A presentation by Rob Holzer, as a Hyper Island Master Series expert, to 40 Unilever brand managers and senior executives in São Paulo, Brazil in 2012.

1. HI, I’M ROB
FOUNDER / CEO, MATTER UNLIMITED
@ROBMATTERS
ROB@MAKETHINGSMATTER.COM

2. Happiness is when what you think, what you say,
and what you do are in harmony.
- Mahatma Gandhi

3. Hyper Island: Unilever Presentation
Date: August 23, 2012
WHY ROB?
Here’s some of my professional bullets:
‣
1996: Began digital career at The New York Times
‣
1998: Opened NYC office for Silicon Valley tech company Commtouch
‣
1999: Founded digital marketing agency, Syrup
‣
2001: Opened Syrup Helsinki ...hired many Hyper Island interns too!
‣
2007: Sold Syrup to LBi
‣
2010: Left Syrup/LBi ...the day after my contract expired
‣
2011: Thought, planned, schemed, traveled, met inspiring people ...and
thought some more
‣
August 2011: Launched Matter Unlimited
Private and Confidential • ©2012 Rob Holzer
3

4. Hyper Island: Unilever Presentation
Date: August 23, 2012
WHAT ROB HAS LEARNED
Here’s some things I’ve learned ...professionally:
‣
We create our own success through hard work, determination, and consistent
delivery of quality
‣
Us digital guys were right all along
‣
There is no such thing as digital marketing anymore
‣
There is no magic ‘big idea’ ...execution is everything
‣
Success comes from applying diverse brain power to a highly strategic
approach ...before producing anything
‣
Working insanely hard at what you love does not feel like work
‣
Never stop learning
‣
Watch and measure your actions carefully - karma’s a bitch!
Private and Confidential • ©2012 Rob Holzer
4

5. Hyper Island: Unilever Presentation
Date: August 23, 2012
WHAT ROB HAS LEARNED
Here’s what I’ve learned ...personally:
‣
Purpose matters - having it makes us happier
‣
We don’t always see this ...but eventually we all face it
‣
Money is very useful, but it is not purpose
‣
The world is in significant transition and many people are beginning to
redefine success and true happiness - at increasingly faster speeds - through
our connected collective brain (sometimes called the Internet)
‣
Being ‘cool’ still matters ...everyone still yearns to be cool
‣
Its now ‘cool’ to have a purpose ...this can prove very useful
Private and Confidential • ©2012 Rob Holzer
5

6. Hyper Island: Unilever Presentation
Date: August 23, 2012
WHAT ROB HAS LEARNED
work + purpose = calling
Having a calling is the coolest thing of all
Private and Confidential • ©2012 Rob Holzer
6

7. What Matters

8. 8
STRATEGY

9. Hyper Island: Unilever Presentation
Date: August 23, 2012
STRATEGY
What does strategy mean to you?
Private and Confidential • ©2012 Rob Holzer
9

10. Hyper Island: Unilever Presentation
Date: August 23, 2012
STRATEGY
Requisite “definition slide” from Wikipedia:
A strategy is a plan of action designed to achieve a specific
goal.
Strategy is all about gaining (or being prepared to gain) a
position of advantage over adversaries or best exploiting
emerging possibilities.
[I love this one!!] As there is always an element of uncertainty
about future, strategy is more about a set of options ("strategic
choices") than a fixed plan.
Private and Confidential • ©2012 Rob Holzer
10

11. Hyper Island: Unilever Presentation
Date: August 23, 2012
STRATEGY
Strategy begins by stepping back and see the whole game board.
From here we can make proper decisions on what we need to do.
Private and Confidential • ©2012 Rob Holzer
11

12. Hyper Island: Unilever Presentation
Date: August 23, 2012
STRATEGY
Transformative creative marketing emanates from a deep
understanding of both strategic and brand context. Regardless of
the immediate tactical challenges, everything should be rooted in
a clearly defined, crisply articulated and overarching brand vision.
Private and Confidential • ©2012 Rob Holzer
12

