STEPHANIE A. KELLY Strategic Planner

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If  I  could  be  a  student  for  the  rest  of  my  life,  I  would.  I  love  learning  –  it  fuels  me.  And  I  often  

wish  I  could  bum  around  a  college  campus  for  the  rest  of  my  life,  dropping  into  random  

classrooms  until  I’ve  seen  everything  there  is  to  see  and  learned  everything  there  is  to  learn.    

 

But  I  think  I’ve  found  the  next  best  thing.  As  a  planner  I’m  a  student  of  the  brand.    

Of  culture.  And,  most  importantly,  of  the  consumer.    

   

I’ve  always  thought  the  best  way  to  learn  was  not  to  read  about  it  in  a  book,  but  rather,  to  get  

out  into  the  world  and  do  it.  So,  here’s  a  collection  of  examples  –  a  syllabus,  if  you  will  –  of  the  

‘courses’  I’ve  taken  so  far  and  the  planner  I’ve  become.    

INTRODUCTION

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Anthropology:  Getting  to  Know  the  Rural  Consumer    |    page  5  

Foreign  Language:  Translating  Data  in  Actionable  Insights    |    page  9  

Sociology:  Cause  Marketing  in  the  Community    |    page  13  

Biology:  Dramatizing  Ants  As  The  Strategic  Invader    |    page  17  

Journalism:  Reporting  on  the  Digital,  Social  and  Mobile  Lives  of  Young  Families    |    page  20    

 

 

 

 

 

 

Extra  Credit    |    page  24  

Resume    |    page  27  

SYLLABUS

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Often  it  seems  like  we  only  do  research  with  the  people  we  know  

best  –  the  urban  dwellers  and  even  the  suburbanites.  But  what  

happens  when  you  step  outside  your  comfort  zone  and  go  to  a  

place  unimaginable  within  the  city  limits.  I  found  out  when  I  

traveled  to  three  small  towns  throughout  the  country  and  got  to  

know  some  of  the  families.  

ANTHROPOLOGY: GETTING TO KNOW THE RURAL CONSUMER

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On  the  brink  of  launching  a  new  line  of  high-­‐end  products,  the  Glade  team  was  

challenged  to  really  know  and  understand  the  rural  consumer.  In  other  words,  the  kind  

of  stuff  you  couldn’t  learn  from  a  report.  

 

THE ASSIGNMENT

To  debunk  the  myths  and  dispel  the  stereotypes  passed  around  about  Rural  America.  

 

THE PLAN

We  talked  to  18  families  from  diverse  backgrounds  across  the  country.  And  in  order  to  dig  

the  deepest  into  the  different  facets  of  their  lives,  we  conducted  af]inity  groups,  

ethnographies  and  shop-­‐alongs  with  the  same  families  to  get  a  holistic  understanding.  

THE HOMEWORK

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This  eye-­‐opening  project  shed  a  new  light  on  this  group  of  consumers  we  had  taken  for  

granted  in  the  past.  We  went  in  hoping  for  a  basic  understanding  of  the  rural  lifestyle  –  

what  we  got,  however,  was  a  surprising  snapshot  of  their  dynamic  lives,  evolving  

communities  and  often  controversial  opinions  about  life.  Our  clients  immediately  

requested  two  more  projects  –  one  for  the    suburban  consumer,  one  for  urban.    

THE LESSON

A  dynamic  portal  of  qual  and  quant  information  –  including  videos  and  artifacts  from  the  ]ield.  THE REPORT

So  often  we  concentrate  our  research  and  

learnings  on  the  urban  and  suburban  consumer  set.  This  

time,  we  had  a  chance  to  submerge  ourselves  in  the  daily  lives  of  those  living  on  the  outskirts.  

One  look  at  Rural  America,  and  you’ll  

see  that  when  it  comes  to  small  town  living,  there  is  more  than  meets  the  eye.  With  a  strong  sense  of  identity  and  value,  living  rural  means  living  with  purpose.  

