Learn to dissect

Anyone can identify a great idea from the past. It could be a story, a film, an ad, a performance. The tendency sometimes is to replicate it.  After all if it worked once, why not again? But anything done, of course, is old. The trick is to take it apart and break it down. Why did it work? Was it a connection to culture? The way it portrayed a type of person? What it said about the user? It’s use of juxtaposition?  Need practice? Just look at the new VW spot, The Force and figure out why it is so well-liked. It’s not about the car. It’s about the kind of family who owns one,  how they raise their kids, and the joy of small creative moments.  All of those can be replicated without regurgitating the idea.

Master the art of stealing

This may seem a contradiction, but it’s not.  The trick is to steal from somewhere else, outside the world in which you’re actually working. That, of course, means that you seek inspiration from lots of different places.  Museums, theatre, distant culture, science, literature. Can’t get all your ideas from watching YouTube videos, you know.  Here’s one of my all time favorites.  A doodle by Picasso that I discovered on the fourth floor in the Musée Picasso in Paris. Gave me an idea for how to use editorial commentary in new ways and apply it to advertising.  Turned into an ad campaign that successfully launched a new product and won hundreds of creative awards.

Find unexpected sources and look below the surface

Miles Davis and Atul Gawande - listen, read, learn

Teachers are everywhere. Listen to Miles and you learn much of what you need to know about collaboration:  a leader has to keep everything focused on the ultimate goal; learn to get out of the way; surround himself with young talent; let other people shine.  From Atul Gawande, the brilliant surgeon, you can re-think how you get people to change behavior, overcome old habits, and cast aside the blind deferral we sometimes bestow on a single “creative director” who may not always have the right answer.

Seek collisions

I’m thrilled to see that Dave has this thought in his syllabus.  But nothing is more important to a strategist (or a creative thinker).  Ideo shows us how how valuable it is in design thinking and problem solving. It’s already become the driving force behind the best new apps and uses of technology thanks to APIs and what we can to with them. And many of our favorite creative ideas, from Nike’s Chalkbot to Sour’s interactive videos are about crashing things together.  Here’s a talk from Steven Johnson on the very topic.

Observe human from different angles

This is the obvious one, so I don’t really need to talk about it.  But the one suggestion I will offer is this: it’s no longer only about relationships to brands and categories; it’s also about relationships to content, technology, media and most of all, community. So understand the latter as well as the former.  Then start with your customer and what she needs, not your brand and what it wants. Even when it comes to advertising.