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2005 BRANDWORKS UNIVERSITY SPEAKERS: (click each name to view a summary of the remarks or scroll down) THE CREATIVE IMPERATIVE: HOW TO EXCEL IN THE AGE OF IDEAS ›› Marsha Lindsay, President and CEO of the brand development firm Lindsay, Stone & Briggs HOW BIGGER IMAGINATIONS DRIVE PROFITABLE GROWTH ›› Beth Comstock, General Electric Company’s Corporate Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer HOW TO IMAGINE A WAY TO MAKE YOUR COMPETITION IRRELEVANT ›› Professor W. Chan Kim, globally renowned economic strategist, coauthor of Blue Ocean Strategy, and the Boston Consulting Group Bruce D. Henderson Chair Professor of Strategy and International Management at the INSEAD Business School in France HOW TO THINK MORE CREATIVELY ›› James Adams, Creativity Consultant, Stanford Professor Emeritus and author of Conceptual Blockbusting WEIRD IDEAS ON HOW TO HAVE WEIRD IDEAS ›› Robert Sutton, Professor of Management Science and Engineering at the Stanford Engineering School and author of Weird Ideas That Work: 11½ Practices for Promoting, Managing, and Sustaining Innovation Ralph Keyes, coauthor of Whoever Makes the Most Mistakes Wins HOW TO TELL YOUR BRAND’S STORY ›› On Your Feet, international improvisational communication specialists helping companies like Nike and Disney to discover fresh and creative ways to better communicate their values, purpose and mission: Gary Hirsch, Brad Robertson, Daryl Olson and Mame Pelletier HOW TO MAKE CREATIVITY A HABIT ›› Twyla Tharp, Tony award-winning choreographer and author of The Creative Habit HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT PLOT ON WHICH TO CRAFT YOUR BRAND’S STORY ›› Douglas Holt, the L’Oréal Professor of Marketing at Oxford University and author of How Brands Become Icons: The Principles of Cultural Branding HOW EXTREME CREATIVITY CAN DIFFERENTIATE AND PROVIDE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE ›› Virgin Atlantic Airways Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Chris Rossi HOW TO FOSTER CREATIVE COLLABORATION AMONG TEAMS ›› Patricia Ward Biederman, prize-winning Los Angeles Times journalist and coauthor of the best seller Organizing Genius: The Secrets of Creative Collaboration HOW TO RUN A SUCCESSFUL INNOVATION SKUNK WORKS ›› Lockheed Martin’s Vice President and General Manager of their famed Skunk Works, Frank Cappuccio HOW TO CONCEPT, MARKET AND DELIVER A WOW EXPERIENCE ›› Cirque du Soleil’s Vice President of Marketing, Mario D’Amico THE CREATIVE IMPERATIVE: HOW TO EXCEL IN THE AGE OF IDEAS Marsha Lindsay, President and CEO of the brand development firm Lindsay, Stone & Briggs In today’s hyper-competitive global marketplace, world-class creativity has emerged as the defining characteristic of every high performing individual or organization. Unfortunately, the experiential and MBA credentials many of us have bet our careers on are great for optimizing what we already have, but poor at rule-breaking, game-changing innovation. Creativity-minimizing incrementalism is wired into our metrics, woven into our management processes and baked into our compensation criteria. The good news from Brandworks University® is that everyone can learn to become a more creative individual and every organization can take the steps needed to become more innovative. The first lesson of Brandworks University is that to set our creative selves free, we must proudly and unabashedly unleash our inner child -- the provocative, uninhibited, fearless five-year-old each of us still has buried somewhere under our layers of professionalism and rational behavior. A child is free to be creative because he or she delves into the world with all the senses. Nothing is too messy or beyond exploration - touch, taste or smell. Children have never been taught that there’s only “one right answer,” so they are good at the creative habits like lateral thinking, the ability to combine things in fresh new ways to generate as many solutions as possible, the ability to see more than one answer, and to accept ambiguity. They have a love of exploration and experimentation, playfulness, risk taking, mental flexibility, metaphorical thinking. To become a high-performing individual in today’s war of ideas, each of us must learn to use those creative impulses that have been suppressed since we were five, but that we still have somewhere within us. 12 ways to unleash your inner child:
But the war of ideas cannot be fought by individuals alone; it also requires innovative organizations where creative individuals have the freedom to pursue the next big thing. You might call such a place kindergarten at work. And if you are in charge of managing such a hotbed of creativity, extensive research has shown that your organization will produce bigger, more successful ideas if you model your management style not on the traditional CEO or CMO, but on the nurturing methods of a kindergarten teacher. Management lessons from Kindergarten:
But even should you succeed in bringing out your own inner child and building a highly innovative team, creativity alone will not serve the cause of winning in the marketplace unless it is also used to meaningfully differentiate you from your competition. To win this war of ideas, we must seek out innovations so big and differences so dramatic that they have the power to change your business, transform what your consumer expects of your brand, and even reinvent the category you compete in. Your degree of differentiation has to be that dramatic for consumers to even notice it in today’s cluttered world, or to care enough to change their loyalties or behaviors. What’s holding you back?
