BUSINESS

MODEL
IMPROVEMENT
From Makio Hasuike workshop “Laisure Mobility” & “Healthy City”

Presented to:
Prof. Cabirio Cautela
Prof. Fabrizio Pierandrei
POLITECNICO DI MILANO
Mondadori production 2011

1
 AUTHORS
Angelica Bello - Colombia
Second year student in the Master of
Product-Service-System Design at
Politecnico di Milano and Industrial
Designer from Universidad Nacional
de Colombia. She has experience in
footwear and leather design, shoes
collection setting, coolhunting and
trend research.
2
Chiara Cacciani - Italy
Product Service System Design
student at Politecnico di Milano, with
a bachelor in Communication Design
from the same university. She is fo-
cused in design thinking, user center
design, as long as communication
at 360°. She would like to pursue an
MBA in the future.
Yuzhou Chen - China
Poli-Tong exchange Student in the
Master of Product-Service-System
Design at Politecnico di Milano and
Graphic Designer from Shanghai
TongJi University. She is focused on
graphic design, interface design, web-
site design and service design.
Miguel Bello - Colombia
Second year student in the Master of
Product-Service-System Design at
Politecnico di Milano and Industrial
Designer from Universidad Nacional
de Colombia. He has experience in
service design, management sys-
tems, product and packaging design.
Other Colaborators
Giulia Barra - Italy
Gan Yifan - China
Diego Dalia - Italy
 CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: CHAPTER 2: CHAPTER 3: CHAPTER 3:

PRESENTATION ANALYSIS NEW LOGIC BOOKMERANG

5 Initial Brief 11 Critical Analysis 21 BM Logic 27 New BM

6 Concepts 15 SWOT 23 Project Logic 28 BM Epicenters
7 Initial BM 17 Blue Ocean 25 Conclusion 29 System Map
8 Product 18 3 Main Criticalities 30 Main Changes
31 Final Conclusion

3
 CHAPTER 1
PRESENTATION

4
Presentation
Providing context and
first design result INITIAL BRIEF
MH WAY
It is the name of the brand launching the propylene briefcases and the tel-
escopic tubes for drawings in 1982 by Makio Hasuike. Its new products are an

“
instant and global success thanks to a design that is able to meet the needs of
the consumers through a clear style that goes beyond what is in fashion at that
time. After more than 25 years of success, prizes, and a great deal of admirers,
followers and also imitators, MH Way keeps on researching and innovating in a
Mobility interpreted as
crosswise direction by means of a powerful tool as product design is.
ACTION not as movement

”
Several items amongst the MH Way products have turned into community icons
becoming companions to consumers over the years, since the very start up to from one place to another
the present and keeping on that way for the future.

WHERE: MILANO
The main concepts to be applied are those ones provided by the PGT (Govern-
ment plan of Territory) that will guide project’s development. The concepts are:

The attractive city CONSTRAIN

- Design a balance of functions between center and suburbs
- Modernizing the network of public and private mobility
- Increasing accommodation, including temporary housing solutions at afford-
able prices
- Encourage the presence of creative workers and service propulsion
- Exploitation identities of the neighborhoods
The livable city
- Connect existing environmental systems to new urban parks
- Promote Milan as agricultural town
- Complete the redevelopment of abandoned or contaminated land
- Restore the environmental function of rivers and channels
The efficient city
- Spread to the neighborhood scale quality services for infdividuals
- Strengthen the system of public spaces on a local scale
- Policy on temporary services and accessibility of sites
- Ensure quality and maintenance of public spaces and structures for service
- Encouraging private public interest through the principle of subsidiarity
Application of an existing technology for the design of the product: a suitable
technology for mobility (e.g. inflatable, collapsible,etc).
WHO
The brief was opened to leave us select the actors. However it proposed the
essay written by Edward Hall “The Hidden Dimension” as key frame:
Animals that live in groups need to stay in contact with one
to another: the loss of contact with the group can be fatal
for a number of reasons, including the danger of exposing
themselves to predators. The social distance is not simply
the distance beyond the individual which lose contact with his
flock that can no longer see, hear or smell his companions,
it is rather a psychological limit, past which clearly “animals”
begin to feel anxious. […]

