within the company. There have been  some particularly difficult years, but there was undoubtedly a time when our country entered a  very tough crisis, which affected many economic sectors. Our farmers were being strongly  affected, since it was not possible to transport their crops to the big cities in order to sell them and  if they managed to do so, they were not fairly remunerated. As the days went by, we saw how  many foodstuffs were damaged and in other cases, how they had to be given away for free. The  truth in our country is that farmers go into debt to be able to produce their crops and recover the  profits once they sell them. This meant that if there were no profits, there would be no next  production and the company's sales would decline considerably.

Selection

The reason why it was not possible to move their crops to the big cities was because of a strike of  transporters who were dissatisfied with their working conditions, by stopping their work in  protest. So, when we saw that the countryside could not come to the city, we thought of bringing  the city to the countryside, locating a local market in the main cities of each municipality. Of  course, it was not an activity that we could carry out at a national level, but we managed to do it in  a large department, Boyacá, one of the largest potato producers in the country and one of the  most affected.

At this point, we realized that beyond having a problem with future sales, it was time to humanize  the brand and make a difference in terms of the impact of our activities in the field. The first thing  we did was to define the tentative places where we could carry out the activity, for this we  considered the proximity of these to the big cities and the customer databases according to our  distributors. We made a quick survey to identify which of our customers would be interested in  participating in our local market, considering that participation would not have any cost. Once we  knew how many participants there would be, we defined the locations, according to the available  space.

Normally, we work with a very tight budget in the marketing area, so it was not a viable proposal  in terms of costs, however, seeing the great benefit it would bring to all of us, we managed to get  allies to help us finance the activity.

Once we knew that we would have the required participation, we had to let people know about  our activity, so that they would visit us, so we designed a very brief, but very concise and direct  campaign aimed at the population in the cities to support our local products. Colombians are  people who are used to visit towns near the cities on weekends, which was an advantage for us,  we just had to let them know where we would be located.

Insight

By applying these tools, we were able to see far beyond a problem that we perceived to be much  bigger than us and beyond our reach. We were able to identify our opportunities and this way to  think out of the box and design fresh activities to test other strategies. In addition, it allowed us to  approach our direct client in a more human way, where they were able to feel our support as a  brand, and to strengthen the relationship with our distributors.

The real results were much better than expected: since it was an activity without so much  planning and time, given that it was a situation we were living in now, we thought it would be well  received enough to get the farmers to sell their products. However, we had the great surprise of  having supportive visitors who, upon seeing the event, decided to help them with their purchases.

Approach

Design Thinking gave us the opportunity to create something new, and even with uncertainty as to  whether it would work, to risk trying it. This experience will bring us more confidence, in terms of  testing our strategies and looking for different ways to impact the market.


Reflection – Visualization & Learning Launch Challenge Currently , I work in an agrochemical company , which has been in Colombia for more than 10 years in the market . I belong to the Research and Development team , which includes the Marketing area . Colombia is a country that stands out for its great diversity of flora , but even being so diverse , it is still very traditional , since it is not an economic sector that is close to technology , in fact , many of the farmers who work in the fields do not even have a cell phone , so we continue to perform many activities in person and by traditional methods of communication , such as radio . For this reason , we are constantly searching for activities that are innovative for our target client and that differentiate us from other companies . I believe that during the time I have been part of this team , I have somehow applied Design Thinking , without knowing it . As a country that depends so much on agriculture , there are many external factors that can affect our market , such as the weather , which are completely out of our control . Any weather extreme can be fatal to our economy , both nationally and internally within the company . There have been some particularly difficult years , but there was undoubtedly a time when our country entered a very tough crisis , which affected many economic sectors . Our farmers were being strongly affected , since it was not possible to transport their crops to the big cities in order to sell them and if they managed to do so , they were not fairly remunerated . As the days went by , we saw how many foodstuffs were damaged and in other cases , how they had to be given away for free . The truth in our country is that farmers go into debt to be able to produce their crops and recover the profits once they sell them . This meant that if there were no profits , there would be no next production and the company 's sales would decline considerably . Selection The reason why it was not possible to move their crops to the big cities was because of a strike of transporters who were dissatisfied with their working conditions , by stopping their work in protest . So , when we saw that the countryside could not come to the city , we thought of bringing the city to the countryside , locating a local market in the main cities of each municipality . Of course , it was not an activity that we could carry out at a national level , but we managed to do it in a large department , Boyacá , one of the largest potato producers in the country and one of the most affected . At this point , we realized that beyond having a problem with future sales , it was time to humanize the brand and make a difference in terms of the impact of our activities in the field . The first thing we did was to define the tentative places where we could carry out the activity , for this we considered the proximity of these to the big cities and the customer databases according to our distributors . We made a quick survey to identify which of our customers would be interested in participating in our local market , considering that participation would not have any cost . Once we knew how many participants there would be , we defined the locations , according to the available space . Normally , we work with a very tight budget in the marketing area , so it was not a viable proposal in terms of costs , however , seeing the great benefit it would bring to all of us , we managed to get allies to help us finance the activity . Once we knew that we would have the required participation , we had to let people know about our activity , so that they would visit us , so we designed a very brief , but very concise and direct campaign aimed at the population in the cities to support our local products . Colombians are people who are used to visit towns near the cities on weekends , which was an advantage for us , we just had to let them know where we would be located . Insight By applying these tools , we were able to see far beyond a problem that we perceived to be much bigger than us and beyond our reach . We were able to identify our opportunities and this way to think out of the box and design fresh activities to test other strategies . In addition , it allowed us to approach our direct client in a more human way , where they were able to feel our support as a brand , and to strengthen the relationship with our distributors . The real results were much better than expected : since it was an activity without so much planning and time , given that it was a situation we were living in now , we thought it would be well received enough to get the farmers to sell their products . However , we had the great surprise of having supportive visitors who , upon seeing the event , decided to help them with their purchases . Approach Design Thinking gave us the opportunity to create something new , and even with uncertainty as to whether it would work , to risk trying it . This experience will bring us more confidence , in terms of testing our strategies and looking for different ways to impact the market .