After more than ten years of studies on best branding practices, we know without any doubt that an emotionally relevant and differentiating idea has the power to generate buzz, transform your company or your category, and even make your competition irrelevant. And what could be more satisfying than making your competition worry that they’re the ones losing their creative edge? ‹‹ back to the list of speakers HOW BIGGER IMAGINATIONS DRIVE PROFITABLE GROWTH Beth Comstock, General Electric Company’s Corporate Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer “If your customers see the company you used to be more than the company you want them to see, it’s not their problem, it’s yours,” Beth Comstock told Brandworks University. GE’s switch to “Imagination at Work” from “We Bring Good Things to Life” was only the most visible part of an initiative designed to refresh public perception of GE worldwide and drive new growth from within, Comstock explained. The initiative began four years ago, when GE set out to become a more innovative company and to communicate its commitment to innovation both internally and externally. She cited nine guidelines GE followed to communicate, foster and reward innovation:
‹‹ back to the list of speakers HOW TO IMAGINE A WAY TO MAKE YOUR COMPETITION IRRELEVANT Professor W. Chan Kim, globally renowned economic strategist, coauthor of Blue Ocean Strategy, and the Boston Consulting Group Bruce D. Henderson Chair Professor of Strategy and International Management at the INSEAD Business School in France “Don’t compete with your rivals. Make them irrelevant,” says W. Chan Kim, coauthor with Renée Mauborgne of Blue Ocean Strategy, the #1 business best-seller in the world. Based on a study of 30 industries over more than 100 years, Kim told Brandworks University that the best way to win big is to find uncontested blue oceans of opportunity that your competition hasn’t yet discovered. The companies in Kim’s studies like Starbucks, Yellow Tail wine, Cirque du Soleil didn’t try to compete head-to-head within their original industries, they broke the rules to create new industries. Starbucks, for example, didn’t compete on price or quality, but created a whole new coffee environment. “That’s their power,” Kim said. “The same is true of the Walkman, the minivan, the IBM 360.” Kim said anyone can employ a blue ocean strategy. “Blue oceans are about innovation, not technology,” Kim said. “Starbucks isn’t technology. It’s about the ideas, not rocket science.” Nor are blue oceans only for start-ups. Nearly two-thirds of Kim’s blue ocean examples were established companies. “The Blue Ocean isn’t in the far distance; it’s in front of you.” ‹‹ back to the list of speakers HOW TO THINK MORE CREATIVELY James Adams, Creativity Consultant, Stanford Professor Emeritus and author of Conceptual Blockbusting Everyone wants to get more creative, but nobody wants to change, complains James Adams. “If you want to increase creativity you’ve got to be willing to change your life.” Most people and organizations have perceptual, emotional and organizational blocks that keep them from being innovative. Adams suggested eight proven techniques for overcoming the most common blocks:
‹‹ back to the list of speakers WEIRD IDEAS ON HOW TO HAVE WEIRD IDEAS Robert Sutton, Professor of Management Science and Engineering at the Stanford Engineering School and author of Weird Ideas That Work: 11½ Practices for Promoting, Managing, and Sustaining Innovation How weird is this? The best way to succeed is to decide to do something that will probably fail and then convince yourself and everyone else that success is certain. That may sound weird, but more than 500 research studies prove that belief creates a self-fulfilling prophecy, asserts Robert Sutton. Innovation requires violating what we consider good management practices, especially those traditionally taught in MBA programs. Some of Sutton’s other “weird ideas that work” include:
