How To Unleash Your Companies Creative Potential In 5 Easy Steps
Relying on conventional methodologies and process standards can be detrimental to an organization. I came across an article featured in Business Week ‘The Problems With Obama’s Innovation Strategy’. This article is informative and enlightening by constructively pointing out the flaws within the innovation strategy. Jeneanne Rae stated “The current state of government contracting laws supports convention, not innovation. Currently, government awards tend to go to the typical “Beltway Bandit”-type firms that have little to no track record for innovation.” With all things considered it is very difficult to turn an old process standard and methodology into innovative strategy that will build an organization to endure the test of time. With that noted, I believe that this is a great foundation for the purpose of spearheading such efforts.
1. Forget Routine
It is not as easy for companies to shift focus from a conventional routine especially when formal job description is in full force. It is important to have an organization chart and flow-process, but it is vital that different departments work together to ensure that your work is unique and representative of the brand that you are marketing for your client.
This transparency allows other department individuals to solve the problem. Crispin Porter + Bogusky implemented a level of transparency when developing an advertising campaign for the Mini Cooper. Traditional wisdom dictated that Art Directors and Copywriters concept ideas for an advertising campaign. However, at CP+B they involved the Media department, and their role is to place the advertising within different types of media groups. By utilizing the Media Department, CP+B was able to develop a creative product placement strategy by providing the Mini Cooper with the exposure necessary to market it well.
Full transparency creates a dialogue between departments in any organization. This leads to a high performance team and healthy work environment. Forget the routine of a job description and allow departments to solve problems together.
2. Create A Innovation Department
Recently, more and more organizations have created a position known as a Chief Innovation Officer’ (CIO). The role of a CIO is to successfully implement an innovation strategy, establish a culture of creativity, and research/implement practices that best suit the organizations goals to move forward in the industry. This strategy has shifted the paradigm of the corporate approach, by empowering creative talent. If large organizations such as Proctor & Gamble, Target Corporation, and SC Johnson have realized such needs, it also further proves the importance of innovation in your organization. Companies that continuously innovate with the change of time are the ones that lead the industry and are naturally one step ahead of the game. Don’t you think it’s time that you start investing in innovation?
3. Implement Standards
As with any organization it is necessary to have a set of rules that follow compliance. You don’t want to have an organization that does not have policies and structure in place. Of course, if you are a traditional organization you will have the benefits of standardized methods and compliance but you will also need to revitalize it with innovative strategies.
Standardized methods and compliance have many unique advantages within an organization. Creativity and innovation extends to any magnitude and without rules, regulations, and other compliance methodologies your team has no parameters for implementation. Parameters best shape creative solutions as it allows the team to think strategically and constructively. For demonstration purposes, if we place five artists with the same blank canvas and paint and ask them to paint a sunset, they will all have varying looks. However, if we now ask the artists that the sunset must have one mountain with rocks, a water fall, birds, and trees we will have varying solutions within the same requirements. Requirements equalize the playing field and spawn original creative ideas.
4. Research Trends & Forecast
Companies do not make it big overnight. They research and conduct trend forecasting so that when the opportunity arises they are ready for the take. Have you noticed that many cosmetic companies have always managed to bring trends back from the past? I see it time and time again, and masses of women from around the globe still indulge in these noteworthy brands. MAC Cosmetics does a phenomenal job of taking a basic concept and turning it into a seasonal line for the year. Amazing. This is not just limited to cosmetics this can be for any industry. Your organization should have a team in place to conduct research and forecast so that you can take that opportunity and move forward. After all it is research that spawns great ideas.
5. Creativity Is A Necessity Not An Option
Why is it that organizations today are so focused on rules that they deem creativity an option? I am a firm believer in creativity – it helps to solve problems and even take an organization to a whole new level. Any techniques that will allow for management and subordinates to work together to come up with a leading product/solution should be in place. Whether it is brainstorming or even a whiteboard of ideas – anything can be used as long as everyone is allowed the opportunity to utilize their creativity. Remember, there is no such thing as a bad idea – it is the implementation and solution that can take that idea home.
We like to think of it as 40% Concept, 60% Execution. Great ideas often fail because of poor implementation.
5 Steps To Infuse Creativity Into a Brand Strategy
Brand strategy promotes more than just your product/service, it also stands for your organization, company moral, and its personality.
A thorough branding strategy helps your organization discover meaningful ways to approach business with the following factors for consideration: competitive positioning, pricing model, website(s), sales material & tools, messaging, corporate identity, customer relationship management, trademarks, copyrights, and company holdings.
In the initial phases of your branding strategy, it is important to allow yourself some level of creative direction to position your company in the marketplace.
Here is why!
In order to capture market share, your target audience must be able to identify with your company. Consider the following such as your competitors marketing/advertising presentation, sales materials, messaging, corporate identity…etc.
You should ask yourself the following questions:
- How have they creatively positioned the brand?
- Are they visually demonstrating their capabilities and core competencies?
- Is there a visual meaning you can find within their corporate identity?
- What about the color scheme, how does it relate to color theory?