5
 CONCEPTS
Flock Force
The flock force concept is the evidence that the
gathering of many people has more resistance
to difficulties than the strength of one single one.
There are many trends nowadays based on this
concept, such as flash mobs, social network, collec-
tive services, etc.
6
Presentation
Providing context and
first design result
Waiting Time
Waiting time is a driver because is a major op-
portunity areas, we mostly always have to wait in
our lives, going to work we wait for the tram, during
lunch break we wait for our meal to come, we wait
at the gym for the machine we want, we even wait
when we go out before entering a disco; and in
all of those situation we interpret waiting as an
unpleasant gap time we don’t enjoy but we can’t
avoid.
Socializing
Most of the leisure activities are group activities,
even some routine things that we commonly do
by ourselves, if done together with a friend can
become a leisure and happy time. This is why lei-
sure is often not described in terms of places but in
terms of people. We could even push this concept
to the limit, trying to apply to typical individual activi-
ties such as reading, the idea that being together to
a friend is more fun than be by yourself.
Presentation
Providing context and
first design result INITIAL BM
KEY PARTNERSHIP KEY ACTIVITIES VALUE PROPOSITION CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CUSTOMER SEGMENT

Bookcase
installation

self-service Who reads to kill time, but

not very reading passionate

Advertising
Comune di Milano
Who moves out of Milan and
wants to get rid of weight
Community within users
Maintenance

KEY SOURCES CHANNEL
Who loves to read but
Book owners doesn’t have much money
Enhance reading and to spend
Books sharing books outdoor in the
park during spring and Bookmerang Comune di
summer time, as a valuable
milano
city leasure time.

Who has the will to share

Some editors something beautiful as a
Parco Word of book
sharing attitude Sempione mouth
COST STREAM REVENUE STREAM

Book cases Book cases Winter - autumn DONATIONS 

production maintenance storage

Premise
Starting from here we developed “Bookmerang: the more we are the more Once in Parco Sempione he can just leave a book, exchange it or take it and so
we read” a system based in reading moments and in the Milanese park, as start reading in the park or at home. It’s up to people behaviour and responsibil-
pilot project in Parco Sempione. ity if they take the book home, to bring it back.

Bookmerang is a PSS to enhance reading and sharing of books outdoor in the
park during spring and summer time, as valuable city leisure time. The reader
can get to know about Bookmerang from the Comune di Milano website, our
main partner and sponsor, or directly by going to Parco Sempione and see our
Bookmerang Bookcases.
What we are trying to exploit in this project is people’s will to share and ex-
change for a reusable good, besides trends that stress on social responsibility
such as separate collection of rubbish.
7
 PRODUCT Presentation
Providing context and
first design result

Concept General Technical Aspects

When we have something special to say, to remark
a statement, or to quote another author we used
“Quotation Marks”. We believe that with this
project people will have a lot of things to say, and
for this reason we used the quotation mark symbol
as formal inspiration for the object.
The product has a special gravity balance, when
it is empty looks in horizontal position but when
people start adding books inside, it starts to get a
vertical position ready for “saying a lot”. This feature
also helps users to identify easily when a structure
has something inside or not and invite people to
participate in the initiative.
Against all the presets around public installations,
we DO NOT want to fix it in the floor. We want peo-
ple moving, playing, or sleeping on it, we know that
is not easy due vandalism but at the same time we
believe in behaviour changing, civic consciousness
and the creation of new icons for the future Milan.
Notice the internal compartment where the books Book Storage:
are storaged thanks to a simple mechanisim. - A system of 2 concentric spheres
- Closing mechanism through rotation on vertical
axes
Materials:
- Croslite
- HDPD
Production:
- Rotational moulding
65
Environment
The idea is to spread the structure along the park
especially in those areas that due its conditions
Top View allow the nicest reading time. Even the most fixed
and strongest urban furniture is prone to vandal-
ism; for this reason we believe that instead of doing
these structures stronger and fixer we should allow
people to enjoy them in a more natural way.