‹‹ back to the list of speakers HOW TO MAKE MORE MISTAKES Ralph Keyes, coauthor of Whoever Makes the Most Mistakes Wins “The dirty little secret about innovation is that nothing succeeds like failure and nothing fails like success,” says Ralph Keyes. Nobody sets out to fail, of course, but “an unwarranted fear of failure and ridicule keeps us from pursuing really creative ideas. Einstein said if your idea is not absurd, there’s no hope for it. The theory of relativity was considered absurd in its time. “The way to tell a good idea is if you’re afraid it might be ridiculed. If you’re not afraid you’re not taking a chance. "You have to challenge your fear,” Keyes said. And if you manage creative people, you have to allow them freedom to challenge their fear. “People watch what you do, not what you say.” As Jack Welch said, “Punishing failure assures that no one dares.” “You can’t have it both ways,” Keyes said. “Mistakes come from doing, but so does success.” ‹‹ back to the list of speakers HOW TO TELL YOUR BRAND’S STORY On Your Feet, international improvisational communication specialists helping companies like Nike and Disney to discover fresh and creative ways to better communicate their values, purpose and mission: Gary Hirsch, Brad Robertson, Daryl Olson and Mame Pelletier Marketing and improvisational comedy have more in common than you might think, as the members of On Your Feet demonstrated at Brandworks University. Both use storytelling to touch their audiences emotionally. Stories don’t have to be just the sales communications with customers. Stories can help an organization align employees and live its brand more effectively. There are four basic story types, according to On Your Feet: Stories of Fact. These stories illustrate the values of an organization brought to life by a real-life situation. They are often stories of how the organization was founded or some heroic action that defines what the organization stands for. Stories of Contradiction. In contrast, these stories reveal actions that contradict what the organization says it stands for. Often, these stories help identify policies or actions that need to change or that are hurting customer relationships. Stories of Possibility. These “what if” stories capture actions the organization really ought to take, but for some reason isn’t. These stories are especially productive because they frequently lead to creative solutions to thorny problems. Stories of Anxiety. These stories uncover fear and anxiety. Stories help us confront and discuss issues that otherwise might be kept bottled up. ‹‹ back to the list of speakers HOW TO MAKE CREATIVITY A HABIT Twyla Tharp, Tony award-winning choreographer and author of The Creative Habit The challenge of creative marketing is to give customers something they don’t know they want, Twyla Tharp told Brandworks University. In Tharp’s case, that’s art. But the great paradox of both art and marketing is that “everything needs to be fresh, not seen before, and yet completely familiar as well. You have to find something with which people are already familiar and make it new. Artists have always done that.” Choreographers, like marketers, have to be careful about how they get other people in the organization excited about their ideas. “You have to be willing to listen to other ideas, but not surrender your own creative vision. When you work collaboratively with others, their ideas can throw you off track. That’s good because it can take you to a place you wouldn’t have gotten to on your own, but you still must never ever lose track of your own goal. Distraction is bad; influence is good.” ‹‹ back to the list of speakers HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT PLOT ON WHICH TO CRAFT YOUR BRAND’S STORY Douglas Holt, the L’Oréal Professor of Marketing at Oxford University and author of How Brands Become Icons: The Principles of Cultural Branding Brand communications isn’t dead, just badly managed, claims Douglas Holt. “The problem with marketing today is not TiVo, branded content or video game marketing; the problem is not your agency. It’s not that you’re not personally creative enough. “The problem is how we manage creativity. All the stuff we teach in MBA school is detrimental to building good brand symbolism. Brand strategy has become so abstract that it doesn’t guide you to the good stuff and keep you from the bad stuff.” Instead of looking for breakthrough creative, brand managers ask ‘where’s my copy point?’” Don’t throw away rational brand structures and strategies, Holt says, but add inspiration based on cultural insights to keep the brand relevant. The brands that are able to update their brand communications to suit the temper of the times may achieve the status of cultural icons. “Cultural icons are society’s symbols that we use to organize the world, bring people