Posts tagged creativity

PressPausePlay - A documentary about hope, fear and digital culture

The digital revolution of the last decade has unleashed creativity and talent in an unprecedented way, with unlimited opportunities. 

But does democratized culture mean better art or is true talent instead drowned out? This is the question addressed by PressPausePlay, a documentary film containing interviews with some of the world’s most influential creators of the digital era.

The film features dialogue from a wide variety of creative people such as Moby, Hot Chip, Robyn, media pundits, writers, and even basement film and music makers. It accurately depicts the perspective and artistic mindset of our generation of creators. Expressing many thought-provoking and contrasting ideas, it provides alternative views of the current state of music, film and its impact on our culture.

Check it out!

Wise words from John Jay (W+K) about getting out of your comfort zone.

“Put yourselves into unusual situations. Put yourselves into unusual cultures where you don’t belong. Put yourselves among people that you don’t normally hang out with…[Get] out of your comfort zone, culturally..”

I love that quote! I think it’s so relevant to what we do. As a planner, you need to be okay with getting out of your comfort zone. You need to be willing to take a step into the unknown. You need to be open-minded and able to put yourself into the shoes of the consumer. Only then will you be able to see the world through their eyes.

I spend a lot of time thinking about people so very different from myself. I’m working on brands that play a key role in their lives. To be able to truly understand these consumers, we need to get inside their head and understand what makes them tick. One way we do this is by spending time with them. We might spend the afternoon shopping with them. Or we might chat with them for 3 or 4 hours in their homes. We do this because it allows us to get a clearer picture about how they live their lives. It’s quite voyeuristic when you think about it.

A lot of the time, I’m hanging out with people that I wouldn’t normally hang out with. People so very different from myself. I love that! Not only do you get to meet lots of interesting people, but it makes you see things from a totally new perspective. It can be surprising. It can be shocking. More often than not, it’s eye-opening! You learn so much from people who are so different from yourself. We all come from very different places, and we all have a unique story to tell. It’s a beautiful thing.

We all want to be young.

Another wicked movie for all you young planner/creative types to check out. The movie “We All Want to Be Young” is all about today’s young generation and is the outcome of several studies developed over the past 5 years.

The movie was created by BOX1824, a Brazilian research company specialising in behavioral sciences and consumer trends.

INFLUENCERS 

Influencers is a short documentary that explores what it means to be an influencer and how trends and creativity become contagious today in music, fashion and entertainment.

The film attempts to understand the essence of influence, what makes a person influential without taking a statistical or metric approach.

I watched this late last year. It’s beautifully filmed and produced. If you’re in the creative industry, do not miss out on watching this. It’s wicked. Watching this just makes me want to move to New York City..

Planning guru Jon Steel on what he values most in a Planner.

BE USEFUL.
It’s your job to be useful. It’s not about being the cleverest person in the room. Cleverness is simply a means to an end. A planner should have the ability to solve problems, and the ability to suggest simple solutions to those problems. 

BRING OUT THE BEST IN PEOPLE.
A planner should bring out the best in other people. It’s not about being the one who comes up with the idea. It’s your role to be the catalyst for those ideas. Put your ego aside. You are there to bring out the best ideas in others.

EXPERIENCE REAL LIFE.
You have to understand deeper human instincts and motivations. It’s essential that you experience real life. Spend a decent amount of real life out there in the real world. Riding busses, in stores, in bars, in car dealerships. Anywhere where people are thinking about and relating to the brands you’re working on. There’s no substitute for being out there in the real world, interacting with the people you’re trying to understand and influence. It’ll give you a broader frame of reference from which you can begin to make connections.

DONT THINK ABOUT AUDIENCES. THINK ABOUT INDIVIDUALS.
People say planning has to change because advertising has changed. The mediums have changed and everything is digital now. This is completely wrong. Whether it’s an analogue world or a digital world, the key to success is understanding the basics of human communication. In order to most effectively influence a group of people, you don’t target them. Rather, you engage them as ‘willing accomplices’. It’s the planner’s job in the agency to engage members of the target audience as willing accomplices, both in the process of developing the advertising campaign and also in the execution. It’s the planner’s job not to think about audiences, but instead to think about individuals.