Creativity, clever thinking or thinking outside the box…anything but in straight lines, perhaps laterally, horizontally, vertically, you name it!
Creativity can be described creativity as magic that achieves unexpected and takes us to new places. It’s the process of producing something that is both original and worthwhile.
He makes a point that only few people appreciate the value of creativity and even fewer know how to be creative.
Creativity is about having fun and being relaxed enough to have lots of ideas, not just one great one!
– Think Pixar, think Apple, think Guiness adverts.
But why is creativity so important in marketing? That’s because marketers need to be noticed, need to change or strengthen opinions and provoke the action. We aren’t going to achieve that through being just ordinary and faceless. We need to be creative, thought provoking and with a fun factor!
– Customers want to see something different, something that makes them sit up and pay attention.
A lot of businesses have succeeded through thinking differently and making people’s lives easier. A good example could be Marks & Spencer ‘coin-catcher’ built in your trousers pocket and stopping you from losing all your change.
So whether it is inventing or re-inventing, designing or re-designing- there is always a room for creativity! As a nation, we have quite solid background since the chief designer at Apple Sir Jonatan Ive is British and revolutionary Dyson design is British too!
How to become creative? Here is a 10-point guide from “Brilliant Marketing” a book written by Richard Hall:
1. Creative identity – Think about two ways of introducing yourself to a room of people- one that people start snoozing a minute you started talking and the other one more dramatic, perhaps with cheek but leaving impression.
2. Choosing creativity – Visit a shop and seek out two things you think are really creative and decide why that is…then find two same things that are boring and repeat the exercise.
3. Thinking about creativity – Now do the same thing with two different kinds of art- ask yourself why do they stand out and why is it that you like them?
4. Journey into creativity – Go on a journey around your local high street with a camera and try to take photos of interesting things. Then create a storyboard describing the items.
5. Creative abundance – Don’t fall into the trick that less is more- it’s not always the case! Spend an hour thinking of marketing ideas that could increase sales, spend additional half an hour choosing 12 best and then yet another hour polishing them up!
6. Creative teams – Fact is that 1+1=3, yes, synergy applies!
7. Fast forward creativity – Occasionally in a crisis you need to think fast and come up with many ideas in no time- get geared up for it!
8. Mobilising crisis-creativity – When you have a specific challenge get a whole team of people starting with receptionists, assistants, PR, call centres, sales people etc. Present them with the challenge and leave for a few hours to come up with solution- you’ll be surprised with the outcome!
9. Take lots of baths – It wasn’t just Archimedes who found baths useful! In the world of showers our creativity is under threat- so get a bath and let your mind roam. The key here is to wash away the spreadsheet cobwebs!
10. Meeting your consumers – Probably the most creative thing you can do is to meet up with your consumers and talk to them, even over a glass of wine!
The magic of creativity in marketing is to find a new way of packaging an old idea. It’s about people to notice and “wow” your product. But more than anything it’s about thinking and seeing things in a completely new way.
Contact us and let’s get creative!
