INDEXTRACK: STRATEGYTRACK: CREATIVE

Subject ID

M07-M7_

UNCLASSIFIED
Module 07

M7 L1 Project Brief

Project Brief: The High-Fidelity Persona & Opportunity Brief

Module: 7: The Horizon Scan: Decoding Future Trends, Consumers, and Cultures Lesson: 1: Meet Your Future Customer: Profiling the 2026 Consumer

1. Objective

Your objective is to translate a high-level consumer archetype into a tangible, strategic asset. You will select one of the four future consumer archetypes from the WGSN report and develop a rich, high-fidelity persona that brings them to life. This is not just a sketch; it is a strategic document that culminates in a clear "Opportunity Brief" outlining three specific, untapped product or service opportunities tailored directly to that future customer.

2. The Mission

Imagine you are a product strategist at a major innovation consultancy. Your firm has just completed a major research project on the future of the consumer (the WGSN report). A client—a large company looking to innovate—has read the report and is intrigued by one of the archetypes.

Your mission is to create a follow-up document for the client that goes deep on that single archetype. You need to make this future consumer feel real, tangible, and understandable. Most importantly, you need to show the client exactly how they can create value for this person by proposing a set of concrete product or service opportunities.

3. Your Task

You will choose one of the four 2026 consumer archetypes (The Impartialists, The Autonomists, The Synergists, or The Gleamers) as the subject of your analysis.

Your workflow should be:

  1. Immerse Yourself: Go back through the lecture notes and any other available material on your chosen archetype. Try to build a deep, empathetic understanding of their worldview.
  2. Create the Persona: Give the archetype a name, a face (you can use an AI image generator for this), and a story. Make them a real person.
  3. Identify Unmet Needs: Based on your persona's values and anxieties, what are their unmet needs? What are their frustrations with the current products and services available to them?
  4. Brainstorm Opportunities: For each unmet need, brainstorm a product or service concept that could address it.
  5. Prioritize and Refine: Select the three most promising opportunities and refine them into clear, compelling pitches.
  6. Compile the Brief: Structure your persona and your opportunities into a single, professional document.

4. Key Requirements

Your High-Fidelity Persona & Opportunity Brief must include the following sections:

Part 1: The Persona

  1. Name & Archetype: (e.g., "Anya, The Impartialist").
  2. Image: A portrait of the persona (you can generate this with an AI tool like Midjourney). Ensure the image visually aligns with the persona's description and archetype.
  3. A Day in the Life: A short, narrative paragraph (150-200 words) that tells a story about your persona's daily life, highlighting their values, behaviors, and frustrations. Show, don't just tell.
  4. Core Profile:
    • Motto: A one-sentence motto that sums up their worldview.
    • Core Values: A bulleted list of their top 3-4 values.
    • Anxieties & Pains: A bulleted list of their top 3-4 anxieties or frustrations with the world.
    • Media Diet: Where do they get their information? What do they read, watch, or listen to?

Part 2: The Opportunity Brief

This section must outline three distinct product or service opportunities tailored to your persona.

For each opportunity, you must provide:

  1. Opportunity Title: A clear, descriptive name for the concept.
  2. The Unmet Need: A clear statement of the specific unmet need or frustration (from your persona's profile) that this concept addresses.
  3. The Concept: A concise, one-paragraph pitch for your product or service idea. What is it, and how does it work?
  4. Why It Resonates: A short explanation of why this concept would specifically appeal to your persona's core values.

5. Format and Deliverable

  • Format: A single, well-structured Markdown document.
  • Length: Approximately 1000-1500 words.
  • Deliverable: A .md file named Persona_and_Opportunity_Brief.md.

7. Tips for Success

  • Go Deep on One Archetype: Resist the urge to cover multiple archetypes superficially. Focus on truly understanding one.
  • Show, Don't Just Tell: In your "Day in the Life" narrative, use vivid details to illustrate your persona's values and anxieties.
  • Connect to Unmet Needs: Ensure your proposed opportunities directly address a clear unmet need or frustration identified in your persona.
  • Be Specific: Your product/service concepts should be concrete enough to be understandable, even if they are speculative.

6. Evaluation Criteria

Your brief will be evaluated on the following criteria:

  • Depth of Empathy (40%):
    • How rich, believable, and insightful is your persona? Does it feel like a real person with distinct motivations and anxieties?
    • Does it accurately reflect the core attributes of the chosen archetype from the WGSN report?
    • Does the "Day in the Life" narrative effectively bring the persona to life?
  • Strategic Creativity (40%):
    • How creative and compelling are your three proposed product/service opportunities?
    • Are they a strong fit for the persona's identified unmet needs and values?
    • Do they demonstrate innovative thinking in addressing future consumer demands?
  • Clarity and Professionalism (20%):
    • Is the document well-organized, clearly written, and professional in its presentation?
    • Is the language concise, impactful, and free of unnecessary jargon?
    • Does the brief effectively communicate your insights and recommendations?

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