Blog #6: Thoughts on Creativity

Creativity is such an interesting topic. I think creativity is finding a unique solution to a problem, and it is usually the simplest idea that works best. 

After reading the articles for class and using my previous knowledge, I’m going to attempt to address the topic of creativity and innovation as an individual and within organizations. 

1. What are you personal experiences with individual creativity? Have you had times when you felt especially creative or, even, especially uncreative?

As a graduate student in advertising, we are all expected to understand and embrace our own individual creativity. Advertising is known for being a creative industry and field of study. We have “creative” and “account” people who are often thought to be at odds with each other. The creative sequence of our program is full of graphic designers, idea generators, copywriters and art directors. I’ve always been on the account side – the job that interacts with the client to streamline the creative process. However, I think these department labels don’t define who is a “creative.” I think each individual can experience creativity. We had to create “idea journals” as part of a semester long process in the Creative Strategies class I took last fall semester. They weren’t meant to be advertisements, but just creative visual thoughts. During this process, I realized you can’t force creativity…or at least I can’t. I had to think on ideas, and take time to execute them. Sometimes “mistakes” are the best part of finding something original to present. Below are some of the entries from my Idea Journal. 

I only feel uncreative if I’m in a judgmental environment. Within group projects, I find myself saying “Sorry, if that was an out there idea. Is that weird?” If a group is receptive, I feel free to share whatever ideas I come up with. If I get shot down, then I feel less creative because I start filtering what I say. Creativity can be killed in a close-minded environment, but can thrive if people are open and willing to it. If I feel strongly about something, I won’t let the idea get killed as quickly.

One of the times I felt most individually creative was when I graduated with my undergraduate degree without a job lined up. I knew I always wanted to get a master’s degree, but I was determined to work for a short time first. I hadn’t gotten much luck through online applications, and I didn’t have many strong advertising connections to help get my foot in the door. I always heard that you couldn’t work for your dream company right out of school, but I was determined to try. I decided to start my own personal branding campaign. I made a simple website (using a template), and made a Facebook campaign that targeted my dream companies. It was a fun learning process! It didn’t directly result in a job, but I did have numerous people compliment me on my creativity. Former employees of each company reached out to me with advice about how to craft a cover letter to that company, and several people offered to be a reference for me. I also got a call or email from every company that I targeted. It resulted in several great interviews, and a great talking point for future interviews. I accomplished what I set out to do – some of my dream companies noticed me! 

2. What are your personal experiences with organizational creativity? Have you worked at companies that felt or behaved in ways that made them more creative or, even, especially uncreative?

In the advertising industry, most companies pride themselves in organizational creativity. Since June, I have been an intern at GSD&M. This has always been one of my dream places to work, and I love the culture here. There are so many nice people who work here! Below is a collage of my work environment. There is creativity oozing from the walls. For example, you can see walls covered in AstroTurf, a shark jutting out of a wall, artistic conference rooms, and creative concepts tacked up on the walls. I love the layout of this office. In my team, there aren’t any cubicles. We have long desks where we all sit so it’s easier to be collaborative. As an intern, I was able to sit right next to the SVP of our account. 

 
Additionally, the company believes in community activities. During the summer, the interns put on a pARTy for the agency. We were able to design and plan the whole event. Check out the creativity of our efforts below: 

I think the most creative companies inspire open communication, and provide an environment that facilitates sharing ideas. I think closed offices and cubicles can hinder creativity. I still think there is so much value in face-to-face communications rather than using email or text. I believe more organizational creativity happens during in person brainstorms. Companies that isolate people in cubicles are uncreative.

2. Do you think you, as an individual, are even capable of being creative by yourself? And, better yet, do you think a group within an organization is capable of being creative?
I definitely think I am capable of being creative by myself. It’s nice to have someone to brainstorm with, but I think I can go through the creative process solo.  You have to put yourself in an interesting environment, somewhere stimulating and unfamiliar in order to get the creative juices flowing. It's not always an 'aha' moment when arriving at a creative answer. For me, it's usually a series of ideas and hard work to find the best way to approach a problem creatively.   I love this visual of left brain and right brain thinkers. I try to have both qualities, but I know I lean more towards the right brain description. 

I definitely think a group within an organization can be creative – especially in advertising agencies. I think smaller to medium size companies have an advantage to going through the creative process because they have more creative control. Recently, I’ve heard more advertising companies have new “beta” groups. Goodby Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco has such a team. Learn more here.
 


I think if the company has an environment that fosters creativity, it’s definitely possible for a group within the organization to be creative. However, I also think creativity can be found in unexpected places. Sometimes, open-ended challenges can be daunting. If organizations have limits in place, people will be inspired to find ways to work around barriers to make the creative solutions happen.

4. What do you think about the idea of different creative types of problems and, thus, different creative processes? Should we trust ourselves just to know or sense when we need one type of approach versus another? 

I definitely think there are different creative processes and different creative types of problems. Creativity is about originality, so I don’t think you can limit yourself to one process. Creativity isn’t like a math problem; there isn’t always one clear-cut answer you can work towards. I think you can trust yourself to know what type of approach to take. I have a sense of which direction to go when working towards different problems. Sometimes persistence and an open mind are really just what you need. To me, creative advertising is often witty, surprising and delightful. Creative work should be inspiring.

