19 big ideas

From Some of the Industry's Most Dynamic Minds : latest trends and developments in the world of marketing communications creativity.

1. Limitations and small budgets are inspiring
I can be at my most creative when I have constraints," said Anne Saunders, senior VP-global brand strategy and communications, Starbucks
2. Trust your gut - not research
pointing out that Steve Jobs didn't create great ideas by doing market research, multilingual ad man David Jones, global CEO of Euro RSCG, exhorted ad execs to stop asking permission.
3. Think like a band
"What does a band actually do? They create music and they don't know whether it's going to sell," said Chris Stephenson, general manager-global marketing for Microsoft's entertainment business(...) This idea of thinking in a really open-minded, expressive way like an artist is really important.
4. Approach your consumer from a 'molecular level'
The first thing Steven J. Heyer, CEO of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, asks himself when it comes to designing a new hotel is: "What do we want our guest to feel?"
5. Digitize everything
Not just your ads, but also your store, your product and even your employees. Here to help you is Linden Labs CEO Philip Rosedale, creator of the virtual world Second Life.
6. Nostalgia is death
7. Let consumers inside
"It's not about control, but the fact that the fan owns the brand," Mr. McBride said during the Corbis "Who Owns Your Brand?" breakout session. "Fans do all the marketing for us."
8. Prototype early
Creative teams can sometimes get so wrapped up in a project they can't let go or realize it's not going to work the way they initially intended. Making prototypes early on in the creative process helps with troubleshooting and allows for feedback on the more complicated areas of the product.
9. Drugs won't supply your 'Aha!' moment
They no longer fuel the creativity of Alex Bogusky, chief creative officer at Crispin Porter & Bogusky. "There was a time where I'd be working on something where I'd need to drink," Mr. Bogusky said. "The problem is, the longer you do it, the smaller that window for creativity gets. And then you're trashed."
10. Flatten management structure
"We don't have enough managers, and we intended it to be that way," said Google's chief engineer, Craig Neville-Manning, who credited that lack of bureaucracy as a big reason for the search giant's success in bringing new products to market.
11. Market to the interested
12. Go for a brand back rub
citing Philips' recent innovative spreads in Gourmet and its sponsorship of commercial-free football games. "It's slightly unorthodox and [hands-on], but when it works it makes you feel really good." said Eric Plaskonos, director-brand communications at Philips Electronics North America
13. Give consumers some control
"It's highly empowering to consumers and helps to accentuate those brands as opposed to diminish them." said Jeremy Allaire, founder and CEO of Brightcove.
14. Turn Advertising Week into a charity push
15. Discourage sleep
In some ways Mr. Heyer and Mr. Rockwell's biggest idea is to transform hotels into big bars and meeting spaces that just happen to also have bedrooms. "We have to give [guests] a reason to use their time in other ways. The last option is sleep," Mr. Heyer said.
16. Don't be (obviously) big, be brilliant
17. Sit under the table
It's all about seeing things from fresh perspectives. To develop ideas, he followed a child around for a day of play. Noting that the children he observed liked to huddle under tables, the designer ended up eschewing traditional shelves and went with a device that attaches under the table and allows kids to shove toys between rubbery protrusions -- the product is now a best seller.
18. Every day should be independence day
For a recent BMW print campaign, Jack Pitney, VP-marketing at BMW North America, and Roy Spence, founder and president of GSD&M, played up the car company's uniqueness in the automotive industry, explaining that it's the only automaker that isn't part of some greater parent company. "BMW is a very unique company because we're purpose-driven," Mr. Pitney said before pointing out that it's hard to beat the competition when they're your parent company.
19. All creatives are created equal
free your copywriters and art directors and you'll get better ideas and, most importantly in Mr. Bogusky's view, better execution.

source : AdAge.com