MESA, the era of outsourcing to agencies is over
Article by Jacs Bennett, Partner / Research, Insight & Strategy Director at HeyYou
When my business partner Fleur came back from Pause Fest at the beginning of 2020, she was pumped. Not just a little bit pumped, but like a kid in a candy store pumped. Fleur had made a discovery: a new method of problem-solving called MESA. It’s a ‘team based work system’ that ‘unleash[es] human potential, to process more and execute faster’.
That’s a pretty big claim. Across twenty years of strategy, I’ve tried problem-solving techniques from workshops, to sprints, brainstorms to hacks, both as participant and leader. Here was another one. I rolled my eyes at Fleur and thought ‘argh, another technique that’s the same as all the others, just with a different spin.’
But Fleur was persistent in her enthusiasm, which drove me to investigate. I’ve been to many workshops where we’ve developed solutions that had us high fiving in the moment, but never saw the light of day. Concepts that were destroyed because “there’s not enough budget,” or “we can’t do it in time”, “it’s impossible to execute”, “The CEO doesn’t like it” and so on.
Not at MESA.
I was hooked. I started MESA school.
MESA founder Barbara Soalheiro believes that the current client-agency model is broken. Why should clients outsource their problems as briefs to agencies? They are the ones who hold all the knowledge, and it’s likely they’ll be a lot closer to the solutions. Soalheiro developed MESA to connect internal client stakeholders with external creatives, experts, and makers to solve the problem.
MESA (meaning ‘table’ in Portuguese) is typically five days, and during that time you bring key people together at the table to conceive, develop and prototype a solution. After the MESA, the prototype is further crafted and then launched. Job done.
But is it really that simple? There are two crucial aspects that drive the success of MESA: First, all of the key client stakeholders attend, from CEO, to the head of technology, to the head of people and culture. Second, every MESA participant (internal and external, typically 50/50) has a crucial role to play in solving the problem. There are no passengers or backseat popcorn-munchers. With everyone in the room focused on the same thing, MESA is incredibly efficient and effective.
It’s also an enjoyable process. The team are united by the solution, each tackling it from a different perspective. Each participant is carefully selected based on their talent, and then briefed with a clear outline detailing the role they play and what is expected from them during MESA. Then, through careful guidance, the team work together to develop the prototype. At the end of the week, the prototype is presented to an external group.
We have launched MESA with incredible outcomes. The latest is Yellow New Zealand’s Robyn’s Undies campaign, linked to the company’s evolving role in the digital marketing sector. We articulated Yellow’s business challenge as our mission, and then spent five days working towards a solution. During the five days we developed around 30 possible solutions, and then selected one (Robyn’s Undies) to prototype. Check out the campaign here.
The Yellow concept started as a marketing idea, but it quickly became business transformation. During MESA, we developed:
New products and pricing
A new customer experience
An updated website
TV/video script and prototype TV commercial
Outdoor and digital creative assets
A channel strategy and plan
A PR strategy and plan.
MESA puts the right people in the right place, and asks them to think creatively. But the success of a MESA comes down to more than the methodology and a great team. It relies on having a client that trusts you, and who is open to doing things differently. It might involve stepping out of your comfort zone, but it might also leave you as pumped as a kid in a candy store. And that’s why we do it.
So, if you have a business challenge, and are excited by the possibility of inventing new solutions, connecting to other exceptionally talented human beings, and learning new things, then MESA is for you. Contact jacquie@heyyou.co for more information. If you’re an expert, maker or creator who is interested in registering to be part of an upcoming MESA, we’d also love to hear from you.