Forget  the  stereotypes  you  may  have  heard.  Changing  dynamics  have  infused  new  attitudes  about  small  towns  and  a  tight-­‐knit  family.  Now,  it’s  all  about  the  modern  perspective.    

Rural  living  is  not  just  about  the  locals  anymore.  With  an  inFlux  of  people  moving  into  these  areas,  there  is  unprecedented  access,  a  shifting  sense  of  community  and  renewed  growth.  

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Sometimes  I  think  data  geeks  are  speaking  an  entirely  

different  language.  But  with  a  basic  understanding  of  how  to  

read,  interpret  and  analyze  quantitative  research,  there’s  an  

entirely  new  world  that  opens  up.  The  following  case  study  is  

a  project  I  led  on  State  Farm  when  budgets  were  low  and  

expectations  were  high.    

FOREIGN LANGUAGE: TRANSLATING DATA INTO ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS

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Learn  about  the  Young  Adult  segment  and  behavior  in  the  insurance  category.  

THE ASSIGNMENT

Faced  with  a  shrinking  budget  and  a  growing  need  for  fresh  insights,  we  decided  to  take  

another  look  at  the  loads  of  underutilized  research  we  had  at  our  ]ingertips,  using  

secondary  sources  to  ]ill  in  the  gaps.    

 

THE PLAN

Starting  with  a  thorough  analysis  of  Simmons,  we  gained  a  baseline  knowledge  of  who  our  

target  was  –  what  mattered  to  them  and  what  didn’t.  From  there,  we  went  to  other  

secondary  sources,  including  segment  data  from  our  client  as  well  as  cultural  references  

and  reports  in  order  to  build  the  story  about  Millennials  in  the  market  for  insurance.      

 

THE HOMEWORK

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A  little  data  goes  a  long  way.  We  had  countless  reports  sitting  on  the  shelf,  and  all  they  

needed  was  a  good  dust-­‐off  and  maybe  another  source  or  two  to  strengthen  the  data.  With  

a  little  elbow  grease,  our  team  got  an  easily  digestible,  insight  rich,  visually  telegraphic  and  

useful  resource,  accessible  for  everything  from  desk  research  to  client  presentations.  

 [Access  the  full  presentation  at  h-p://prezi.com/ezcykrhtpz85/ya-­‐segmentaAon-­‐no-­‐breakdown/]  

   

 

 

THE LESSON

A  concise,  digestible  consumer  pro]ile  and  go-­‐to  springboard  for  creative  ideas.  THE REPORT

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When  there’s  not  enough  to  go  around,  how  do  you  ask  for  more?  That  

was  the  problem  we  faced  with  Off  The  Street  Club’s  annual  golf  

fundraiser  during  the  Great  Recession.  And  with  our  unique  strategy  

and  execution,  not  only  did  we  meet  our  goal,  we  exceeded  it.  

SOCIOLOGY: CAUSE MARKETING IN THE COMMUNITY

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Create  an  integrated  communications  plan  for  the  annual  Swing  For  The  Kids  golf  

outing  –  fundraising  goals  increased  by  10%  from  previous  year.    

THE ASSIGNMENT

Amidst  the  worst  economic  crisis  in  our  generation,  the  last  thing  on  people’s  minds  is  

donating  to  charity.  But  because  Off  The  Street  Club  is  solely  funded  by  private  

donations,  it  was  more  important  than  ever  to  reach  out  for  support.    

THE BACKGROUND

Businesswomen  and  up-­‐and-­‐comers  in  the  Chicago  advertising  community  who  are  

familiar  with  Off  The  Street  Club  and  may  have  been  to  the  golf  outing  in  the  past.    

THE TARGET

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Supporters  of  OTSC  aren’t  just  good  citizens,  they’re  a  part  of  the  Club.  To  personally  invite  

the  women  to  participate,  girls  from  the  club  glittered,  feathered  and  sequined  golf  balls  

that  could  sit  on  their  desks  and  mailed  them  to  past  attendees.  Not  only  was  it  a  small  

token  of  their  appreciation,  it  was  a  quaint,  handmade  reminder  of  how  much  the  donors  

mean  to  the  Club  –  especially  important  at  a  trying  time  like  this.  

