Community Service to support people through hard times

What an amazing time we had last night in our collaborative effort between APM, the Marketing Agility Community and Fastuna, creating ideas on community service initiatives that could be rolled out nationwide to support people in this Covid-19 era.

5 groups generated 5 wonderful ideas:

Impressive effort from all teams! All ideas performed strongly and have a really good potential to grow into something big and viable! A community can grow slightly outperformed others by the general rating.

Let's look at each idea in a bit more detail.

A community can grow.

People loved the idea. They felt it had multiple benefits i.e. positive impact on mental and physical health, educational aspect for the kids, mutual exchange in the community. Also it is good for the environment.

Gardening is good for your physical and mental health. Being part of a community project would benefit many parts of society and fresh produce would also be beneficial. Female, 63

I think gardening and being outdoors is fantastic for mental health and remaining active and physically healthy so this would be a simple way to introduce people who have never gardened or grown anything before to the world of growing vegetables. Male, 30

Think it's a great activity for people to get involved in and by creating a community-based culture around it seems like a great way of spreading the word. Both as a hobby and as a way of being less reliant on supermarkets, helping people to do things like this is a fantastic thing Male, 24

I like the idea of bringing a community together to grow things. The younger generations will also have benefit from it if they have grown up in a big town. Female, 22

It promotes independence for growing your own food. It will interest young children and help the develop an interest in both gardening and nutrition. It will be easy once the food is grown to pick your own rather than going out to the shops, therefore it's better for the environment as carbon emissions won't occur Female, 61

What should be improved or reworked: there are some concerns on the practicality of the idea. Also, for 40% it was not very relevant either due to not having the space or feeling they can do without a kit.

It isn't practical for most people to grow vegetables in mass as not everyone has the space in a garden Male, 58

I live in a flat so have no garden to use but if I had I might be interested Male, 25

Not overly keen on pre-chosen box collections where I cannot choose Male, 58

To summarise, it is a great idea that can really connect people within the community. There is an invitation to the team to make it more inclusive and accessible to anyone i.e. people living in flats or people who don't want to purchase a kit.

Neighbour Watch Device.

People really liked this idea and many believe it should be implemented to help vulnerable people in the community.

It means that older or vulnerable people can keep their independence but still be able to communicate easily with people if they are in need. Male, 53

It would give peace of mind to those who may need help but are unsure of who to ask. Would also make others in the community feel like they were being useful and giving something back Female, 51

Too many people in the community can need help at times and this would help them Female, 61

What should be improved or reworked: more information is needed on the device and how it is going to work. Some people were confused if they needed to pay for the service or for the device and there were also privacy concerns. This idea has the lowest relevance and trial potential score, which indicates that it is not for everyone and quite a few people felt excluded from it.

It sounds like a reasonable idea although it doesn't sound particularly new Male, 34

Helps to maintain independence for those who may be vulnerable but at the cost of giving up personal privacy through having a voice device at home. Female, 39

To summarise, a really good idea for those who are vulnerable, though not relevant to everyone. Team may think about how to make it more inclusive, attracting members of the community to provide help and support.

Uber @ Pets.

Again, the idea was really loved and was found unique, believable and attractive to many, especially animal lovers. The idea of mutual benefit resonated too.

I can't have pets due to work but love animals. This would be a great way to still enjoy pets for a little while. Female, 50

Sometimes you may want to have a conversation with someone when walking the dog but it's usually a quick and sole activity. If you had a companion and a place to meet, it might encourage you to spend longer on the walk which is better for your dog, provide your dog with more exercise and socialising and also keep you happy. Female, 23

It would mean people who can not go out themselves with their pets for walks could get a neighbour to do it, also it would take pressure off our key workers Male, 49

It's sometimes difficult to find a dog owner companion, this would be really good. Sometimes emergencies occur when you need help with your pet, once again this app would be great. Female, 49

What should be improved or reworked: we knew privacy was going to be a concern and were prepared to see those comments in the responses. Consumers expected their concerns about privacy and security, and how they will be addressed.

Could just be an easy way for pet thieves to find animals Male, 43

I kinda love this idea because I often could do with a dog to spend time with but don't have one myself because it's not fair to lock a dog up in the house all day if you're out at work. On the negative side, would I entrust my dog to someone I didn't know? Also, if the dog is left with different people, it's going to get very confused and unhappy Female, 62

I think people will either love it of hate it. I think people might worry with coronavirus that a pet going from home to home and could spread the virus Female, 40

I worry about my and my dogs safety Female, 61

There would need to be some kind of identification process. It wasn't mentioned Male, 34

To summarise, a great idea with really good potential. However, privacy and security issues must be addressed thinking of necessary mechanisms to provide reassurance for both parties.


Treasure Hunt.

Even though it is not at the top of the list, this idea actually was found the most unique and had the highest trial potential.

I feel like it would be a very good way to promote going outside and getting fresh air. Lonely people could also make new friends while doing it. A good way to relieve stress and have fun. Male, 18

It's a great way to get people together and learn new things Female, 51

Good local information with opportunities for local businesses to collaborate, and help users find hidden gems in their areas Male, 28

It's a new exciting idea. It gets the family out into nature and it's a fun activity for all to enjoy Female, 42

What should be improved or reworked: not everyone was convinced. Again, some were concerned about privacy and relevance indicating they simply don't have the need for it.

I wouldn't want to be traced by some app as id feel like technology is interfering into my life too much but at the same time i guess it would be somehow useful Female, 24

Personally I think I know Most of the areas I would visit for nature and wildlife. Al. though it is a good idea, I don ' t think I would use it myself. Male, 63

To summarise: Great idea, fresh and unique, inclusive and has potential to engage a large part of the community. Challenge to the team: how to make it even more exciting and actually bring it to life.

Learn to Connect.

Very similar to Neighbour Watch Device, this idea was positively accepted by many and it felt very relevant for families who have elderly members. I think it would be a good idea for elderly people, who feel isolated and disconnected from society Male, 36

I think it's great to help those who aren't comfortable with technology and make them have peace of mind using it. Female, 43

I have to try to contact my mum and would like her to find it easy to speak to other family members Female, 61

During the virus keeping in touch with family and friends is important. However not all people are comfortable with technology particularly the elderly so anything that helps those people would be welcome. Male, 58

Opens up a new world to people who can be left behind and unable to access services and information that can only be obtained from technology Male, 58

What should be improved or reworked: this idea has some issues with inclusivity as we see a drop in relevance and intention to try. Also, not everyone got it. Concerns about privacy and security were raised as well.

Couldn't understand the second part about groceries. What's that got to do with conferencing help? Male, 55

Seems like a good idea not sure how much it would prevent someone from being scammed if they are vulnerable Female, 34

Don't really get the point of it. Female, 57

To summarise, a really good idea for families with elderly relatives, though not relevant to everyone. Team may think about how to make it more inclusive, attracting other members of the community to provide help and support.