Marketers: Need for New Ideas is Key Reason for Agency Reviews
The Lexus Hoverboard: this is a product concept that grabs the imagination doesn’t it?
From the Jetsons to Back to the Future, the concept may not be new, but Lexus has a prototype.
“At Lexus, we constantly challenge ourselves and our partners to push the boundaries of what is possible. That determination, combined with our passion and expertise for design and innovation, is what led us to take on the Hoverboard project. It’s the perfect example of the amazing things that can be achieved when you combine technology, design and imagination.”
These are words of inspiration… “Push the boundaries”… “Passion”… “Combine Technology Design and Imagination”…and it’s my sense anyway that we see and hear them a lot.
How many companies can express words like these and then also put them into action? (How many Hoverboard prototypes do you see?)
One answer may be in a survey The Center for Creative Leadership conducted with its 500-client panel in 2014 about the need they see for innovation and their ability to deliver it:
· 94% of respondents said innovation is a key driver of success.
· Only 14% felt confident about the ability of their organization to drive innovation effectively.
The connection to our work in agency new business at RSW/US comes by way of our own surveys. In a recent one, Marketers told us that top reasons they decide to do an agency review center around a need for new ideas.
It’s about innovation — or creativity, ingenuity — consistently pioneering and breaking new ground.
I can’t think of anyone in the advertising industry who does not position themselves as having a highly creative culture, but truly, are you satisfied with how your firm delivers consistently fresh thinking? Or, are you feeling a bit stale?
The talent is very likely there.
The Association for Talent Development recently published an article, Stuck in the Middle: Why Innovation Dies and What to Do About It.
If creativity might be getting stuck in your organization, look at some of the ideas the article offers for letting it break free.
Mark Sneider
Mark is a 30-year veteran of the consumer packaged goods, advertising, and marketing service industry. Mark started his career at DDB Needham in Chicago prior to earning his MBA from the J.L. Kellogg Business School at Northwestern where he majored in Marketing and Economics. Prior to starting RSW/US in 2005, Mark was General Manager for AcuPOLL, a global research consultancy. Sneider worked in Marketing for S.C. Johnson and KAO Brands. Sneider has been invited to speak at numerous Agency events and network conferences domestically and internationally including the 4A’s, Magnet, NAMA, TAAN, and MCAN. Sneider has been featured in prominent industry publications including Adweek, Media Post, e-Marketer, and Forbes. When not working (which often seems like not often), Mark likes to run miles, go to church, and just chill with a hard copy issue of Fast Company.