Cut Views

100

45

Side View
Empty Position Full Position
Horizontal Vertical 50

60

8
9
 CHAPTER 2
ANALYSIS

10
 Analysis
Critical perspective
& tools CRITICAL ANALYSIS
TECHNO
LOG
Y

KEY  TRENDS

CS
OMI
ON
EC
IO
OC
       S
KEY PARTNERSHIP KEY ACTIVITIES VALUE PROPOSITION CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CUSTOMER SEGMENT

Bookcase
installation

self-service
Who reads to kill time, but
not very reading passionate

Advertising

Comune di Milano
Who moves out of Milan and
wants to get rid of weight
SUPPLI Maintenance
Community within users MARKET ISSU
ERS ES
KEY SOURCES CHANNEL ND

MA
 DE
Book owners Who loves to read but

  NEED &
Enhance reading and doesn’t have much money
sharing books outdoor in the to spend
Books
park during spring and Bookmerang Comune di
ERS

INDUSTRY FORCES summer time, as a valuable

milano MARKET FORCES

ENT
city leasure time.
OLD

GM
Who has the will to share
EH

SE
something beautiful as a
AK

Some editors
T 
ST Parco Word of book MAR
KE
sharing attitude Sempione mouth
COST STREAM REVENUE STREAM

Book cases Book cases Winter - autumn DONATIONS 

production maintenance storage
  COMMODITIE
S
E
UR
CT
RU
INFRAST

MACROECONOMICS 
KET

FORCES
AR
 M

L
BA
  GLO
11
 Analysis
Critical perspective
& tools

Stakeholder
- People who like to read to kill time reading but are not really into it, not willing
to spend much money in buying books, they enjoy it especially in the waiting
SUPPLI moments.
ERS - Bookworm people, interpret reading as a travel, like to read a book from the
beginning to the end but are open to share and compare Comune di Milano
is the provider of Bookerang, since it already takes care of the park mainte-
nance; this means that the Comune should provide the structures (bookcases),
take care of keeping them clean and proper, and to storage them in the winter
months when not useful; taking care of all costs.

ERS
INDUSTRY FORCES Competitors

OLD
Bookcrossing is the current leader for free book exchanging; this service value
Suppliers proposition is to connect people throughout books. They define book crossing

EH
as the world library, a place where books gain new life and passing from one

AK
Stakeholders ST
person to another, books become a way to connect people. So fare there are
906.808 bookcrosser and 6.771.734 books travelling around the world and Italy
Competitors in the worldwide statistics is the 25th country in terms of bookcrosser vs popula-
tion [graph]; this means that there is a quite big design opportunity there.
New entrants
Bookcrossing focuses on the swapping action, in this case where and when this
Substitute products and services action takes place is not important; moreover it’s important to trace the book
path to create a reading community and a source for advice.

Substitute products & services

Suppliers - Library is a free service that provides books, even though it’s more controlled
People are both our main supplyARsource
M KET ISSand stakeholders, since they active
UES Our main suppliers are:
in terms of tracking book position and borrower. Library is usually a close quite
and passive at the same time in the exchange. place where you can also enjoy reading, but quite old fashion and not cool one.
People can donate books to library but not many do that because there is no
ND
- People that move in/out of Milan to study or work and stay just for a couple clear extra value in doing it.
MA

of years. Dynamic and open minded they don’t want heavy baggage such as
 DE

books, in the moving. - E-book is the new technology that is trying to substitute normal paper books,
  NEED &

- People willing to share and discover common interests with people. Not pos- on the user side you can have many books in just one device, even not easy to
sessive of their things they are quite flexible and adaptable. find books, on the company side there is a big saving in printing.
MARKET FORCES
ENT
GM

Market segments
SE

T 
KE
MAR Needs and demands
12
Market issues
 Analysis
Critical perspective
& tools

TECHNO
LOG
TECHNO Y SUPPLI
LOG ERS
Y Technology
e-book, QR code, geotagging.

