Spring 2015


11


FOOD, FOOD, FOOD Hackathoners need plenty of fuel. Offer a variety of noshes and ask in advance about food allergies or dietary restrictions. Some planners recommend food trucks for a fresh-air nutrition break. Schedule food and surprises at set times throughout the event to keep people hacking through to each milestone. Recruit roving, on-site moderators to help teams when they stall. Have a support crew to keep things running smoothly, refreshing supplies such as coffee essentials, power strips, dry-erase markers, and flip charts. With fewer interruptions, teams can better focus.


WHO WILL JUDGE? One difference between off-site brainstorming meetings and marketing hackathons is the use of judges to decide winners or review the solutions for consideration. Groups should be prepared to present their ideas to a panel of judges at the end of the hackathon.


Ideas to Hack


What can a marketing hackathon help you with? See if these examples prompt any ideas.


Unilever collected about 60 people over two and a half days. Participants from research, digital, brand development, and outside agencies came together to solve the puzzle of lifetime brand appeal.


Kraft took a unique approach, including app developers alongside


the marketing teams. The hackers got briefings on problems with Ritz cracker brand engagement and on making Toblerone chocolate a more ordinary snack choice. Just 28 hours later, Kraft had over 40 app concepts. The winners were a Ritz cracker-stacking challenge app and a Toblerone star filmmaker camera app.


Do Something with Your Big Data Marketing hackathons might be the answer for the mountains of big data that companies have accumulated. Bringing many perspectives, teams can look at data from angles others might not see. Coke used big data in a hackathon to optimize its supply chain.


EMI hackathoners explored how to use data from one million interviews to learn how and why customers buy music and how musicians connect


with fans. You could ask similar questions about customers and products, using big data to hack answers.


Where Does Marketing Need Help? One challenge could be creating a list of big questions facing your marketing organization over the next decade. Or focus on more immediate needs, like a new approach to a product launch or upcoming trade show. Maybe ask, “What is the biggest problem our customers face that we can help them with?” You may come out of your hackathon with not just one, but several projects worthy of further development.


“ Good qualities for team members include knowledge of your customers and business, willingness to share ideas and the limelight, and flexibility to move quickly in uncharted territory.”


Judges should be familiar with the need or


reason for the hackathon and the business and marketing goals of the organization.


YOU MUST HAVE SWAG Experienced hackers stress a strong connection between great hack events and great swag. While tech events often award big monetary prizes and gifts such as computers and cameras to the winning team, marketing hackathons can deliver multiple winning ideas. Expect greatness from your hackers and reward them accordingly.


For a personal touch, outside of any agreed upon compensation, consider putting together a very swanky swag bag for each participant or making a contribution to a charity of their choice for the winning team.


FREE-RANGE INNOVATION Whether you call it a hackathon, off-site, retreat, brainstorm, or boot camp, the results can be transforming. Slip off the harness of the day-to-day routine and let your teams loose for free-range innovation.


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