HDR Architects + Orangewall Studios
Insights & Ideation – Message Strategy – Content Creation
Challenge: Craft a joint pitch to design the Phil Knight Cancer Research Center.
Solution: Valuable insights and a focus on what made the client different than their competitors.
When HDR Architects and Orangewall Studios hired me to help with a joint pitch, we spent the first few weeks on conference calls with team members calling in from around the world. They debated which aspects of their business services, case studies, best practices, and awards to highlight. The stakes were high, and the RFP incredibly complex, so I kept listening.
One night the owner of Orangewall invited me to have dinner with him and his friend, Jim Riswold, a cancer survivor and former creative director at the well known agency Wieden+Kennedy. Gary thought Jim might provide some worthy insights that could help sharpen our approach. Over steaks and a few drinks at Ringside on Burnside (if you ever visit Portland, this is a must), I listened as Jim spoke about his experience with cancer. Eventually the conversation turned to hope, and Jim made it clear he was not a fan of “hope.” Anyone who knows Jim also can imagine the passion (and colorful language) with which he expressed that when you’re fighting for your life you cannot afford to sit around and hope. You have to fight. That brought us to the subject of fear. Jim leaned forward with furrowed brows and said, “Take the (insert explicative) fear out of cancer.”
On the next call with the global team, I spoke up. I asked how their capabilities compared to their competition. They explained that from a capabilities standpoint, they were all best in class globally. “So what makes you different?” I asked. There was a notable pause, and then a robust conversation ensued that was much more interesting than all the previous conversations. It was fun listening to them riff off one another, as they discussed their passionate dedication and unique approach to their craft and what they felt set HDR apart. A seminal moment came when someone said, “We believe that the way a space is designed can affect the way a person in that space feels. We can design a hospital or research facility to be people-centric and promote healing.”
Then I shared what Jim Riswold had said about “taking the fear out of cancer” and you could feel the goosebumps rising, even over the phone. This provided the cornerstone of the overarching message hierarchy I delivered, and which they framed their pitch around. The judging committee said it was the most innovative pitch received, and the client said the experience was groundbreaking and would forever change their pitch process. PDF upon request