Step 1: Developing your brand with emotional impact
It is human nature that drives much of our decision making, especially when it comes to selecting a brand name. For example, Apple’s innovative approach with the release of the iPod, iPhone, and the iPad. They single handedly designed a unique selling proposition, and conveyed advertising messages that created an emotional impact and benefit. How many people do you know that get excited about Apple’s latest product innovation?
Kick Start Questions: Why would my target market purchase our product/services? What is the emotional response I want them to have upon purchase?
Step 2: Define Your Brand
Your brand should consider the qualities that can define an individual. Such qualities include but are not limited to the following: personality, voice, character. traits, and mannerism. It is important to outline a positioning statement that can be utilized in various mediums for your company. Select colors, fonts, and visual elements that match the personality of your brand. Finally, decide how your employees will interact with prospects or customers to convey the personality of your brand. Depending on the business, brand personalities can be conveyed with uniforms, dress code, code of conduct, and training.
Kick Start Question: What are the personal qualities of my brand and how can I best convey these qualities to my customer?
Step 3: Create Unique Marketing Messages
Use steps 1 and 2 to craft unique marketing messages for your brand. The focus should convey messages that not only create an emotional responses but also portray the more human-like qualities.
At this stage, it is important to write a brand stylization manual. Take the time to document the requirements of voice, tone, style, and vocabulary – such that the marketing messages are consistent. Consider providing a few examples for reference.
Marketing messages include but are not limited to your elevator pitch, market positioning statement, tag-line/slogan, mission statement, as well as various marketing materials.
Kick Start Question: What tone, voice, style, and vocabulary are best suited for presenting your brand?
Step 4: Sales Process
In order to stay in business, you need to have sales to ensure both stability and growth. This measure should be evaluated in greater depths, than what is addressed in this post. This step serves as an introduction for your potential sales process.
Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, consider how your customer will find your product/service. A sales process is defined as a series of steps that need to be followed from initial contact to the point of purchase.
This process maybe as simple as the following example:
1. Prospect responds to campaign and requests more information about your product/service
2. A sales rep calls the prospect and furthers the discussion
3. An in-person meeting is scheduled
4. Your team submits a proposal
5. Your prospect agrees to your bid and and signs the contract
Kick Start Questions: How does your prospect go about a purchase? How do you want the shopping experience to be for your prospect? What are the touch-points that the prospect will interact with? What is your sales process? How can you innovate or improve your sales process to maximize revenue?
Step 5: Corporate Identity & Visual Demonstration
Your corporate identity is an extension of your brand, in addition to your logo, business cards, envelopes, letterheads, mailing labels, email templates, fax covers, proposal templates, invoice/statements, memos, signage, and promotional items. You get the idea.
Each of the aforementioned is a touch-point with your core market and should be carefully developed to address the company’s personal qualities that are to be carried out through a centralized message.
Kick Start Question: How can you effectively design each medium to communicate with your market, while simultaneously building brand equity?
Building a brand strategy can take weeks, because it must be planned carefully placing creative strategies as a priority. Companies often hire design firms or advertising agencies because of the creative nature that is involved. Contact Creative Intellects should you be interested in a proposal from our firm. We would be happy to discover new and creative possibilities for your business.
How to Clear Your Mind in Order to Increase Creativity
Creativity can be defined as the ability to come up with fresh, meaningful and original ideas. Unfortunately, it is not as easy as it sounds. Coming up with a creative process can become extremely frustrating. We call it the ultimate ‘creative block.’ It can be quite a challenge to brush aside the frustration and fight through the creative block, but there are ways to keep your mind fresh to allow for great ideas.
The most obvious choice is to get away from all technology – computers, cell phones, Facebook, Twitter, TV, etc. We live in a high tech world in which we cannot even exist one day without the internet or social media. I myself am definitely guilty of this. But all of this technology can burn out your mind and sometimes your mind just needs some fresh air. Go for a walk, lounge out in your backyard, go to the park or beach or watch the sunset…I think you get the picture. Find a way to just get out of your regular space and let your mind breathe.
Not all technology is bad though. Sometimes it is nice to just listen to music and let your mind go to work. Everybody has their own taste in music but make sure it is not something too overpowering. Remember, the job of the music is to help free your mind, not to distract it and make it over think.
Stop looking for the right answer. Most people think that things have to be done a specific way or that there is a specific solution to each problem. These people do great things but I like to shoot for exceptional. Figure out what you are looking for as an end result or a direction to take, and then fill in the blanks as you go. Restricting your mind to a specific route is clearly a great way to restrict your creativity.
Sometimes creativity finds you in the least practical places. I suggested to get away and take a walk or go to the beach, but some people may have places they can go to get their creativity flowing. Many times these are very odd places. Let me give you a list of possible odd locations or situations and you can work on figuring out your own “you thought of it where?” place: in the bathroom, taking a shower, lying in bed, shopping at the mall or working out at the gym.
When it comes down to it, everybody will have their own way of clearing their minds but these are valid options to try out. It doesn’t matter how or where you clear your mind because the creative ideas and thoughts are the only results that count. So if you find yourself frustrated or struggling to find a creative solution, try some of these suggestions out and see if they work for you.
If you have any other methods that work for you, please comment and share with the rest of our readers!
