Think. Story. Experience.

Use your creativity to solve the real problem

One of my first tasks at Jack Morton in New York has been to look for some new creative talent to join our team. Within a week of posting our ad we had almost 1,000 applications, which was slightly overwhelming.

The disappointing thing is that, while the numbers have been overwhelming, the quality of the applications has not been. Why? Because people have failed to apply problem-solving creativity in order to earn themselves a job as a creative problem solver.

So we got boiler-plate emails and cover letters. We got standard resumes and links to generic online portfolios. We got great stuff and we got mediocre stuff. We got emails from well-qualified people, and emails from people whose skills lie elsewhere. That's all to be expected...especially at a time when so many people are looking for jobs.

What was unexpected was the lack of people who had identfied the creative challenge and found a way to take it head on...who had found ways to cut through the application clutter...who had found a way to force us to meet them...who had done something brilliantly creative, but ensured that there was rich content and meaning behind it.

We've now shortlisted 60 today (out of 1,000) and will be culling again before the face-to-face interviews. In the meantime, here are my threetips, having been on the receiving end, for wannabe creative job applicants...

ONE. Identify the problem and solve it with your application...creative challenges aren't homogeneous, so why is your resume?

TWO.If you're going to make a great promise...with a cute animated device or a great piece of copy...congratulations, you've cut through the clutter....but now you have to keep the promise your initial creativity just made...so make sure you do

THREE. Don't confuse having a creative streak (which most of us do) with being a creative thinker at a marketing agency level. I know I couldn't do it...however much I have a passion for dance, theatre, film, music, art, and photography. It's not about qualifications, but about a genuine ability to be brilliantly creative around communication, engagement, and brand-building. It's a rare skill. Clearly.  

Twitter is tipping, and not in a good way

Facebook is so last year and now everyone is Twittering. Ashton Kutcher beating CNN to a million followers makes global news. Every company under the sun (including my own) seems to think the world needs a constant stream of consciousness from their HQ. And now Pizza Hut are looking to recruit paid Tweeters over the summer break.

It's all too painful for words. The world's going to hell in a handcart of pointlessness. And I've no idea what it all means. I'm sure I should have an opinion on the future of microblogging, but I just don't right now. Sorry.

Going to the dogs

One thing I forgot to mention yesterday in my write-up about the New York Auto Show was Toyota revealing their plans to embark on an experiential marketing programme targeting dog owners and sponsoring dog park days in Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Denver.

Meanwhile, Ford were offering $50 to anyone for simply taking a test drive. 

Hmm x 2. 

An auto show and a motor show are the same thing

A couple of months ago I wrote about my experiences at the Melbourne International Motor Show in Australia. Today, I attended the New York International Auto Show. It was one of my first experiences of an expo, trade show, or lifestyle show in the US.

The commonly-shared human truths vastly outnumbered the cultural differences (the most distinctive thing being Americans' greater willingness and enthusiasm to participate in competitions and activities on the stands).

A few observations...

ONE. The primary form of brand experience on motor show stands remains interaction with the cars. Most brands haven't figured out what to do to create great interactive experiences beyond the cars. Most attempts at brand experiences are poorly thought-out and executed...asking people to do things of no value or interest to them. Most attempts at lead generation and data capture are clumsy and brand damaging. And then there are the brands that just give up and let people play on aWii, in the hope of creating some stickiness around their stand.

TWO. People love seeing themselves with cars. They love to day dream, and share those dreams with friends and family. So they love being pictured with cars they don't own. And not just Ferraris, but far more everyday cars too.

THREE. The most interesting things at motor shows are the new, the curious, the exotic, and the unaffordable. Gone are the days when a comprehensive range was an interesting thing, or when people went to motor shows to gather information. These days it's about experience, and the stands that thrive are bolder in their decisions to show interesting things and represent an idea (rather than show a complete range of showroom-ready vehicles).  

FOUR. Curious brand partnerships continue to grow in popularity. Microsoft, Sony, W Hotels, and Wired were just four brands that were prominent in their automotive involvement.

FIVE. Stuff that doesn't work sucks. More than 50 per cent of all technology I interacted with didn't function as intended. That's plain poor.

Some images that go with the comments and observations above...you can make up your own mind which go with which...

 

  

Think more about your thinking and you'll think better thoughts

I've just come to the end of Old School, a wonderful book by Tobias Wolff that combines literary criticism and insight with a brilliant portrait of the unique environment created by a great school.

One line in the closing pages jumped out at me, capturing a truth I have referred to previously, about the importance of disciplining, training, and thinking about your thinking...

"Teaching made him accountable for his thoughts, and as he became accountable for them he had more of them, and they became sharper and deeper." 

Can't talk right now...

This is just a quick heads-up that, in amongst all the moving to New York business, I may not get to blog much in the next couple of weeks. Hopefully I'll at least be storing up plenty of thoughts to get on with when time and life allow. Plus I already have some material just waiting to get blogged...from how to 'do' strategy to the relevance of film production design to marketing. Oh and another rant about the problem with marketing's obsession with campaigns.

So stand by...I'll be back soon. With only a trace of a Noo Yoik accent.

Free shop

Ok, so I have to be careful not to become too Manhattan-obsessed. But this is a beautiful little idea from New York...a shop full of stuff that's free. As long as you honestly believe you 'need' it.