The Delivery Of Originality That Differentiates!

Did you know that creativity is actually defined as the synthesis of four individual elements?

Many of us think of creativity in terms of originality.

But originality is only one of the four elements.

Here are the other three elements:
• Fluency…how many ideas you can generate.
• Flexibility…how many different perspectives you can explore.
• Elaboration…how detailed you can get with an idea and the expression of it.

It’s not to say that the right side of the brain doesn’t contribute to these other three elements, but left-brain thinkers seem to find these elements the easiest to produce.

Some MBAs truly do believe that these elements of creativity can actually be mechanically and technically delivered and produced.

No question about it… Originality is where the highest level of risk resides right along with the highest level of “breakthrough” differentiation!

Original ideas seem to create discomfort among many in management today…and that’s with marketing and agency management included in the mix.

But its originality that differentiates and separates a brand from the dogma of the category and causes consumers to take note.

No question about it, Target headed out into the uncharted waters when it launched its truly original brand-line: “Expect More. Pay Less.”

It was one of those conventional challenges. I mean, how could you get more and pay less? It did not make rational sense back then, but it was an emotional hook that ignited a brand connection that turned the retail community upside down.

The branding campaign transitioned a mass discount chain from Blah to Cool, Hip and Fun and cut across the conventional demographic constraints that many marketing MBAs held true to their hearts.

Then in 2008, Wal-Mart came along with the new brand-line: “Save Money. Live Better.”

Well so much for originality.

But without a question, Wal-Mart hit on all the other creative elements by putting some big dollars behind it and banging away the message.

The creative team that developed it can lay claim to creative flexibility for at least switching the order of the “save dollars” phrase and the “reward” phrase.

Last week’s Blog-Logue was about business and agency folks that seem to have their heads buried in the sand.

This week I am going to nominate both Home Depot and The Richards Group to be their outstanding students and heads-of-the-class.

Today, Home Depot announced its new brand-line: ”More Saving. More Doing.”

No… I am really not making this up.

This is the brand-line that the Richards Group delivered to Home Depot to replace “You Can Do It. We Can Help.”

The article says…”The ad campaign is the result of an ad agency search that Home Depot’s Chief Marketing Officer Frank Bilfulco led last year. The Richards Group of Dallas kept the account and created the new slogan in the process.”

Okay. The Richards Group is probably good at letting clients feel that they are in charge of the team.

The article goes on to say: “The new ad campaign also jabs at the more female-friendly and style-oriented Lowe’s, Home Depot’s biggest rival.”

Is Home Depot the competitive "guy's-brand" because the new brand-line is dull and boring-- you know that stereotype "guy-like" personality?

To be honest...Home Depot has my loyalty right now because of its service. The fact that there are folks standing there ready to help is cool. And it is something that I featured on the Blog-logue a couple of weeks ago.

Oh well...

I don’t really think that there is too much more that I can say other than the Richards Group is probably a superb example of what Bogusky (Crispin Porter + Bogusky) terms as a BIG Monster Shop kneeling before the BIG Monster Client.

(See last week’s Blog-logue!)

For us...Originality rules!

BrandVenture is a small shop and it is my mission to keep it that way.

Maybe my passion for “digging below the surface and unraveling the submerged” and “challenging the dogma of the marketplace with heretical ideas” isn’t for everyone out there in business today.

But…as Bogusky says in his article…”we offer the nimble and fast approach to problems that a lot of the nascent brands need.”

Creativity is what is going to drive the economy, the marketplace, our brands and our personal visions forward!

Its all about fueling brands with innovation, creativity and insight!

So pick up that phone and call us… and come…Let’s Journey!