In the creative strategies course I took a year ago, we read some great books that discussed the creative process. Steal Like an Artist was an easy ready that simplified these steps. Twyla Tharp’s The Creative Habit is a look at creativity as a product of effort and preparation. You can make a habit out of your creative process. Her book demonstrates that creativity is achievable by everyone who really observes the world. Hey Whipple, Squeeze This! by Luke Sullivan and Sam Bennett is also a good read to understand how come up with great ideas for advertising. The excerpts from the books below also provide insights into creative approaches.

Blog #5: Visualizing Insights

Since moving to Austin, I have developed a love for visiting food trucks. Chi'Lantro is one of my favorites! So, I chose the Mintel report topic US Food Trucks because I found it interesting. My goal was to represent data from the entire report. I wanted the reader to see the four main issues and insights at a glance. Then, I pulled in quantitative data with visuals for each point. I have basic Adobe Illustrator skills, and used that program to craft my visualization of the Mintel report. I have never created an infographic, but that format was the inspiration for my design.

Blog #4: Personalized Topic Report

As I started to research topics for my paper, my dog Bentley kept nudging me for attention. He’s my three-year-old poodle-mix that has been a big part of my life since my senior year of college. I love my pet. I’ve written about him in previous blog posts, but these visuals show what a big part of my life he is. I bring Bentley everywhere!

So, I started thinking about all of the pet owners that are probably like me – or are a more extreme version of me. My dog is a part of my family, and I worry about his health. I want him to have a good life. I’ve tried various ‘healthy’ foods for my dog, he has at least ten toys and he gets exercise regularly. I also am always conscious about planning my schedule so that either a friend or I am able to let my dog outside during the day. He’s my buddy, but I also felt safer living alone when I had a dog. What do these behaviors mean for marketers and advertisers?

Advertisers seem to have picked up on this growing market segment because I’ve seen more advertising involving pets the last few years. There are also all kinds of pet contests! I just came across this WholeFoods contest today. I also see advertising for Walgreens pet meds every time I get on the bus to school.

There must be a strategy and interesting insights behind why these advertisements were created, and I would like to learn more. I’m interested in learning more about this demographic and the key customer insights for pet owners. So, I decided that my topic is about understanding America’s Pet Owners and the innovative ways brands are trying to reach this market segment. After further research, I would like to be able to give recommendations about what brands could do further in this space. I will use the Mintel report (America’s Pet Owners – US 2012) in addition to current articles to examine this type of customer. This Mintel report gives an overview of the market size and forecast, market drivers, segment performance and issues in the market. This report also gives insights into the consumer’s spending habits, perceptions of a pet’s primary role, attitudes toward treatment of pets, the social and entertainment roles of pets vs. technology and shift in spending on pet-related items. The report also goes into further details about this consumer. This report also touches on marketing strategies and innovations/innovators from a brand/company perspective. An example given for innovation in pet products is DogPacer’s MiniTreadmill. Pet owners that are concerned about their pet getting adequate exercise can buy a dog treadmill. I didn't realize this type of pet product was on the market!

In addition to this Mintel report, I will use current articles to add to my research. Pets Are Serious Business for Marketers is an interesting Forbes article that came out in April 2013. This article opened with “Pets are serious business. A recent American Pet Products Association report revealed that spending on pets hit a record $53 billion in 2012–a three-fold increase since 1994. Will we break another record this year? Probably. Because today nine in 10 pet owners see their pet as a member of the family.”

If spending in the pet industry is continuously growing, it would be valuable for marketers to gather and identify key customer insights for this segment. Even if the brand is not necessarily in the pet industry, it could be valuable to engage with customers that show loyalty to their pets. Perhaps this level of loyalty is also applicable to other areas of their life.

This Mintel infographic (from the report cited above) is an interesting look at America’s Pet Owners.

This infographic has many noteworthy points. Pet owners are interested in “innovative technology that promote, or better yet improve, their human-pet interactions.” Additionally, “almost half (47%) of pet owners believe that having a pet is better for your social life than social networking sites.” Again, the sentiment is reiterated that most pet owners consider their pets to be part of their family. Another noteworthy insight is that “The pet services segment is the fastest growing portion of pet related retail and, though only a relatively small percentage of pet owners use these services, pet owners have proven price-insensitive and eager for innovation.” If pet owners are eager for innovation, this could be a great opportunity for brands that are playing in and entering this space.

According to the Forbes article mentioned above, IKEA Germany built “dog parking lots” which is an Astroturf space for your dog to hang out while you shop. “This move not only bakes the idea of pet-friendliness into the core service, it adds real value to people’s lives.” I think this is a brilliant and innovative way to engage with pet owners. IKEA found a way to give pet owners a better shopping experience, and further differentiate the IKEA brand.

Additionally, the Forbes article stated, “Americans’ deepening identification with their pets creates a big opportunity for brands. While today most of the money spent on pets is for food, veterinary care and boarding, trends suggest a willingness to indulge our pets in other ways. Today’s pets travel and exercise with us, have their own social-media accounts, require stimulating day care, eat organic food, doze on luxury fabrics and even quaff doggie beer. The opportunities for brand extensions seem almost limitless. Like Travelers, Subaru and Toyota, brands that recognize pet love can make stronger connections with their customers.”

If there is a big opportunity for brands to cater to pet owners in the US, I want to be able to analyze this from a design thinking process. I want to do a deep dive into this topic to see the full potential for brands targeting these consumers. The purpose of this blog post is to layout my preliminary thoughts and research that will act as a guidepost for this paper. I want to further understand what is making this industry grow, and what consumers value most from the companies that are advertising and marketing to them.