Reflection : Storytelling 

 Challenge & Selection   I work at an orthopaedics company that primarily distributes products . As a Design Engineer , I was   hired to establish the Design & Development department to create our own products rather than   distributing others ’ . Due to the single - use nature of medical products , the industry is inherently   wasteful . To combat this , I had designed a product manufactured from recycled plastic which   exceeded performance requirements whilst maintaining the low price - point demanded by our   customers . Incumbent in any new venture , I wear many hats in my role and I wanted to create a   marketing strategy to convey this environmental benefit to the consumer . 

 With patients being prescribed orthopaedic products and our sales being generated from health   services and clinicians ( B2B ) , user needs are often overlooked as our company opts to promote our   products ’ low - cost when marketing in a highly competitive industry . Further , Senior Management had   expressed concern with user perception of recycled materials potentially lacking the stability required   from orthopaedic products despite having completed extensive mechanical testing . My challenge was   therefore two - fold ; to convince a relatively risk - averse Sr . Management team to adopt an alternative   tact in marketing an environmentally sustainable product and to convey the importance of this   message to the end user and customer . As this challenge involved human perception and values , I was   inspired by Gabriel Johnson ’s video in Week 2 of the course to employ storytelling .   This tool would allow   me to inspire Sr . Management by painting a picture of an alternative future focussed on a larger cause   as well as conveying to users the value in the product so that they can take pride in it . 

 Application   To be successful in employing this tool , it was pivotal that I built empathy with my audience and   understood their needs so that I could tailor my story to them . With regards to my Managing Director ,   this involved researching comparable products and companies that have adopted sustainable   practices so that I could demonstrate the significant impact that businesses can have on the   environment . I painted a picture of how many other initiatives the business could implement and   potential for further sustainable product ranges , creating a cause that customers could buy into .   Through this empathic approach , I recognised the need to highlight the financial gain that can be   achieved through strengthened brand perception and customer loyalty to a purpose - driven   organisation . My Managing Director recognised the value in my story and allowed me to implement   my strategy and generate initial marketing materials . 

 With regards to the patients and customers , it was important to understand how their needs varied   geographically , conducting research to gain an insight into differing market ’s environmental   awareness . I found that I had to create a story around the product which not only conveyed its   sustainability , but also educated the customer and user in the requirement for sustainability . Andre   stated in the video that you must “ locate the most powerful part of your data and lean on it ” . I   recognised that technical data and hard figures on the reduction in CO2 emissions would not most   effectively inspire our customers and users to join the cause . As such , I sought to contextualise the   impact that purchasing the product could have into more easily digested factoids which were   accompanied by graphics .   This allowed for the user to feel part of a movement , attempting to save   the planet . 

 To test the receptiveness of the strategy prior to investing in mass marketing material and promotion ,   we offered the product to a number of potential customers pre - release . All of the potential customers 

 loved the sustainable message and found it to be incredibly topical , placing pre - orders . The company   are now planning to utilise this as their key marketing strategy for the product and assess other ways   that sustainable practices can be implemented . 

 Insight & Approach   From utilising the storytelling tool , I learnt the power of creating a cause for your audience . Particularly   in a global pandemic , I believe that a purpose driven organization resonates with others as they   reassess the fragility of our planet . Perhaps most interestingly however , was that increased   engagement from other employees in the company who had learnt of the initiative , finding motivation   in a shared cause rather than simply increasing the bottom line . Moving forward in my career as I hope   to progress into leadership roles , I shall certainly continue to apply the storytelling tool . Although I   had an understanding of design thinking from my educational background , I realised the extent to   which I could apply it more widely from marketing to leadership . 

 Next time , I would like to properly implement a leaning launch to gain a better insight from the user   and customer as to how the message can resonate with them more . For example , our pre - release was   focussed around whether the marketing of the product would influence purchase . However , it would   have been beneficial to gain user feedback on how it could be improved further and iterate to better   satisfy the consumer ’s needs and create an even stronger connection to the cause . 