Socioeconomic:
People from Milan going away, while suburban people coming to the centre dur-
KEY  TRENDS

CS
ing weekends, short work/studying staying in Milan

OMI
KEY  TRENDS INDUSTRY FORCES
Cultural: couch surfing, separate collection of rubbish, clothing donate, Bogotà

CS
Societal
yes/no sign. and cultural trend

ON
OMI

EC
Societal and cultural trend Suppliers

O
IO

ON
OC

EH
Regulatory trends        S

EC

AK
IO ST
Regulatory trends OC Stakeholders
       S Socioeconomic trends
Socioeconomic trends Competitors
Technology trends
Technology trends New entrants

Substitute products and services

  COMMODITIE
S
  COMMODITIE
Global market conditions E MARKET ISSU
S UR ES
Crisis people not willing to spend money on not strictly necessary goods/ser-
E

CT
vices. UR ND

RU

MA
CT

INFRAST

 DE
RU

Capital markets
INFRAST

  NEED &
Public funding, hard to gather money for public infrastructure, although in our
case the cost of bookcase mould is quite high. However the editorial market in KET MACROECONOMICS 
MACROECONOMICS 
Milano is excelent and should be consider as opportunity.
FORCES MARKET FORCES
AR
KET

ENT
 M
Economic Infrastucture:
FORCES
AR

GM
BA Global market conditions Market segments
 M

Parco Sempione park maintenance is well done, but the park at night time is not   GLO

SE
L T 
  GLO
BA Global
safe besides it closes early. In the park there is also market
a library, conditions
three clubs (bar KE
Capital markets
AR Needs and demand
bianco, just cavalli and old fashion), a kindergarden and the triennale museum
M
Capital markets
which are big attractions for people of different ages.
Economic infrastructure Market issues
Economic infrastructure
Switching costs
13
Revenue attractiven
 I S
Regulatory trends OC Stakeholders
       S
ocioeconomic trends Competitors

Technology trends New entrants

Analysis
Substitute products andCritical perspective
services
& tools

 Market
 COMMODIissues
TIES MARKET ISSU
e-book, newspaper online as an emerging competitor force against regular book ES
E comsumption. ND
UR

MA
CT

Market segment

 DE
RU
AST

  NEED &
Collective services are blooming more and more, people is willing to share, and
seek for a strong connection with the city, to feel part of a whole.

MACROECONOMICS 
Needs and demands MARKET FORCES
KET

ENT
Some outdoor and leisure places to go to in the city to escape from the chaotic
FORCES
AR

GM
and frenetic Milanese lifestyle. People are not willing to pay for spending their Market segments
 M

SE
leisure time in a public space.
L T 
  GLO
BA Global market conditions KE
MAR Needs and demands
Switching cost
Capital markets
Feel part of the city environment, feel the city yours, very important connection Market issues
with the brand (city), more reliable as well than bookcrossing where you never
Economic infrastructure
know if you are going to find something and where. Switching costs

Revenue Attractiveness Revenue attractiveness

Revenue attractiveness: on reader point of view: free exchange in a public
place, create an extra-value. On Comune point of view: loyalty to the brand.
How to create monetary revenues for the service?

14
 Analysis
Critical perspective
& tools SWOT
STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
- Enhance reading and sharing books where (park) - High cost platform with low revenues.
and when (spring/summer) these activities might - It depends of municipality policies for using public
have more demand. infrastructure.
- Provide a leisure activity as a part of a public - Installing the bookcases in public open space
initiative. means that they won’t be available during winter
- Users have an active role inside the system. season.
- Create a sense of community without pushing user
to have contact between them and without
depending of a virtual network.
- The more we are, the more we read.

