Creative Facilitators know that thoughtful casting of the resource group sets the stage for productive sessions. Just like the movie director who collaborates with the screen writer or other actors to cast a film, Creative Facilitators work with the agent and the client to choose the members of the resource group based on the role they will play.
In Business Insider, Clint Eastwood explains the importance of casting this way, "The casting is the most important thing. If you cast a picture really well a lot of things take care of themselves. You get actors that like to give a lot to the role and who appreciate the role on the same level that you do. If you miscast it, you're working an uphill battle a little bit and maybe you can come out okay but you can't always come out great."
Rather than producing a film, the outcome of the creative process you are facilitating is a campaign that persuades a target consumer to do or to believe.
One useful way to think about casting the resource group is to use cool, custom and effective as detours to help you make a list of potential participants. For example:
- Cool to the target. Include people who are:
- The same age and gender as the target consumer.
- Users of products and services in the client's category of business.
- Custom to the client's brand.
- Invite current consumers of the product or service to your session.
- Consider including members of the client's team who are responsible for sales or customer service.
- Effective in accomplishing the marketing objective. Think about the outcome in the marketing objective.
- Branding or believe objective: Include people who know the product or service well or who have a gift for offering messaging ideas.
- Activation or do objective: Invite people who have recently made a purchase or tried products and services in the client's category.
Contact Creative Resources for more casting tips.