Strategy development demands insight and foresight. It requires an awareness of the breadth and depth of technical innovations and opportunities on the horizon. This is where VINT can add customized value.

VINT is often asked to provide hands-on support for organizations at critical points in their evolution. VINT researchers can:

• provide that all-important informed challenge and additional energy to a strategy workshop, particularly where discussions have stalled
  
  
• act as independent moderators for internal discussions relating to new product development or high-profile investment, for example
  
  
• present at, or chair, internal client seminars
  
  
• or we can simply exchange ideas and inspiration at informal briefings.
  

Off the page and into operation

Our aim is to provoke and inspire, and ultimately add value to important strategic debates on topics that really impact on your organization. We are confident that our contribution can be of practical and real benefit, as evidenced by the two examples below of client engagement:

An international Financial Institution invited VINT for an in-house session on the research done on IT Governance. The discussion formed the start of a new approach to IT Governance by the client, based on the best practices presented by VINT. A new balance between top-down governance and a bottom-up approach led to a more effective use of the IT budget.

Following a VINT dinner to discuss the concept of ‘ crowdsourcing’,  VINT was invited to talk in more depth with  representatives of a government agency, leading  to a new crowdsource initiative within the government agency. The use of innovative technologies has helped the organization to generate fresh ideas on how the creativity of the country’s citizens can successfully be used in the development of new policies.

A financial services company wanted to understand how to communicate most effectively with a new market segment it was eager to attract as customers. VINT inspired the customer by showing them the specific behavioural characteristics that are intrinsic to a variety of media. This helped the company to develop and implement successful targeted customer acquisition programs. 

Inspiration through interaction

VINT is active in Europe and the US, acting as a catalyst for stimulating peer interaction and looking at ideas from a different angle. One such example is Social Strategy Talk (SST), an active community of 1,000 members in the Netherlands where VINT brings to life the impact of new technologies and new ideas for future innovations are born. Meetings held in Amsterdam attract attendees from a mix of traditional 'bricks and mortar' companies, the cross-media industry, marketers and HR specialists.
 
Key to success of this community is the active support and participation of attendees in the meetings and program of events. For example, KLM and Vodafone shared information on their new media strategies and the SST members worked together in small groups on the potential next steps that the companies could take.
 
Attendees agree on the value of SST:
 
"I go to SST for new insights, but also for the crowd"
Dutch Olympic Sport Federation

"Social Networking ..."
Shell 

"Good food for thought ...  [I go] to hear the lessons learned by others and to be inspired"
KLM Air France

"Great to share implementation and deployment principles and best practices".
Corus