Strengths OPPORTUNITIES TREATS

Characteristics of the business or team that give it
an advantage over others in the industry.
Weaknesses
Characteristics that place the firm at a disadvantage
relative to others.
Opportunities
External chances to make greater sales or profits in
the environment.
Treats
External elements in the environment that could
cause trouble for the business.
- Use park’s infrastructure to reduce cost for
maintenance, cleaning, etc.
- Editors might be interested to collaborate providing
books, advertisement or money. Other companies
might be involved.
- Behavior changer trend about book-crossing,
reading in parks, civic and environmental
awareness.
- Free publications trend (books, newspapers,
magazines).
- Mobile tagging trend and QR Codes.
- Milano as a temporal city for students & workers
that move after few years.
- Donations are not considered regular revenue.
- Other and inexpensive ways of book-crossing in
the same location.
- Using an expensive structure make it vulnerable to
stealing.
- People don’t respond to this initiative.
- Temporal or short term interest of the public,
investors, advertisers, etc.
- Digital book sharing.

15
 Analysis
Critical perspective
& tools

“Pursue opportunities that are a good fit “Overcome weaknesses to

to the company's strengths” pursue opportunities”

SO Strategies
1. Agreements with the park to make its labor force part of the system.
2. Create long term relationship with Editors doing them investors of the system.
3. Long term marketing program to aware people and tourist to donate their
books before leaving the city.
4. QR codes can be implemented in order to control the system and allow
people geo-tagging.
WO Strategies
1. Sharing the risk and initial investment with other cities. Long term agree-
ments with municipalities to make the project perdurable.
2. Linking the project with Editorial Fairs and other events might help its eco-
nomical support.
3. In winter time it might move to other places like schools, universities and
airports.

“Identify ways that can use its strengths “Establish a defensive plan to prevent weaknesses
to reduce its vulnerability to external threats” from making it highly susceptible to external threats”

ST Strategies WT Strategies
1. Installing additional advertising inside the book pages in order to increase 1. Reduce production cost by high mass production. Less cost per unit.
advertisers and revenues. 2. Reduce production cost in the bookcase by changing design, structure, or
2. Agreements with the park office in order to don’t allow other ways of book materials.
exchange/acquisition outside the system.
3. Using park security force in order to avoid damage and/or stealing. At the
same time, create social awareness to condemn this issues through the website
and advertisement.

16
 Analysis
Critical perspective
& tools BLUE OCEAN

SHIP
T ION
KE ELA
Y R R R
ES ME
peo
ple OU
RC remain S TO
’s a
ttitu ES red
uce CU
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eq

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ate
s the us
raising

cre
Value Proposition

VA
ST SIDE
CUSTOMER SEGMENT

LUE SIDE
KEY ACTIVITY Enhance reading and
sharing books outdoor
who read
installationg
in the park during
bookcase in spring and summer who m s to kill time,not
advertisnce CO time, as a valuable city who oves out o
very pas
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m a in t
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17
 3 MAIN CRITICALITIES
3 MA
IN C
RIT
ICA

LIT
         CHANGE
IN      

IES
-IM
 REMA PR
       OV
E   AM
 
         ST
RE
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R

   

   
    

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and

    

EA
low neus
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TES
hom

UCI
nce
Just o

    RED
REVENUE source
STREAM REVENUE
STREAM

REVENUE
Free social
service based

Customer Relation ship

STREAM

Customer Segment
Value proposition
“ Key Partneship

Key Resources
Key Activities

Cost Stream

Revenue Stream
PARTNERSHI
P

Channels
How can we make the system Co
Milan muna di
oa
partn s a main

SUSTAINABLE
COST SIDE VALUE SIDE ersh
ip
BM  COMPONENTS  Un
not ique

”
ab par
all le to s tner

in terms of money? KE
Y A
the u
cos f fer
t

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S

Pr t en our o u .
no nc le vic
om o ag se
e p r
pe he

ot ugh e
Conclusion

io t
o se
t

n o
is
t
The goal of this project is to reach the breakeven point, which means covering

e
all of the costs, not to earn money without loosing the social value of the project;
in the conclusion part we will then try to forecast a future business oriented logic
to start actually earning money (being aware that it will greatly affect the value
proposition).

