Creativity: More than a cliché for bright ideas.
How many marketers does it take to change a light bulb? - Ninety-nine. One to change it, ten to carry out a SWOT analysis, twenty to research the findings, fifteen to form a steering committee; and the rest to moan about the workload in the staff canteen.
Does that strike a note? If not, I have lots more jokes up my sleeve. Eventually you'll giggle. That's the point of creativity in marketing: It's all about probing and then making connections between your organisation and marketplace.
As a creative strategist I act as a conductor of electricity. The current is pure creativity. Its source is human imagination derived from within your organisation. The target is your marketplace.
More than ever before, your organisation needs creativity. Some marketers label it 'Intellectual Capital', others, 'Intellectual Agility' - I call it 'Human Truth'.
Consumers rely on creative interpretations to understand a brand's truthful meaning. Managers need creativity to communicate deliverable market promises. During the current economic slowdown creativity helps them- and you- skilfully deal with change management.
Surviving - yet alone thriving - in today's competitive market is increasingly difficult. However, thanks to courses like CIM's Creative Thinking for Strategic Management, market leaders are learning how to tap into vibrant creative tools to secure the pole market position against hoards of would-be contenders to their throne. Market climbers also need creative techniques to topple competitors. Meanwhile market contenders can draw on creativity to make connections with a fickle audience seeking something improved and inspirational to make them feel part of a community rather than like a commodity.
Stay connected
Instinctively, during a recession marketers opt either to:
- Cut internal budgets
- Cut prices
- Cut their losses.
- 'Milk' a product or service for everything it's got.
- Use profits to develop a portfolio.
- Offer even greater service to loyal customers.
Each of those options is 'creative'. However, creativity isn't just about being proficient in accountancy skills. Neither does it concern the perennial marketing quest to beat the marketing campaign deadline.
Much of your role in marketing is concerned with profitably delivering to the market what it wants - or through creative management - suggesting what it rightly deserves to have. It is why the notion of making connections makes such good commercial sense. However, without meticulous management, you could end up with so many connections that all you achieve is a tangled knot - or short-circuited mind maps - as evangelised by false prophets of genuine creativity.
In a recent creative thinking course, specially tailored for a company, I introduced delegates who felt 'trapped in a business rut' to novel tactics, which they went on to incorporate into every day work.
Create an impact
Creativity is particularly useful when applied to routine matters, for example, when writing proposals. Marketers need to discover creative tactics to turn mundane reports into powerful means of communication. Equally marketers need to get to grips with planning and interpreting creativity on web sites, as well as dealing with creative designers.
Clearly when it comes to marketing, creativity touches just about every aspect of your business.
About the author:
Jonathan Gabay is a Course Director for The Chartered Institute of Marketing who helps delegates develop their creative talents across a range of courses. He is a prolific author on creativity; his latest book - Reinvent Yourself - explains how companies and individuals harness creativity to improve prospects. http://www.cim.co.uk/cim/sho/html/cover.cfm to order.
For further information on the training courses on Creativity that are available from CIM, please visit the CIM website at www.cimtraining.com