 

 

THE WORK

Move  ‘donation’  to  the  next  level.  Empower  the  individual  as  a  stakeholder  in  the  Club.  THE STRATEGY

When  cutting  back,  donations  to  charity  is  often  the  ]irst  to  go.  

THE INSIGHT

2009  

2010  

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You  never  know  where  that  random  article  about  stygmergy  –  the  

collaborative  nature  of  ants  –  you  read  on  an  airplane  ]ive  years  

ago  is  going  to  come  in  handy.  But  that’s  precisely  the  reason  I  

love  to  consume  anything  that’s  interesting  to  me.  Because  I  know  

I’ll  use  it  –  maybe  not  today  or  tomorrow.  But  I  will  use  it.  

BIOLOGY: DRAMATIZING ANTS AS THE STRATEGIC INVADER

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Rebuild  penetration  losses  of  Raid  Ant  &  Roach  spray.  

 

THE ASSIGNMENT

Roach  populations  have  decreased,  while  ants  are  on  the  increase.  But  half  of  

consumers  are  leaving  the  category  and  opting  not  to  treat  their  ant  problem.    

THE BACKGROUND

Ant  sufferers,  who  are  apathetic  to  their  pest  problem.  They  tolerance  threshold  is  higher  

than  ever,  and  they  don’t  perceive  ‘an  ant  or  two’  as  something  that  needs  to  be  handled  

with  bug  spray.  How  do  we  get  them  to  think  differently  about  the  home  invaders?  

THE TARGET

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Kill  the  messenger.  

THE STRATEGY

Although  ants  are  seen  as  one  of  the  only  benevolent  pests,  they’re  actually  a  conniving,  strategic  

network  of  scouts,  spies  and  workers  scheming  to  pillage  your  home.  And  while  you  may    

only  see  a  couple  at  one  time,  those  scouts  are  on  a  reconnaissance  mission,  laying    

a  trail  to  food  for  the  thousands  of  others  waiting  back  at  the  colony.  Letting  them    

live  is  simply  an  invitation  for  the  others.  

THE STRATEGIC IDEA

A  couple  of  ants  aren’t  worth  the  effort  or  cost  of  treatment.  THE INSIGHT

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We’ve  but  scratched  the  digital  surface  and  in  the  meantime,  every  

second  the  amount  of  unknown  grows  exponentially.  But  maybe  it’s  not  

about  ]inding  The  Answer,  but  rather,  about  going  to  the  source  and  

exploring  how  people  are  behaving  in  those  spaces  –  ]ish  where  the  

]ishes  are,  no?  The  following  two  projects  were  designed  and  

conducted  in  the  digital  space  –  one  an  ethnography  on  how  Young  

Families  utilized  the  digital,  social  and  mobile  space  in  their  daily  lives,  

and  the  other  was  research  conducted  via  Facebook  focus  groups  and  

an  ethnography  app  for  smartphone  users.  

JOURNALISM: DIGGING INTO DIGITAL, SOCIAL & MOBILE BEHAVIORS

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Conducted  a  digital,  social  and  mobile  proFile  of  Young  

Families,  using  life  events  as  the  lens  through  which  we  

looked.  Built  an  interactive,  digital  access  point  that  put  a  

face  to  each  consumer  and  started  to  build  a  proFile  of  their  

digital  behaviors,  created  from  live  interview  footage  and  

artifacts  from  the  Field.    

FACEBOOK FOCUS GROUPS

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They  gave  us  video  

tours  of  their  homes,  

introduced  us  to  their  

children  and  dumped  

their  purses.    

We  rode  along  on  

errands,  joined  them  

for  ‘me  time’  and  met  

their  inspiration.  

OVER THE SHOULDER iPHONE APP

UnFiltered  access  to  

their  proFiles  –  it’s  like  

a  peek  inside  the  

medicine  cabinet!  

Reactions  to  

posted  

questions  and  

impromptu  

interactions  

between  

respondents.  

