forced to think creatively . Today creativity is also needed more because what used to work before does not work today . In this crisis period , budgets are constrained . So how do you get results with say 20 % of the budget you had before ? Creativity is the means to developing strong ideas that will give results even with a small media budget . Creativity is a means to results . Some companies are embracing creativity , and are expanding and thriving during this time because there are opportunities in times of change and crisis . The market is changing rapidly and consumer behavior is shifting . We need to track this and we need a creative way to spot opportunities , adapt our offering , messaging , communication to the new needs and opportunities . This requires creativity more than ever .
There are several cases that show the impact of Mindscapes tools in not only conceptualizing cutthrough campaigns but also resulting in strong performance . Could you share an example ?
Yes I can give an example of a fashion brand known as Prisma in Finland Europe . They launched an amazing campaign during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic . Their sales had gone down 90 % due to the work-from-home situation where most people found themselves not needing to buy fashion brands . However they found that people still needed to dress themselves when they meet on Zoom . Only difference is they dressed themselves officially from waist up and stayed in their underwear or pyjamas waist down . Rather than completely eliminate official attire , Prisma decided to reorganize its collection and created a new work look . Matching their collection fashion smart official wear waist up and very cosy comfortable wear waist down . The campaign went viral and reached 50 million people due to the fact that it was based on a simple truth which most white-collar workers could relate to : the fact that Covid-19 had significantly changed the way people dressed for work . Results : their sales increased 1,600 % with almost no budget !
Marketing and Advertising professionals are starting to embrace Data to guide
The biggest challenge is always convincing a person that creativity can be trained . People believe that you are either creative or not . Others believe that creativity is the business of the creative agency and in the agency they will tell you that creative is the business of the creative department . People don ’ t understand that a level of creativity is needed in every aspect of a company .
them in decision making . What would say is the role of Data in creativity ?
Data is raw material for Creative ideas . Question is how do we use the insights from the data in order to come up with more creative ideas . The issue is how do we make good creative use of our minds to see the connections in the data in order to connect with the customer . I will give you an example . Google and Facebook probably have the most data about us . But they still use Mindscapes tools for guidance on how to use the data creatively . Being the owner of data does not give the answer . The solution is in how you use that data to touch the hearts and minds of consumers in a more creative way .
What would you recommend in helping marketing and advertising professionals pitch to superiors who are skeptical in investing in marketing during this turbulent stretch ?
One way I would do this would be to try and show them that the most successful brands in the market have work and campaigns that were fueled by a high level of creativity . If you analyze successful brands , you will see that they took huge risks , they were innovative and they took a lot of disruptive creative steps to reach where they did . Look at brands like Alibaba , bj . com in china , Nike , Diesel . Analyze the success of great brands and you will see how much creativity is behind it .
Strong insights are known to yield very powerful campaigns , how would you say one spots a strong insight .
A lot of time we tend to confuse insights with observations . We have tons and tons of observations around us . Question is how do we use the observations and information around us as an insight , so as to say something new and meaningful about the brand ? Insight is a process not an observation . It needs to trigger a new meaning in our mind about the brand , the product or service . It ’ s a creative process that helps one look at the market , the consumer or the situation through different frames of thinking or filters that enable one spot connections to the brand idea and the consumer in a more powerful way . This is critical as there are many changes in the way the consumer think , feel and do . This needs to be made relevant to our brand story .
How has the Covid-19 pandemic impacted your operations ? Do you see more opportunities in the mix ? How do you intend to ride on this to give more value in view of the changed landscape ?
We have also been affected negatively . Usually we fly and do in-person trainings but this had to stop . There were also budget cuts and this affected us . However , we quickly developed and adapted our
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