Marketing Monday #8: Creatiotivity
Can we combine emotional decisions with reasoning? Is there a way to be reasoning while putting no limits to emotional inflow? Can we be objective on subjects where we first got in touch with the subjective? What happens when we try to combine creativity with ratio? Can there be creatiotivity? The summum of the combination between creativity and rationality! Although at first sight creativity and ratio might be opposites from each other, at the time we are putting outcomes of an creative process in to practice, we’ll need ratio to guarantee success. Success generated by creativity.

Creatiotivity is the word that connects supreme design to outrageous marketing. Its the synonym for finger-licking products and campaigns. It leaves no doubt at the target group, from the very first moment they were introduced to the product or campaign they were stunned. Time stood still for a couple of seconds, for some it even felt like minutes. It are those things that create an inner smile, if creates an indescribable happiness, but it’s those inner smiles where you don’t know were they come from.Being creative is not too difficult, and using rationality neither, however the combination of the two almost seems to be unique. Nowadays 9 out of 10 firms claim their creativity. But how creative are they? Have they been creative once? Or are they continuously creative? Well they can be continuously creative, just surf the internet and Google on brainstorm techniques, sit together with a small group of people, preferably one Friday afternoons, give everyone a beer and start the ‘creative process’. I bet you’ll get some ideas you never even thought about. But what can we do with those ideas? Do they really fit the company? Or far more important do they fit the people who should go and buy/experience it? The thing we’ll need to overcome is the morning after effect. The moment you realize your ought to be creative output is nothing more than a twist of brain behaviour that seemed to be ingenious yesterday, but is something you are almost ashamed of the day after. Unfortunately until today there are no such morning-after-pills for this problem.
So how are we going to solve this problem? We can’t put ratio directly into the concept generation process, because it would kill creativity, but how can we route our creative flow to become accepted by rationalism? To me there are two possible solutions, first one is the most common way, probably used by many creative groups. Just begin with concept generation and afterwards consider which options fit the best. If none just do it again. However there is also another option, an option to be used when there is another creativity killer, the deadline. Groups need to assign one controller. The person that is most creative, this person is there to monitor the generation process. His job is to monitor, attribute and reflect the creative process. What do you think about it? Is there a way to combine creativity with rationality? What is the best solution to combine it? Or ain’t there any? Just drop a comment or send me an email.







June 20th, 2007 at 0:08
I guess you should always have a controller in a brainstorm or idea generation session. Or you should clearly plan the brainstorm before hand, so that you know the directions you want to go in. The term controller refers to being in control and thereby telling the other members what to do, and more important what not to do, or what ideas not to think about, which is a brainstorm killer. Anyhow there are lots of brainstorm techniques that the controller could try to implement, I guess that’s where you were taking this, right? However what brainstorm techniques allow us to rationalise and be marketing focussed? So I’ve two questions:
1. What techniques for brainstorming could be rationally & creative?
2. Should there be a controller, leader in a brainstorm or do you prefer to start with a group strategy or just dive right into it?
June 20th, 2007 at 9:38
Personally I like to in a group, without any leader, however I think this can only be done in a group where nobody wants to be/is the natural leader. Because many times when you brainstorm with some strangers, some persons try to gain power during the brainstorm and this could be very influential to the output.
When one person is chosen at the beginning, this person will have the authority to control the brainstorm in such a way, every one can contribute and benefit from eachother.
Therefore I think most brainstorms will need a facilitator, some who controls and manages the brainstorm. What techniques to be used in a brainstorm depends on the purpose of the brainstorm, I think there are many techniques that could fit to the creatiotivity, I mainly depends on how they are implemented.