18
19
 CHAPTER 3
NEW LOGIC

20
 New Logic
Data supports &
environment BM LOGIC
MARKET SHARE IN EDITORIAL INDUSTRY
How is the new logic?
To reach the breakeven point we used an efficiency strategy based in research-
ing possible partners and scanning of typical Milanese activities to generate
revenue (value). In doing this we’ve kept up the three main concepts of the Gruppo Mondadori 28,4%
29%
Mondadori
project, flock force, waiting moment and socializing, trying to support and exploit Other Editors 39,9%
them more and more.
RCS 12,6%

Editors Gruppo GEMS 9,4%

Since in the old business model we had low, homogeneous revenues, coming Giunti 5,8%
just from one partner (Comune di Milano) without strong motivations to invest; in Feltrinelli 4%
the new logic we first diversified partners, looking in our close market fields, to
consequently diversify the revenues stream.

First we focused on the publishing industry, checking out how many books are
published every year, if Milan was a “high reader” city and who are the main edi-
tors. In the next graphics you will see more specific and comparison information PUBLISHED BOOKS IN ITALY
that provides a better structure to the project. 61.500 per year

In fact a strong publishing house could actually have interest in sponsoring

Bookmerang, which is not its direct competitor since it provides used, second
hand books, but because of its collaborative service nature, it could be a perfect 64%
cheap mass market promotion channel. Rest of Italy
BOOK SALES IN ITALY
NUMBER OF EDITORS BY CITY 262’000.000 per year

36%
Milano 65%
943 Other cities
Milano

1.059 20%
Rome Milano

15%
Rome
Data Source: http://soslibri.diogenemagazine.eu/ - http://www.mondadori.it/
21
 New Logic
Data supports &
environment

Rotomolding Industry
The second market involved in the project was the
plastic industry one; the bookcase mould produc-
tion in fact, is the major cost to suffer before the
lunch of the product service system. Plastic before
1970 was just a cheap and poor material not used
for furniture; starting from the ‘70s the market blos-
somed and nowadays many design companies are
specialized in plastic production.

Bookmerang is a structure entirely made out of

rotational moulding plastic, then spread around the
parks in the city; such as the cracking art and the
cow parade it could become famous, a sort of icon,
and ultimately it could be a powerful advertising for
the company producing it.

In order to be interested in sponsorizing the project

the plastic producer should be in the design world,
but not a famous and recognized design company.

Both partners, the publish house and the plastic

producer, would have an advertising interest; this
means that the social aspect, gathering of as many
people as possible, of the product service system is
a key asset, as long as the location, to attract them.

22
 New Logic
Data supports &
environment PROJECT LOGIC
M2

3’000.000

2’250.000

1’300.000

750.000
ano

ne

M
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bro

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li

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drin

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ani
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tell
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xO
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Mil

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san

e
i Tr
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ont

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coi

em

Sch
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oL

ei F
oF
ord

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oN

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i Vi
Par
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Par

c
c

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c

od
Par
Par

Par

od
gric

Par
lici

c
c

Par
oa

Par
Pub
c
Par

ini
rd
Gia

Parks in Milano
This is why we evolved the “Parco Sempione” based into a “Milanese park
network”. We sought for all parks in the city, analyzing them according to the
size and to the security aspect. In fact the security of the space was another hot
topic. Although the project looks forward to changing people’s behaviours, ask-
ing for their common and citizen sense, we evaluated only parks with fences,
closing time and night watchmen service; of course this won’t avoid people
to steal them or ruin them if they want to, but hopefully it will be a deterrent
reminding them their own consciousnesses.
Data Source: http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parchi_di_Milano
23
 New Logic
Data supports &
environment

