Is B2B marketing facing a crisis of confidence?
A question debated by some wise brains from ?What If!, Google and ITN Productions at an event organised by Man Bites Dog earlier this week. Some observations and thoughts. First, does it matter? Well yes according to Claire Mason of @manbitesdogpr big ideas can be the major source of differentiation in B2B and those brands that can best articulate their idea(s) will win. Sounds reasonable. Matthew Cushen from ?What If! summarised the status quo as not so much a crisis of confidence but more a crisis of cut through. In a hyper connected world, with more and more content how do you ensure yours stands out and what are the barriers to creativity? Aside from the commonly quoted 'not invented here mentality' David Keen from Google believed creativity is being blocked by corporate culture and companies need to allow ideas to bubble up. My own view is that the biggest barrier to creativity is the word itself. Far too often one or two people are labelled as the creative ones and therefore you miss out on others' views. Or people say 'oh but I'm not creative'. Well we all have ideas all the time - the only trick is to find the right big idea, nuture it and grow it. And when it came to tips the panel had a few gems to share. From Simon Baker (ITN Productions) - keep it simple and look outside of work at what interests and inspires you. But it was Matthew Cushen's advice to be curious and think like a child that resonated most with me. I often pose a business challenge I'm facing to my 10 year old godson and he invariably comes up with one or more simple yet powerful thoughts. So my main take out from a very interesting event, channel your inner child.