Thank  You  note  to  her  favorite  

fragrance,  posted  on  the  group’s  wall.    

Here’s  a  collection  of  my  favorite  passion  projects  I’ve  done  for  the  

Draftfcb  planning  department.    

EXTRA CREDIT

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18 minutes that will impact your thinking. your work. your career. TED TALKS COMING SOON.

IDEAS ELEVAWe Think He’s

Interesting

Featuring Award-Winning Documentary Filmmaker

Steve JamesHoop Dreams + At the Death House Door + The War Tapes

He relentlessly pursues the unlikely story, shedding light on

the narrative hidden in the ‘everyday’

Speaker Series

Friday, December 4th

3:00 to 4:30pm

14th Floor Auditorium

First come, first serve seating

The  Nudge  Cube  is  my  take  on  a  

book  report  for  planners.  Instead  

of  simply  reiterating  the  concepts  

in  Nudge,  I  turned  them  into  

archetypes  and  created  a  

behavioral  economics  cheat  sheet  

that  sits  on  your  desk.  

Hungry  for  some  interesting  

outside  inspiration,  I  

proposed  a  six-­‐pack  Speaker  

Series,  kicking  off  with  

documentary  Filmmaker  

Steve  James.  His  talk  was  

called  ‘How  to  Plan  Like  a  

Documentary  Filmmaker.’  

After  screening  TEDtalks  with  my  

team  for  a  couple  years,  I  wanted  

to  extend  it  to  the  entire  agency.  

The  talk  consisted  of  a  facilitated  

discussion  and  a  fast,  iterative  

ideation  of  applications  for  the  

agency.  

I  developed  Rethinking  Stats  

as  a  tool  for  making  boring,  

numbers,  brilliant.  Through  a  

Filter  of  six  approaches,  this  is  

all  about  how  to  reframe  

your  number  to  make  it  

shine.  

RESUME

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EXPERIENCE  STRATEGIC  PLANNER,  DRAFTFCB  CHICAGO,  IL  SEPTEMBER  2010-­‐PRESENT  Lead  planner  on  SC  Johnson,  Pest  Control  (OFF!  &  Raid);  Planner  on  Air  Care  (Glade)  and  Corporate  (Family  Campaign)    •  Partnered  with  clients  for  product  launches,  concept  development  and  tesAng,  strategic  communicaAon  plans,  wriAng  creaAve  briefs  and  context  planning,  resulAng  in  record  sales  year  for  Pest  Control  in  2010    •  Designed  and  conducted  ethnographic  research  via  Facebook  and  the  Over  The  Shoulder  iPhone  app,  providing  real  Ame,  uncensored  interacAons  with  consumers;  resulted  in  ‘transformaAonal’  work  according  to  a  lead  client        •  Spearheaded  ethnographic  study  of  the  rural  consumer  in  three  markets,  leading  to  fresh  insights  for  a  category-­‐changing  line  of  products  and  client  funding  for  suburban  and  urban  versions;  presented  to  the  Walmart  buyer    •  Authored  intellectual  property  for  the  agency  –  including  Rethinking  Stats,  the  Nudge  cube,  the  Empathy  Toolbox  and  the  Snoopologist’s  Field  Guide  –  simplifying  complex  theories  into  digesAble,  acAonable  concepts    COFOUNDER,  ME  SO  FAR  CHICAGO,  IL  JANUARY  2010-­‐PRESENT  Co-­‐concepted  and  -­‐developed  innovaAve  daAng  event  from  the  ground  up  and  hosted  first  event  in  early  2011      ASSOCIATE  STRATEGIC  PLANNER,  DRAFTFCB  CHICAGO,  IL  MAY  2008-­‐AUGUST  2010  Planner  on  State  Farm,  Auto/Home  AcquisiGon  &  RetenGon    •  Gained  strategic  experience  in  mulAple  channels:  digital,  direct  mail,  DRTV,  collateral,  promoAons  and  life  events    •  Developed  direct  and  digital  strategies  for  crosscultural  iniAaAves,  including  Hispanic,  African  American  and  Asian      •  Redefined  the  segmentaAon  of  the  Young  Adult  target  using  primary  and  secondary  sources,  resulAng  in  precise  and  relevant  messaging,  fresh  insights  and  a  refined  strategic  direcAon      •  Led  ethnographies  of  Young  Families,  uncovering  behavioral  and  ahtudinal  insights  in  digital,  social,  and  mobile  spaces      ASSOCIATE  PROJECT  MANAGER/JR.  PLANNER,  DRAFTFCB  CHICAGO,  IL  FEBRUARY  2007-­‐APRIL  2008    •  Managed  client  deliverables,  Amelines,  trafficking  and  project  development  on  $12MM  direct  markeAng  account,  State  Farm    •  Analyzed  and  evaluated  compeAtor’s  marketplace  presence;  presented  insights  to  client    •  Shadowed  VP  Strategic  Planner  for  a  year;  wrote  briefs,  analyzed  quant  and  qual  research,  developed  Insight  Toolbox    •  Created  a  series  of  whitepapers  using  the  client’s  untapped  research,  providing  agency  and  client  a  concise  resource    ACCOUNT  COORDINATOR,  DRAFT  CHICAGO,  IL  FEBRUARY  2006-­‐FEBRUARY  2007  Built  an  informaAon  database  which  served  as  a  catalogue  for  presentaAons,  research,  arAcles  and  compeAAve  samples  

