Future Jobs to Be Done
Future Jobs to Be Done

Future Jobs to Be Done

The news keeps changing – per its name – but it continues to serve a baseline need to be informed. Ipsos Strategy3’s Matt Palmer explains how that role could evolve in a changing world.
What the Future: News
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Ipsos spins the traditional “Jobs to Be Done” framework forward with future Jobs to Be Done (fJTBD). This builds on the theory that people consume to fulfill certain needs or accomplish specific tasks. For example, we don’t just watch the news, we hire a network or outlet’s reporters and producers to provide us with up-to-date, accurate content to help us follow and understand current events and the human condition across the globe.

To bring these needs into the future, we envision powerful and plausible scenarios through strategic foresight. While many needs are enduring and do not change over time, the context of that job will change along with the potential solutions and alternatives. These scenarios help us define the circumstances in which people may find themselves, like watching the news to discern whether an authority figure’s words and behavior are their true beliefs or a call for attention.

We use fJTBD to tie these scenarios to actions that organizations can take to help people meet future needs. While it’s typical in foresight to create fJTBD clusters, we’re sharing one scenario here as an example.

Help me feel informed, not baited, when keeping up with current events

In a world where sensationalized reporting often dominates the news cycle, consumers will demand that news outlets cut their reliance on click-based revenue models.

 Potential fJTBD:

  • Help me as a media outlet to understand ways to build and preserve trust among diverse audiences
  • Help me as a consumer to understand the various leanings and biases (financial or political) of major media outlets
  • Help me as a brand to understand the roles of the news cycle and media outlets to foster positive perceptions of our products, initiatives or public image

Imagine a world where … you could install a reliable and independent, AI-powered fact-checking plug-in or app that displays real-time checks during the speeches, rallies and addresses of politicians of any party affiliation.

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