together, form communities and differentiate ourselves from others. They are the lightening rods of desire where we locate our passions and interests. Iconic brands become part of the folklore. Creative magic happens when we take cultural ideas and translate them into communications.” ‹‹ back to the list of speakers HOW EXTREME CREATIVITY CAN DIFFERENTIATE AND PROVIDE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE Virgin Atlantic Airways Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Chris Rossi Are you a Jetrosexual? Virgin has the freedom to be different because the airline has “branded” its customers. Insights derived from customer research focused marketing on a singular audience – defined by the airline as “jetrosexuals, the influential trendsetters who move culture, finance, music and entertainment forward across the world.” Virgin’s tongue-in-cheek attitude was designed to appeal to this “life on the edge” crowd. Because they so thoroughly understand the emotional benefits that drive the audience, Virgin “can take liberties that many can’t,” Chris Rossi said. But the key to the airline’s success lies in how the attitude gets executed. “It is only when our unique brand of service and attitude interacts with our products that this unique experience and point-of-difference is felt by our customers.” Your customers may not be Jetrosexuals, but the same rules apply: “Seek customer insight. Stay true to your brand. Respect the intelligence of your customer and be in unexpected places. If your communications and brand are sufficiently differentiated you don’t have to make the logo bigger.” ‹‹ back to the list of speakers HOW TO FOSTER CREATIVE COLLABORATION AMONG TEAMS Patricia Ward Biederman, prize-winning Los Angeles Times journalist and coauthor of the best seller Organizing Genius: The Secrets of Creative Collaboration Innovative organizations have common traits says Patricia Ward Biederman.
‹‹ back to the list of speakers HOW TO RUN A SUCCESSFUL INNOVATION SKUNK WORKS Lockheed Martin’s Vice President and General Manager of their famed Skunk Works, Frank Cappuccio If you want to lead an innovative organization, you have to put the organization’s interest ahead of your own career, says Frank Cappuccio. “What price are you willing to pay for leading innovative people? Can you give up the credit? Give up your identity?” Those are critical questions for leaders in all creative organizations. Lockheed’s Skunk Works designs aircraft and rockets, but the same principles can apply to marketing, new product development or anything else in need of intense innovation. A skunk works is:
To run a successful skunk works, surround yourself with people who are smarter and more creative than you, then set outrageously ambitious goals for them and give them the freedom to take risks. Give them all the credit when they succeed and protect them from the consequences when they fail. Cappuccio’s Ten Paradoxical Commandments of Leadership:
‹‹ back to the list of speakers HOW TO CONCEPT, MARKET AND DELIVER A WOW EXPERIENCE Cirque du Soleil’s Vice President of Marketing, Mario D’Amico More than 42 million people have attended a live Cirque du Soleil show in the past 20 years, making Cirque du Soleil the most successful performance company in history. For all of that, there is nothing secret about Circle du Soleil’s astonishing worldwide success, Mario D’Amico told Brandworks University. “You have to relentlessly reinvent everything you have already reinvented.” The creative challenge for Cirque du Soleil is similar to that facing any packaged goods or manufacturing company that needs to create and sustain relevant differentiation. “You have to give people credit for having intelligence and soul. Engage them on a profound psychological and emotional level.” And then keep the experience fresh by relentlessly reinventing everything. “The key to success is to maintain the delicate balance between art and commerce. The bigger companies get, the more corporate they get and the less they take risks. We take risks every day because that is the only kind of business we know.” Like consumers of any product or service, “Cirque du Soleil audiences don’t just want to be entertained or to escape. They want their hopes and dreams revived. We have to continually ask where does that emotion come from and how do we tap into it? ” |
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