“Creative thinking ‘in terms of idea creativity’ is not a mystical talent. It is a skill that can be practiced and nurtured.”
—Edward de Bono
“You have to follow your intuitive nature.”
—Phil Jackson
When launching a new brand into an emerging or developing market, you need the freedom to adapt and think outside the box—to get creative. The game-changing ideas that transform organizations and unlock growth are born out of creativity, and that creativity is always built on and judged against existing knowledge.
I was drawn to brand marketing because of a perception that marketing organizations value creativity. I always had good intuition but learned early on in my career that I needed to merge my intuition with analysis in order to get stakeholders to follow my lead. So, I developed and continue to use a merged creative process with all my teams to encourage innovative thinking that can result in step-change growth (see Figure 9.1).
Figure 9.1. Merged creative process.
Knowledge is the first step in a merged creative process. Think about the most creative people you know, the ones who come up with innovative solutions that actually work. Chances are they're not just experts in one field but extremely knowledgeable in many areas. That's because creativity needs a springboard of knowledge to jump off from.
Consider creative geniuses like da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Picasso. They began their formal training by learning about and emulating the masters. Da Vinci worked for years as an assistant to Andrea del Verrocchio, working on small sections of Verrocchio's paintings before eventually ascending to the level of a master himself. Michelangelo started by studying and copying paintings in churches, while Picasso began his journey by interpreting the styles of the Old Masters, but managing to add his own little twist. Picasso later said, “Good artists borrow, great artists steal.”1
The journey to becoming a master brand builder or a brand ninja begins with observing and gathering knowledge (Know Yourself, Know Your Enemy) and culminates in creativity. That's why I intentionally waited until the end of the book to tackle the important role that creativity plays in building strong global brands.
I recommend developing a personalized system for continuous learning and then encouraging your team members to do the same. Make it a habit to read more. Socio-economist Randall Bell has studied the core characteristics of great achievers for the past twenty-five years. In his book Me We Do Be, he writes, “Those who read seven or more books per year are 122 percent more likely to become millionaires as opposed to those who never read or only read one to three [books].”2 Elon Musk is a great example, as he read up to ten hours a day growing up. Mark Cuban continues to read as much as three hours a day, while Bill Gates is known to read fifty books a year.3 Create a learning plan with scheduled times for thinking and sharing insights with others. Broaden your perspective by establishing a cross-functional network of experts inside and outside of your work to expand your breadth of knowledge and fuel your intuition.
Creativity reveals itself through new ideas that are perceived to be different from the status quo. I always tell the advertising and design agencies I work with that anyone can be creative, but “creative genius” is much more than just being creative; it's being creative while also adhering to specific constraints and requirements (e.g., operational, cultural, and financial).
I must warn you that the road to becoming a “creative” marketer can be challenging. Those who have not developed their own creative abilities often find it difficult to “connect the dots.” For them, creative solutions seem inherently riskier because they are derived in part through intuition.
Intuition is the second step in the merged creative process after you have observed and gathered knowledge (see Figure 9.1 on page 238). Unlike the act of studying, which is a conscious, analytical process, intuition operates in the subconscious mind. Nevertheless, you can greatly improve the accuracy of your intuition just by consciously acquiring relevant knowledge and experience.
Most new products fail because innovation is not easy. Creative solutions cannot be calculated using a strict formula. Daniel Pink, the author of Drive, gets it right when he says that creative solutions are not algorithmic (following a set path), but rather heuristic, breaking from the path to discover a novel strategy.4
That ability to see the “break” in the set path ahead is intuition. Albert Einstein wrote, “There will come a point in everyone's life, however, where only intuition can make the leap ahead, without ever knowing precisely how. One can never know why but one must accept intuition as a fact.”5
When you're managing a large existing business in a developed market, there is tremendous risk associated with any decision to do something different. On the other hand, when you're building a new brand in a developing market, you should be operating lean (e.g., co-creating rapid prototypes and using ninja-style research, resulting in significantly more upside.
When you are entering new markets, speed can be a competitive advantage, and your intuition can help you identify creative solutions faster.
Intuition likely evolved as a survival mechanism. Early humans struggling to survive didn't have the time to carefully weigh out all the facts before having to make life-or-death decisions.6 Did you know that the unconscious mind can process roughly eleven million pieces of information per second, while the conscious mind only process about forty pieces per second?7
As we work to accumulate knowledge and experience, our unconscious mind continues to process what we have studied and saves it for future use. Brain imaging research confirms that our brains continue making calculations even when we have consciously moved on to other tasks.8
Elite athletes are mesmerizing to watch because their performances can feel like artistic expression, and at times appear to be superhuman. For example, Michael Jordan seemed to float over other basketball players as he made his way to the basket. Lionel Messi's speed and agility make other football (soccer) players on the pitch look like they're playing in slow motion, and Roger Federer's brilliant attacking style can leave other tennis players looking like they're continuously one step behind.