# Crossed
Books
100
Bookcrossing.com - Stadistics
Bookcrossing is the popular online-based platform
in which people can share books with others. Its
80
website has interesting statistics about this initia-
tive. Germany and Australia are the most active
countries with almost 60.000 active bookcrossers.
60
Italy has a modest position compare with his
neighbour, however is interesting to see how Emilia
Romagna and Lombardy have the biggest book- 40
crossing activity in the country. It means that Milano
has all the potential for this kind of projects, not only
for the huge amount of editors and sellings, but also 20
for his sharing and social culture.

0
gna

dia

io

uria

iulia

nte

eto

bria
rch

can
Laz
bar

mo

Ven
ia G

Um
ma

Lig

Ma

Tos
Lom

Pie
Ro

ene
ilia

li V
Em

Friu

Data Source: http://www.bookcrossers.eu/bc_statistics/world/

24
 New Logic
Data supports &
environment CONCLUSION

The new strategy oriented to create more revenues without loos-

ing the original project values, it’s structured into two main mo-
ments: the book exchange in the park from April till October and the
once/twice a year event that would recreate a sort of novelty and
coolness, as well as community around the product service system,
that, along with the media effect, could enhance possible partners,
such as publish houses and companies in investing into the project.

25
 CHAPTER 4
BOOKMERANG

26
 Bookmerang
Redesigned Business
Model NEW BM
KEY PARTNERSHIP KEY ACTIVITIES VALUE PROPOSITION CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CUSTOMER SEGMENT

Selling art
Bookcase pieces Who reads to kill time, but
installation not very reading passionate
self-service

Producing
and selling
Advertising Who moves out of Milan and
catalog
Mondari wants to get rid of weight

Maintenance
Artist
Calling
+ Community within users
Who loves to read but doesn’t
have much money to spend
Exhibition
Salone del mobile
art+
KEY SOURCES CHANNEL   
literature
www.bookmerang.it

Who has the will to

share a book
SO
LD

bookmerang bookmerang
Comune di Milano Auction
Artists website
Comitee
Art purchaser
Enhace a public culture move- 15 milanese Word of
Books ment that makes available arts parks
Catalog mouth
comitee and literature to milanese citi-
Book owners zans and visitors Catalog
Salone del mobile visitor
sharing attitude
COST STREAM REVENUE STREAM

Book cases production Mantainance and security Winter - autumn storage

NEW

Advertising from Art book case Anual catalog

book trials selling selling
Salaries and related
Catalog production Salone dil mobile exhibition
expenses

27
 BM BARYCENTER Bookmerang
Redesigned Business
Model

General Logic
The barycentre of the new business model is still set in the value proposition,
moving from this one we developed an L shape strategy focused into key part-
nerships, those ones then affect the cost and the revenues streams. Key asset,
we greatly improved are key activities.

28
 Bookmerang
Redesigned Business
Model SYSTEM MAP
plastic producer

PRODUCE
NEW

book trials

Milanese parks

LEAVE

label
salone del mobile home
Milanese
people
TAKE

website reading

Milanese parks bookmerang

word of mouth
case selling

turists

book store
exhibition
artist

catalog
ADVERTISING
PRINT

mondadori
29
 MAIN CHANGES Bookmerang
Redesigned Business
Model

Producing Catalog

Salone Exhibition Event

Book Case Production
Maintenance & Security
Storage in Winter

Ar
tis
COST

tC
all
STREAM

gin
Se
llin
gA
rt P
iec
es
SO

OPOSIT OPOSIT
E PR E PR
L

ION ION
D

Pro
duc LU LU art+ s
ing tor

A
 1
Edi
literature

 2
  V
Cat

  V
alog

       