13. Hyper Island: Unilever Presentation
Date: August 23, 2012
STRATEGY
This process starts with a few higher order questions ...so what
are some really good higher order questions?
‣
Why do you do what you do?
‣
What do you believe in and stand for?
‣
What’s your true purpose?
‣
How are we relevant to our customers’ lives?
‣
How do we provide utility and enrich their lives so they care?
Private and Confidential • ©2012 Rob Holzer
13

14. Hyper Island: Unilever Presentation
Date: August 23, 2012
STRATEGY
So what is digital strategy?
Nothing.
There is no such thing as digital strategy in today’s real world.
Digital strategy is a silly concept.
Nothing is exclusively digital anymore
Private and Confidential • ©2012 Rob Holzer
14

15. THE ECOSYSTEM
OPPORTUNITY

16. 16
The essence of strategy is that you must set limits on
what you're trying to accomplish.
Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs; it's about
deliberately choosing to be different.
- Michael Porter
Harvard Business School

17. Hyper Island: Unilever Presentation
Date: August 23, 2012
THE ECOSYSTEM OPPORTUNITY
Its not about a website, an ad campaign, social media
activation, content creation, data/analytics, Pinterest, etc.
These are particular tactics and tools.
Strategy is placing all marketing, advertising, content creation
and data in the proper brand context.
An interconnected, networked ecosystem
Private and Confidential • ©2012 Rob Holzer
17

18. Hyper Island: Unilever Presentation
Date: August 23, 2012
THE ECOSYSTEM OPPORTUNITY
From a defined strategy, you develop the ecosystem.
You evaluate what you put in, what you leave out based on
your determined strategy.
And then you refine it, evolve it, and iterate.
Private and Confidential • ©2012 Rob Holzer
18

19. Hyper Island: Unilever Presentation
Date: August 23, 2012
THE ECOSYSTEM OPPORTUNITY
Its hard because it never ends. There’s no completion point any
more and that’s tough ...but its more fun!
A well planned marketing ecosystem enhances the
relationships between tactics, and avoids ‘one-offs’ that can’t
exploit the network effect.
Private and Confidential • ©2012 Rob Holzer
19

20. Hyper Island: Unilever Presentation
Date: August 23, 2012
THE ECOSYSTEM OPPORTUNITY
Its hard because it never ends. There’s no completion point any
more and that’s tough ...but its more fun!
A well planned marketing ecosystem enhances the
relationships between tactics, and avoids ‘one-offs’ that can’t
exploit the network effect.
Private and Confidential • ©2012 Rob Holzer
20

21. So companies have to be very schizophrenic. On one
hand, they have to maintain continuity of strategy. But
they also have to be good at continuously improving.
The ability to change constantly and effectively is
made easier by high-level continuity.
- Michael Porter
Harvard Business School

22. Hyper Island: Unilever Presentation
Date: August 23, 2012
THE ECOSYSTEM OPPORTUNITY
Exercise: Define a strategy for _______ and then define
marketing ecosystems around this strategy.
Private and Confidential • ©2012 Rob Holzer
22

23. Hyper Island: Unilever Presentation
Date: August 23, 2012
THE ECOSYSTEM OPPORTUNITY
So ...how can your agencies partner with you and serve your
ecosystem best?
Long-term partnerships are key ...but not sacred if needs shift.
Have the guts to change and shift partners as things evolve.
Stay nimble.
Private and Confidential • ©2012 Rob Holzer
23

24. WINNING
(LIBERATION)

25. Hyper Island: Unilever Presentation
Date: August 23, 2012
WINNING (LIBERATION)
These ideas are far from new.
Private and Confidential • ©2012 Rob Holzer
25

26. Bhumisparsha Mudra
The union of method and wisdom,
samasara and nirvana, and also the
realizations of the conventional and
ultimate truths.

27. QUESTIONS

28. Hyper Island: Unilever Presentation
Date: August 23, 2012
QUESTIONS
Can we carve out the necessary time and space for strategy?
How do we create ecosystems?
What barriers do we face?
Silos? Different remits? Multiple reports? No time to think?
How do these ecosystems feedback to product/brand creation
and development?
How do we implement agile marketing?
Private and Confidential • ©2012 Rob Holzer
28

29. THANK YOU.