EMAIL: 
ID_NUM: 
NAME_STUDENT: 
PHONE_NUM: 
STREET_ADDRESS: 
URL_PERSONAL: 
USERNAME: 

### Task: You are a PII (Personal Identity Information) Detection. Given a essays written by students, you have to identify ONLY the following:
NAME_STUDENT - The full or partial name of a student that is not necessarily the author of the essay. This excludes instructors, authors, and other person names.
EMAIL - A student’s email address.
USERNAME - A student's username on any platform.
ID_NUM - A number or sequence of characters that could be used to identify a student, such as a student ID or a social security number.
PHONE_NUM - A phone number associated with a student.
URL_PERSONAL - A URL that might be used to identify a student.
STREET_ADDRESS - A full or partial street address that is associated with the student, such as their home address.
### Input: Reflection : Storytelling 

 Challenge & Selection   I work at an orthopaedics company that primarily distributes products . As a Design Engineer , I was   hired to establish the Design & Development department to create our own products rather than   distributing others ’ . Due to the single - use nature of medical products , the industry is inherently   wasteful . To combat this , I had designed a product manufactured from recycled plastic which   exceeded performance requirements whilst maintaining the low price - point demanded by our   customers . Incumbent in any new venture , I wear many hats in my role and I wanted to create a   marketing strategy to convey this environmental benefit to the consumer . 

 With patients being prescribed orthopaedic products and our sales being generated from health   services and clinicians ( B2B ) , user needs are often overlooked as our company opts to promote our   products ’ low - cost when marketing in a highly competitive industry . Further , Senior Management had   expressed concern with user perception of recycled materials potentially lacking the stability required   from orthopaedic products despite having completed extensive mechanical testing . My challenge was   therefore two - fold ; to convince a relatively risk - averse Sr . Management team to adopt an alternative   tact in marketing an environmentally sustainable product and to convey the importance of this   message to the end user and customer . As this challenge involved human perception and values , I was   inspired by Gabriel Johnson ’s video in Week 2 of the course to employ storytelling .   This tool would allow   me to inspire Sr . Management by painting a picture of an alternative future focussed on a larger cause   as well as conveying to users the value in the product so that they can take pride in it . 

 Application   To be successful in employing this tool , it was pivotal that I built empathy with my audience and   understood their needs so that I could tailor my story to them . With regards to my Managing Director ,   this involved researching comparable products and companies that have adopted sustainable   practices so that I could demonstrate the significant impact that businesses can have on the   environment . I painted a picture of how many other initiatives the business could implement and   potential for further sustainable product ranges , creating a cause that customers could buy into .   Through this empathic approach , I recognised the need to highlight the financial gain that can be   achieved through strengthened brand perception and customer loyalty to a purpose - driven   organisation . My Managing Director recognised the value in my story and allowed me to implement   my strategy and generate initial marketing materials . 

 With regards to the patients and customers , it was important to understand how their needs varied   geographically , conducting research to gain an insight into differing market ’s environmental   awareness . I found that I had to create a story around the product which not only conveyed its   sustainability , but also educated the customer and user in the requirement for sustainability . Andre   stated in the video that you must “ locate the most powerful part of your data and lean on it ” . I   recognised that technical data and hard figures on the reduction in CO2 emissions would not most   effectively inspire our customers and users to join the cause . As such , I sought to contextualise the   impact that purchasing the product could have into more easily digested factoids which were   accompanied by graphics .   This allowed for the user to feel part of a movement , attempting to save   the planet . 

 To test the receptiveness of the strategy prior to investing in mass marketing material and promotion ,   we offered the product to a number of potential customers pre - release . All of the potential customers 

 loved the sustainable message and found it to be incredibly topical , placing pre - orders . The company   are now planning to utilise this as their key marketing strategy for the product and assess other ways   that sustainable practices can be implemented . 

 Insight & Approach   From utilising the storytelling tool , I learnt the power of creating a cause for your audience . Particularly   in a global pandemic , I believe that a purpose driven organization resonates with others as they   reassess the fragility of our planet . Perhaps most interestingly however , was that increased   engagement from other employees in the company who had learnt of the initiative , finding motivation   in a shared cause rather than simply increasing the bottom line . Moving forward in my career as I hope   to progress into leadership roles , I shall certainly continue to apply the storytelling tool . Although I   had an understanding of design thinking from my educational background , I realised the extent to   which I could apply it more widely from marketing to leadership . 

 Next time , I would like to properly implement a leaning launch to gain a better insight from the user   and customer as to how the message can resonate with them more . For example , our pre - release was   focussed around whether the marketing of the product would influence purchase . However , it would   have been beneficial to gain user feedback on how it could be improved further and iterate to better   satisfy the consumer ’s needs and create an even stronger connection to the cause .
### Output: 