So, what do these elite athletes all have in common? Why do they always seem to put themselves at the right place, at the right time, and usually get there faster than their competitors? They are all excellent at harnessing and trusting their intuition while playing. Sports scientists call this phenomenon coincident anticipation timing (CAT).”9 In other words, athletes can use their intuition to predict where the ball is going to be before the ball even gets there. My favorite example is Dennis Rodman. At only 6 foot, 7 inches, Rodman was one of the best rebounders in NBA history. He led the NBA in rebounds per game for a record seven consecutive years and won five NBA championships in the process.
Intuitively, Rodman seemed to know where the basketball was going to go before a missed shot was even taken. A major factor in his success was his extreme dedication to studying the science of basketball. Rodman would relentlessly watch game film and observe how others played. He learned how the number of rotations a ball makes affects how a ball bounces and how the angle and velocity of a shot determine its trajectory. The more Rodman learned, the more accurate his intuition became.
The third step in the creative process is innovation. This is where you get to merge all of your acquired knowledge with your sharpened intuition to create innovative solutions. Remember: Neither pure logic nor intuition can achieve “creative genius.” To achieve optimal results, you need to harness both your subconscious and conscious mind. In the creative process I have put forth, both approaches are needed; steps one and four (knowledge and validation) are analytical, whereas steps two and three (intuition and innovation) are heuristic (see Figure 9.1).
Using a merged (analytical/heuristic) approach for reaching optimal solutions is not radical thinking. In fact, many great thinkers and innovators throughout history have advocated for this type of balanced approach.
The ancient Chinese Tao Te Ching is attributed to philosopher Lao Tzu around 2500 BC. The book describes the philosophy of Taoism, which advocates using your intuition and knowledge to interpret the world. Lao Tzu understood that you could cultivate your intuition by simply expanding your awareness of the natural laws that govern the patterns and cycles of nature.10 Bruce Lee famously practiced Taoism and credits the philosophy to helping him beat much larger opponents by seeing them as part of the “one.” Lee once said, “Taoist philosophy is essentially monistic. Matter and energy, Yang and Yin, heaven and earth are conceived of as essentially one or as two coexistent poles of one indivisible whole.”11
The word Buddhism is derived from the word “buhdi,” which means “to awaken.” Buddhism originated about 2,500 years ago when Siddhartha Gotama, later known as the Buddha, awakened.12 After many years of study and meditation, Siddhartha discovered a “middle path” to enlightenment. This middle way avoids extremes, resulting in a balanced approach, being sensitive to internal thoughts, speech, and actions, while also seeking a rational understanding of the world.13
Leonardo da Vinci is one of the fathers of the High Renaissance and is famous for using both science and art to create his masterpieces.
Walter Isaacson, author of the biography Leonardo da Vinci, claims that a key to da Vinci's creative genius was his amazing ability to blur the boundaries between art and science. Da Vinci was extremely observant, constantly taking notes and obsessively curious about how the world operated around him. The knowledge he accumulated gave him a “spiritual feel” for patterns of nature.14
It is natural to assume that Albert Einstein probably preferred logic to intuition, but the opposite is actually true. Einstein famously said, “The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”15
It is well known that Einstein actually preferred to think in images and feelings, and then translate those ideas into scientific and mathematical words and symbols. In Wertheimer's Productive Thinking, Einstein explains, “I rarely think in words at all. A thought comes, and I may try to express in words afterwards.” In his autobiographical notes, he goes on to explain, “I have no doubt that our thinking goes on for the most part without the use of symbols, and, furthermore, largely unconsciously.”16
Einstein once even told a friend, “When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come close to the conclusion that the gift of imagination has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing absolute knowledge.”17
Steve Jobs also believed in the power of intuitive thinking. He expressed discomfort with consumer research not because he didn't believe in its ability to validate ideas, but because he didn't believe consumers could tell him what the next iPhone was going to be. He once famously said, “Intuition is a very powerful thing, more powerful than intellect, in my opinion. That's had a big impact on my work.”18
Like da Vinci, Steve Jobs loved playing in that intersection between art and science. He believed that intuition came from experience and that true art required a disciplined approach. In an interview with the Smithsonian, Jobs said, “I think the artistry is in having an insight into what one sees around them. Generally putting things together in a way no one else has before and finding a way to express that to other people who don't have that insight so they can get some of the advantage of that insight.”19
According to Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs's biographer, Jobs trusted his intuition to the point that he was able to connect artistry and technology to take imaginative leaps. “His whole life is a combination of mystical enlightenment thinking with hard core rational thought.”20
Like Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos is another creative brand builder who doesn't depend solely on consumer surveys to give him game-changing ideas. Bezos believes in studying consumer behavior to develop intuition and insights that can then be leveraged in the creative process. In Amazon's 2016 Letter to Shareholders, he wrote,
Good inventors and designers deeply understand their customer. They study and understand many anecdotes rather than only the averages you'll find on surveys. I'm not against beta testing or surveys. But you, the product or service owner, must understand the customer, have a vision, and love the offering. Then, beta testing and research can help you find your blind spots. A remarkable customer experience starts with heart, intuition, curiosity, play, guts, taste. You won't find any of it in a survey.21
After you build up a reservoir of knowledge and refine your intuition, it will be time to start generating innovative, game-changing ideas. I listed some of the “hacks” that I find to be the most productive when working on creative ideas with my teams. Feel free to expand and personalize the list based on your own creative thinking style and experience.
