Day 3 Summary - Leo Rayman (Grey)
Day 3 and we looked into how to get to more diverse creative output – with a US campaign against gun violence.
What really struck a chord here was how a diverse creative solution can come from a fresh perspective on the problem. Take gun violence; one-way to address it is to try and change public perceptions using broadcast media. By no means an ineffective option.
But a more diverse solution was to hit gun manufacturers where it hurts, their pockets. A diverse answer based on a fresh insight: people are invested in gun manufacturer shares without even realising it.
The conversation quickly turned to more practical discussion of how to get to more unusual and original creative and media ideas. But in many businesses “the rut runs deep”. It is easier to follow existing processes than to challenge them.
Its worse actually, because often the barrier to doing things in new ways is not process it’s culture. “That’s not the way we do it around here’. Culture trumps process – both as an enabler and barrier to diversification.
So how do you breakthrough?
Mainly its about having energy and enthusiasm. And frankly getting-off on the excitement that comes with taking a risk.
Energy and enthusiasm that stems from a conviction that things could be different.
Really, we’re talking about having a “Vision”.
A vision of how things might be different.
Today’s States United to Prevent Gun Violence example reimagined the problem to be less about changing perceptions and more about changing investments.
That fertile imagination – the ability to reframe a problem - and remain open to the type of solution the problem merits, is more critical than ever.
Surely that’s the strategic planner’s role? To imagine a different future for the brands they work with. And then the enthusiasm to push for the breakout creative solutions required to help realise it.
Tune-in again tomorrow for our final case study – it’s a properly impressive example of creative diversification…