talent imitates, genius steals: four chapters on being creative in the digital age
DESCRIPTION
Thoughts on being creative and finding inspiration. Four chapters: creativity matters more than ever; there's no such thing as an original idea; learn to steal and remix; dissect the formulas in ideas that work. I should note that while the statement in this title has been attributed to Picasso, Oscar Wilde and others, I stole it from Faris Yakob, who has used it for years. Thank you, Faris.TRANSCRIPT
TALENT IMITATES GENIUS STEALS
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AND THEN IT REMIXES
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Four chapters on: how to be creative in the digital age
Chapter One Creativity matters more than ever
New research from the University of Pennsylvania, published in a recent issue of the journal Cognitive Neuroscience, showed that when the prefrontal cortex, your
command center for cognitive control and a filter for your random thoughts that might interrupt your present tasks, is inhibited, your ability to tackle creative activities can be
better. This is because your unfiltered thoughts actually offer an advantage. In other words, the less cognitive control, the better your creativity.
There’s a new marketing challenge:
There’s a new marketing challenge: The Scarcity of Attention
2000: 12 seconds
Source: National Center for Biotechnology Information
2000: 12 seconds
Source: National Center for Biotechnology Information
2013: 8 seconds
2000: 12 seconds
Source: National Center for Biotechnology Information
2013: 8 seconds Goldfish: 9 seconds
We need great, attention-worthy ideas
That invite participation
We need great, attention-worthy ideas
That invite participationThat generate content
We need great, attention-worthy ideas
That invite participationThat generate contentThat inspire sharing
We need great, attention-worthy ideas
That invite participationThat generate contentThat inspire sharingThat earn media coverage
We need great, attention-worthy ideas
Unfortunately It never gets easy, but there are a few tricks.
Chapter Two There’s no such thing as an original idea
“There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give
them a turn and they make new and curious combinations. We keep on turning and making new combinations indefinitely; but they are the same old pieces of colored glass that have been in use through all the ages.”
A new and curious combination
Illustration interacting with photography
A new and curious combination
Illustration interacting with photographyEditorial comment
A new and curious combination
Illustration interacting with photographyEditorial commentA bit of irreverence
A new and curious combination
Illustration interacting with photographyEditorial commentA bit of irreverenceDash of inappropriate
A new and curious combination
Art director grew up in the country
Copywriter has chickens
Account executive’s kids went on a field trip to a farm
Art director grew up in the country
Copywriter has chickens
Account executive’s kids went on a field trip to a farm
Google image search
“We take ideas from other people, from people we've learned from, from people we run into in the coffee shop, and we stitch them together
into new forms and we create something new.”
Chapter Three We have to master both stealing and remixing
Note: this is not an invitation to plagiarize.
OUCH!
7 km/h.
But these are ads, messages, paid media.
Social media
Social media
User generated content
Social media
Encouraging influencers
User generated content
Social media
Encouraging influencers
User generated content
Inspiring action
Social media
Encouraging influencers
User generated content
Inspiring action
New ways of telling stories
Social media
Owned content
Encouraging influencers
User generated content
Inspiring action
New ways of telling stories
Social media
Owned content
Encouraging influencers
Creating utility
User generated content
Inspiring action
New ways of telling stories
In an age of digital, social and mobile we have to remix more than two ingredients.
Chapter Four Learn to dissect good ideas and steal the formulas.
Social media
User-generated content
Inspiring action
New ways of telling stories
Social media
Formula: Social media (in the stream)
• Find a relevant cultural or media event !
• Go where the fans are; what are they interested in? !
• Take inspiration from the (event’s) content !
• Connect your product to it
Thousands of re-tweets Pages of press coverage 144,000 followers on Twitter *
A laundry detergent.*
Formula: Social media (in the stream)
• Find a relevant cultural or media event !
• Go where the fans are; what are they interested in? !
• Take inspiration from the (event’s) content !
• Connect your product to it
User-generated content
• No media buy !
• Volumes of free content across Facebook, Twitter and YouTube !
• Brand story told by users with followers !
• Extensive media coverage
Tactics
1000 videos / 5 million plus views / 500,000 FlickR views / 3 million Twitter impressions 37 % brand awareness among GenY / 50,000 new prospects currently not Ford owners
Results
• Create an experience !
• Invite participation that inspires and enables content !
• Document everything !
• Distribute, repackage and encourage sharing
Formula: User-generated content
• Create an experience !
• Invite participation that inspires and enables content !
• Document everything !
• Distribute, repackage and encourage sharing
Formula: User-generated content
Inspiring action
- 12 %
Formula: Inspiring action
• Start with something that would be good for your customer rather than what’s good for you. !
• Spread joy, not fear (never lecture) !
• Create a crowd or community (visible) !
• Reinforce by rewarding (gaming dynamics)
+ 46 %
Formula: Inspiring action
• Start with something that would be good for your customer rather than what’s good for you. !
• Spread joy, not fear (never lecture) !
• Create a crowd or community (visible) !
• Reinforce by rewarding (gaming dynamics)
New ways of telling stories
Formula: New ways of telling stories
• Think about how to “demonstrate” your message !
• Create an actual “stunt” that attracts users/prospects !
• Work across multiple media and technologies !
• Record reactions and create a story
We asked people to upload an image of a friend on our website
Our image manipulators than edited the photo…
…and pasted it in photo of a non existing event.
The participants received a notification that their manipulated photo was placed into the event album.
People could then tag their friend in the photo.
Formula: New ways of telling stories
• Think about how to “demonstrate” your message !
• Create an actual “stunt” that attracts users/prospects !
• Work across multiple media and technologies !
• Record reactions and create a story
Formulas work and you can find them everywhere.
Formula: New ways of telling stories
• Break big things into little pieces !
• Offer a psychic reward for participating !
• Don’t be afraid to ask, then trust people to do right !
• Be joyful and enthusiastic
Formula: New ways of telling stories
• Break big things into little pieces !
• Offer a psychic reward for participating !
• Don’t be afraid to ask, then trust people to do right !
• Be joyful and enthusiastic
It’s about your customer, not about you.
To recap
There are no original ideas
Find good stuff to steal
Re-mix ingredients
Dissect formulas
Think “do” versus “say”
I don’t tell my friends about your product because I like your product.
I tell my friends about your product because I like my friends.
References and Resources
A Technique for Producing Ideas
Where good ideas come from
Creativity Study
Attention Span Statistics
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