With this approach, you get to put on the end-user hat and imagine what they would want and need. UberEATS, a food-delivery app from Uber, is a good example of how a brand can benefit from using empathetic thinking to identify new solutions and opportunities. Currently operating in two hundred cities globally, UberEATS has become very successful. The service was initially rolled out in Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago, and now delivers food from more than 220,000 restaurants in more than five hundred cities globally.22
UberEATS invites end-users and cross-functional experts to a central location to ideate and share their experiences from similar services to generate insights and empathy for its end-users. The company credits such innovative ideas as its “pooled deliveries” and “virtual restaurants” that are available only on UberEATS to this empathetic design approach.23
This approach encourages you take an idea that is working in another category or industry and redesign it to solve a new need. The Dyson vacuum cleaner is a perfect example of using an analogue thinking approach.
When James Dyson began working on a better vacuum cleaner, he purchased the “best” vacuum he could find and, in his opinion, found that it did not do a very good job of sucking up dirt, but instead just pushed it around. James remembered seeing an industrial sawmill that had a good method of removing dust from the air using a cyclonic separator. He wondered if the same principle of separation might work in a vacuum cleaner. So, he created a quick prototype and the rest is history. The Dyson vacuum became a billion-dollar business.24
When using systems thinking, you can begin by doing a teardown of a reference product and then recreate it, looking for new combinations and ways to improve efficiency and effectiveness. This is the creative approach that Apple used to invent the iPhone.
Recognizing that a convergence of mobile phone and MP3 technology was occurring, Apple engineers tore down existing mobile phones to understand what was working and what wasn't in an effort to build a better mobile phone. Then, they did the same thing with their own iPod design. In the end, they took the best of the iPod and put it into a phone. In fact, “The first concept for an iPhone type device came about in 2000 when Apple worker John Casey sent some concept art around via internal email. He called it the ‘Telipod’ a telephone and iPod combination.”25
With springboard thinking, you begin by collecting learning and insights on specific platforms that will later be used to “spring” from when ideating on new ideas. This “stimulus,” in effect, acts as a shortcut so participants don't have to acquire an expert level of knowledge before participating in an ideation session.
Taco Bell uses this approach to prepare for its innovation sessions. According to Melissa Friebe, vice president of Taco Bell's Insights Lab, her team synthesizes data and insights across a wide range of sources, providing in-house consultation services to her cross-functional counterparts at Taco Bell.26 Some of the platforms that Taco Bell has ideated on recently include the breakfast occasion, healthier menu options, mashups, Instagram/Twitter worthy, better value, and more flavor. Taco Bell's innovation sessions have resulted in a recent series of successful product launches that include Doritos Locos Tacos, Waffle Taco, Cheesy Core Burrito, and Nacho Fries.
Doritos Locos Tacos was conceived in a brainstorming session. If you haven't seen this product, it's a taco with a shell that's dusted in cheesy Doritos flavoring. Taco Bell sold more than a billion dollars' worth of Doritos Locos Tacos in the first twenty months after its launch.27 The menu item incredibly delivers on more flavor, mashup, and Instagram worthiness all in one offering.
The original concept sprang from a simple question: How do you make a taco more flavorful? In an interview with QSR magazine, Friebe said, “One of the things that we hold ourselves to is that there has to be a reason why we create the product . . . whether we're looking at food culture, pop culture, or looking at conventional things and twisting them up—they're always grounded in a consumer need.”28
Validation is a part of the merged creative process (see Figure 9.1). Use ninja research techniques to increase your confidence level and provide direction on how to fix potential communication problems. Although consumers may not be able to tell you what the next iPhone will be, they can certainly tell you if they don't understand your concept and why.
I highly recommend using a lean process (see Figure 4.3), one that includes rapid prototyping, guerrilla research, fast learning, and pivoting. Don't be afraid to pivot to a new idea. If you determine that your idea is flawed, that is a good outcome, because it means you can safely eliminate some “white space” and focus on areas that have a higher probability for success.
Finally, validate to persuade others. Stakeholders, who are more left-brain-oriented, will want you to prove that your idea can work. Proof of concept will help you gain their trust and support. In The Lean Startup, Eric Ries writes, “Prove to yourself that your business, in micro-scale at least, creates value. If you believe it, you'll find it that much easier to convince potential investors, partners and employees, too.”29