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ORGANIZATIONS  CHICAGO  ADVERTISING  FEDERATION  YOUNG  PROFESSIONALS,  2007-­‐2010  Board  Director  2009;  Co-­‐chaired  CAF  Career  Day  2007,  2008  &  2009    OFF  THE  STREET  CLUB  SWING  FOR  THE  KIDS  INVITATIONAL,  2007-­‐2010  Volunteered  as  strategic  lead  for  the  annual  invitaAonal,  helping  to  raise  over  $300,000      AAAA’S  INSTITUTE  OF  ADVANCED  ADVERTISING  STUDIES  PROGRAM  FALL  2007  UAlized  primary  and  secondary  research  to  develop  a  fully-­‐integrated,  mulA-­‐channeled  campaign  strategy  for  Wells  Lamont  work  and  garden  gloves  in  an  eight-­‐week  seminar  taught  by  industry  professionals    EDUCATION  BACHELOR  OF  ARTS,  INDIANA  UNIVERSITY  BLOOMINGTON,  IN  2001-­‐2005  Journalism  &  Gender  Studies,  graduated  with  High  DisAncAon  [3.89  GPA]    SKILLS  UnconvenAonal  QualitaAve  Research    •    ModeraAng    •    Developing  Intellectual  Property    •    QuanAtaAve  Research  Analysis    •    Calculated  Boldness    •    Young  Adults  /  Millennials    •    CRM    •    Uncovering  Insights    •    Corporate  Branding    •    CPG    •    New  Business    •    Consumer  Profiling  &  SegmentaAon    •    Adobe  CreaAve  Suite    •    iMovie    •    Keynote    •    Social  Media    •    Gender  Studies    •    Crossculturalism    •    Empathy  MarkeAng    •    Digital  Strategy    •    Young  Families    •    IdeaAons    INTERESTS  Birch  Camp    •    Pho    •    Labradoodles    •    Improv    •    InspiraAon  Cafe    •    Seeing  the  World    •    Banana  Bread    •    TEDtalks  

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BIO

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 Outside  of  work,  my  passion  for  learning  continues  but  in  a  slightly  different  venue.  You  

can  ]ind  me  honing  my  improv  skills  at  Second  City  and  learning  the  art  of  the  perfect  

sauce  at  the  Chopping  Block.  And  I’m  often  up  near  Argyle  and  Broadway,  dining  on  my  

favorite  food,  pho,  planning  my  next  trip  overseas,  perfecting  my  homemade  banana  

bread  or  chasing  my  labradoodle  down  the  lakefront.