Client: Internet Age Media (IAM)
Team / Role: Strategic Design and Visual Thinking (Bloom Team — Postgraduate in Innovation and Design Thinking, ELISAVA, 2017)
The Challenge In 2017, IAM had a rich creative ecosystem, but its value proposition and revenue generation were highly concentrated in a single annual event in Barcelona, the IAM Weekend. The central challenge was figuring out how to transform this decentralized and “random” value proposition into a profitable and sustainable digital product in the long term. It was essential to ensure a scalable business model for the company without losing the intimacy and shared values of its community (the “IAM Family”).
The Solution & Strategy Through deep immersion and Design Thinking methodologies, we realized that creating an isolated digital product would not solve the organization’s financial and structural gaps. We pivoted the approach from a platform-centric vision to a strategic vision focused on continuous community engagement (family-centric).
The main deliverable consisted of a robust Sustainability Strategy, materialized in a Founder’s Manual and a Visualization Kit. We developed a Gamified Toolkit—including tools like the Future Proof Deck and ecosystem maps—allowing the company’s leadership to dynamically visualize value exchanges and plan their monetization roadmap. Among the recommended innovation routes were: transitioning from an event-focused model to a Membership system, strengthening the research and consulting arm (IAM Labs), and creating products based on prospective scenarios (Possible Futures).
The Impact and Evolution (Where IAM is today) The tactical and long-term vision we provided served as a direct blueprint for the organization’s transformation. Years later, the main proposed guidelines have become the core pillars of their business:
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From Event to Membership: The suggestion to decentralize the event to embrace the community as a continuous revenue stream was implemented. IAM transcended festival dependency and established continuous collaboration networks, such as the Billion Seconds Institute, supported by active Membership models.
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Focus on IAM Labs and Futures Research: The push to maximize trend studies and consulting took center stage. Today, IAM positions itself primarily as a creative research lab, using “futures as design tools” to guide innovation.
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Education and Strategic Partnerships: Expanding the dynamics of knowledge exchange within the community, IAM embraced collective learning. One of its most impactful implementations is the Master in Design for Responsible AI, a master’s program co-created in collaboration with ELISAVA—the very university where this strategic restructuring project began.
Do you want to transform your community or project into a sustainable business model? Get in touch and discover how we can apply strategic design to help your company become more focused, scalable, and innovative.