       
RI
DADO
MON
Enhance reading, free book
exchange & free book trials Enhace a public culture move- r
Selling Produce
Catalo
g
distribution out door in the ment that makes available arts
Plastic
park during summer & and literature to milanese
spring time citizens and visitors

KEY
ACTIVITIES PARTNERS
Salone Del Mobile
ion
Salone Exhibit
ad

Com
une D

Th
i Mila
Re

rity no

e
Secu
 M
e 
CH

o
Bo

 W re W
ok lone st P

NE e are The More
15
S

N
Sh D ark
a

L
Big

op el

IT
g

Bo
e

nd
M

M ok
o

ob ado

EF
tion Ow
W

duc
EN
W of M

s ner
in ile ri
or

eb

Pro s
e M
B
d

ase
sit

ila
kC ou n
Boo th

REVENUE
en
t STREAM
CU

em n
Mi

tis tio
ST
Sa se C urch

r
lan Art

ve uc
OM

Ad rod
lon iti
e

ER

P
e P zen ser

SE
G
ar s &

M
P

EN
i cip Vis

T
an
a

ts

to Book T nt
rials Advertiseme
rs
Art Bookcase Selling

Annual Catalog Selling

30
 Bookmerang
Redesigned Business
Model
Thank to Persico and Mondadori partnerships and to the consequent new diver-
sified fluxes of revenues, Bookmerang is economically feasible. Still our main
three concepts and values, didn’t change but are now stronger and stronger:
Flock Force
The product service system keeps its social value features based in collabora-
tive services, trends and communities and in seeking for changing people’s
minds about public furniture; it enhances reading, free book exchange and free
book trials distribution out door in the park during summer and spring time.
Moreover now with the “art cases” exhibition it recalls even a larger number of
people that could be interested in joining the flock.
Socializing
At the same time Bookmerang yearly exhibition becomes an occasion of social-
izing, of enhancing public culture, arts and literature for Milanese citizens and
visitors; as well as for unknown artist a great opportunity to show their talent.
Waiting time
Waiting time reinterpreted as reading and going to an art exhibition, becomes
valuables and joyful.
FINAL CONCLUSION
Future Forecasting
We could push the business model strategy a bit further and project a “real
earning” business model; this of course would effect the value system, let’s see
how.
Starting from the book trial preview by Mondadori we could imagine two con-
verging evolution:
1. Mondadori decides to push the trial transforming it in a script public jury.
This means that not yet published script would be available in Bookmerang, all
the reader would put themselves into the redactor shoes and would judge the
“book to be”; this of course would imply a system of readers’ feedback for the
publisher. This scenario profiles a new market where potentially would be the
readers to decide which books they want to be published.
2. Second converging scenario goes with the web 2.0 logic, in which users
become co-producers of contents; according to this logic what it could happen
is that readers willing to become writers, could start leaving their own script in
the cases, hoping for a good feedback by the others. This of course would be
very interesting Mondadori that could have a no cost resource of new brand
talents, that already gained fame and demand into the reading public. The book
“Tre metri sopra il cielo”, which script first was released in two different high
schools in Rome, was published only after the highschool kids’ great interest in
the script.
Projecting this web 2.0 scenario ahead in the future we could even think about a
transition of media: authors could simply leave the paper script in the Bookmer-
ang cases, then if successful Mondadori could publish an e-book version of the
book even translated in many languages.
As we said in first place, this earning scenario drags the values of the project
a bit far from the beginning; a system based on feedback needs a high control
and maintenance, it cannot be left up to people behaviours, neither be so
spread out in the city as the park network is thought to be.
Ultimately we would loose what we simplifying call “the social value” of the
project, because as we know, one thing is to project a business system to make
money, another is to project a social system for the people. In developing this
project we picked the second one, the first one is still a scenario on the go.
31
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