“It takes the same amount of energy to do great as it does to justify average.” - David Droga

And we’re an industry that spends much time justifying average. Often the biggest budgets generate greater fear of mistake and a smaller share of audacity.

Telling our users what they already know, is nice and inoffensive, but also extremely dangerous, because its not breaking through and it’s not really doing anything for your brand. It’s the kind of stuff that might not get you fired, but it’s also the sort of stuff that burns a lot of money.

Clients are often afraid, like a small kid in class. Scared of losing their jobs, scared of not getting that promotion. It’s the agency’s job to educate the client. To keep pushing and teaching until they’re not afraid anymore. Great creativity is within reach of any brand or agency, but it does require an investment of time, bravery and trust.

If you take risks, it could create controversy, people can ridicule you…but what’s the alternative? The alternative is that you do stuff and no one even cares, and you’re totally irrelevant. The safest thing you can do is be brave and take chances. That’s the way you grow brands.

Kill the rockstars! It's not about the lonely ad man working at night anymore. Technology and the world are too complex today. You won’t be able to solve big problems without collaboration. Don’t be afraid to admit you have no idea what you’re doing and need help from someone who does.

Great work will always be a result of great creative partnerships. And partnership means going on a journey together, working side by side, sharing a mutual ambition, creating briefs and coming up with solutions together and empowering everyone to participate.

“The average US consumer is exposed to 6,000 brand messages daily. Brands invite themselves to conversations where they don’t belong, where they are not relevant, not useful, not interesting, adding no value. …it’s just noise.” - Wendy Clark

We’re pursuing a goal of just more channels and more content. A quantity game. But more cannot be a strategy. With so many touchpoints today we have to find the critical ones and put our money there.

Start with a big idea that holds everything together and choose the right medium. An idea can’t be media neutral, it has to first appear somewhere. A book, a painting, a building…

KEY STRATEGY QUESTIONS

1. What trends from the past motivate action?

2. What are your winning aspirations?

3. Where will you play? (Market, Customers, Region Products, Platforms, Business Model)

4. How will you win?

5. What capabilities are needed?

Some brands are already doing beautiful love letters (ads, manifestos, etc) that can touch people's emotions. But afterwards people want you to show your love, to put your money where your mouth is. Purpose, like love, should be about showing, not just talking about it.

Companies that not only articulate a higher or broader purpose but who also walk-the-walk by behaving in ways that demonstrate their true commitment. Discover the important human truths, set your purpose and then act on it. Be the change, walk the talk.

But purpose does not necessarily refer to social responsibility. Most of the times it just means something bigger than your product functionality but smaller than solving world hunger.

Use creativity to help a cultural change that makes a difference for the future.

Right the wrongs (Skins “Official Non-Sponsor of FIFA”)

Fight the injustices (Always #LikeAGirl, Ariel #sharetheload)

In marketing, our strengths are generic; it’s our weaknesses that define our character, differentiating us from others.

Too often, we try and focus on our strengths to build brands, yet these strengths are well known, category table-stakes (all beer is refreshing). In a world yearning for authenticity, why do brands consistently portray superficial and positive images?

Let’s learn a life lesson from Batman who found his strengths by embracing his vulnerabilities. Vulnerability is key to human connection. All humans are attracted to weakness. If brands show vulnerability, it will be easier for users to trust them, precisely because they’re putting themselves at risk. Vulnerability makes brands more relatable.

Users will become more favorably disposed to a product when negative information is added to an otherwise only positive description.

When developing ideas start from your weakest point. Embrace your flaws, be vulnerable and let users empathize with you. Don’t hide your weaknesses, amplify them! Celebrate your imperfections.

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You can't hide anything anymore, there are too many people with phones and social media.

Transparency is no longer a choice, but how brands deal with it is. Be honest. Don’t edit the truth, tell the consumer the whole story upfront. They’ll discover it anyway, whether by you or other sources. Users are not stupid. They have a brain and they know they’re being marketed to.

In a transparent world, the product or service is the message. You don’t need to make it up, you just need to amplify it. Making users happy with better products and services is the advertising of the future.

An example of radical transparency: http://www.patagonia.com/us/footprint

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How many of you are the bearded white guy in sneakers?

Sitting in a room with like-minded people is the worst thing in the world for creativity, but that is generally how advertising agencies like to operate. Great work is increasingly dependent on diversity. Diversity of cultures, diversity of interests, diversity of age, and so on. Diversity is not a moral issue, nor something that looks good on the photo, it is a creative advantage.

Your team should be as diverse as the users you’re trying to reach. Look outside of the ad world, find cultural experts. Bring unusual perspectives and diverse talents to work with you. Be open to the ideas of those who know much less than you (they may really know much more).

Check out this project that aims to increase diversity in the ad industry: http://www.25fortyproject.com/

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HESTON BLUMETHAL TALKS ABOUT THE IMPLICATIONS OF DETERMINED DISRUPTIVENESS

Every creation, every discovery that has changed the world has come from non-linear thinking. Non-linear thinking is what makes the world advance. 

But then what happens is that we build a model, a structure to explain what we’ve done. That structure then becomes education. And education (linear, conformist) is killing creativity. 

You're told what to learn, you don't get to ask question. 

Why? Why shouldn’t you ask questions. Curiosity is the essence of creativity.

Question everything. Ask why? 

Perfection also kills creativity. The fear of failure... In a discovery world, failure is learning. A non-judgemental world.