Here’s something to think about: We are in the midst of a major creativity crisis. So much so that the situation has been discussed in Newsweek and pondered over in education journals. Technology and the starved state of arts in education are cited as the big reasons for the dip in visionary thinking. Nationally, the lack of creativity can found everywhere from pop music to the dearth of ingenious solutions for environmental problems.
As marketers, we see the best and worst that creativity has to offer, all while witnessing the drought firsthand. Rehashed and recycled ideas are arguably the bread and butter of the marketing industry. Likewise the media, specifically Hollywood, unabashedly live by the code of “everything old is new again.” Still being force-fed new versions of the Karate Kid and The A-Team doesn’t exactly inspire the masses to think outside of the box. If anything, the parade of stale ideas convinces the masses to do the same- old, same-old, therefore adding to the problem. Instead, this famine of imagination should be utilized, not feared. The gauntlet has been thrown down to marketers and small business owners. It is a challenge to stretch our creative powers. So how do we do we not contribute to the creative world in decline?
The ideal answer is that we lead, not follow. But if we as marketers are going to borrow, we should swipe from the best. Take a gander at the big boys who appear to possess an endless fountain of brilliance. Why not tinker their techniques in our own DIY fashion to market our small business? Social media campaigns and talked-about viral videos are tools that can be used cheaply and effectively. Secondly, to contribute creatively we should hang with the artsy kids. Don’t be afraid to hire that weirdo from the arts college or the girl with the chatty music blog. They might be sitting on the next great ideas. Plus artistic types can make for great collaborators. Finally, and most importantly, all of our marketing materials should say something. The Internet is littered to the max already with blah, blah, blah. Enough. Nobody is going to read boring copy or respond to bland-looking promotional materials. Well-written, smartly-designed and thoughtful output doesn’t only combat the creativity crisis but it actually gets our stuff noticed, which is the point, right?
You’ve heard what we think, so let’s throw the mic over to you, our ingenious readers. How will the creativity crisis effect the next generation of copywriters, marketers and ad execs? What music or book gets your creative juices flowing? And is there a marketing campaign that you’ve noticed suffering from the creativity crisis? Share your genius in the comments section below, won’t you?
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