Overcoming Creative Blocks, Keeping Innovation Alive

25 Ways To Overcome Creative Blocks

Scott Hansen has compiled a great list of tips and ideas to break out of the dreaded creative blocks we all encounter at one time or another. 25 different creative professionals all give their take on how to get back into the groove when faced with creative obstructions.

How to Kill Innovation: Keep Asking Questions
Sharing his thoughts in the Harvard Business Review, author Scott Anthony believes that content questioning is the real enemy of innovation. Anthony says that “What About…” questions – the ones which endlessly ponder every possible scenario and variable surrounding an idea or plan are what stops real innovation in its tracks.

And what’s the solution? Action.

Ambient or Urban Spam?

Ambient Advertising
Kirsty Clegg has compiled a nice collection of Ambient advertising (my old speciality). Some people call this Urban Spam but I confess I still think its powerful if the consumer walks away feeling like it provided an interesting diversion, rather than an unasked for interruption.

Infographic: Social Media

A CMO’s Guide To The Social Media Landscape

Social Media: Adversaries, Ambassadors

How to Use “Us vs Them” Stories to create Social Media Evangelists

Us vs them is one of the oldest, and most powerful marketing ideas. Apple is a quintessential example: from their beginnings they’ve portrayed themselves as the small guy against the big powerful bully. In 1983 it was IBM and more recently its been Microsoft. The company turns customers into evangelists who are more than happy to spread the word about the good fight, but how exactly does it work?

Starbucks Gets Its Business Brewing Again With Social Media ambassadors
Starbucks posted its first U.S. same-store sales gain in two years for the last quarter during a time when the company relied on digital and social-media promotions instead of what had become an annual TV blitz. The chain partnered with Pandora to sponsor holiday playlists, staged a Facebook sing-a-long and leveraged its partnership with Project RED to drive traffic to a dedicated microsite — and its stores, offering a free CD with a $15 purchase.

Photo Credit: Ivan Marquez

Brands: Cereal Killers

Breakfast Slogans of Champions
A look back at outdated ads. From quaint to outrageous to merely sexist, cereal advertisements from the past century offer a look at the evolution of well-loved brands.

Brands: Google ousts Coke, BK serves Starbucks, Coronation Street extensions

Google Ousts Coke as World’s Second-Most Valuable Brand
Google has become the world’s second-most valuable brand, just behind Wal-Mart, having ousted Coca-Cola from the No. 2 spot, according to analysts Brand Finance. Google jumped from No. 5 last year to No. 2 in this year’s Brand Finance evaluation.
Coca-Cola lost to Google, falling to the No. 3 spot, in part because the soft drink is not as powerful in developing countries as it used to be, writes Metro. “Coke is on a long term decline unless it can reinvent itself,” David Haigh, chief executive of Brand Finance, says.Wal-Mart has a brand value of $41.4 billion, followed by Google with $36.2 billion and Coca-Cola with $34.8 billion, writes MediaBuyerPlanner.

Google Surpasses Coca Cola to Become the Second Most Valuable Brand on The Planet (thenextweb.com)
Will Coca Cola ever be toppled? (blogs.msdn.com)

Burger King To Serve Seattle’s Best Coffee

By September, Seattle’s Best coffee (owned by Starbucks) will be served at 7,250 Burger King restaurants in the US. (OK so not actually Starbucks, but I had a headline to think about. Well done for makimg it this far down the page). The 100% Arabica bean coffee will replace the current BK Joe offerings, and will range in price from $1 to $2.79 with the option to add vanilla, mocha flavors or whipped toppings. BK’s move recognizes the importance of coffee to restaurant menus of every kind, including fast food’s, particularly in light of McDonald’s McCafe concept. It also signals expansion of the Seattle’s Best brand as one part of Starbucks’ future growth strategy – in light of its advantageous mass appeal. Seattle’s Best also inked a deal this past September with Subway, serving its coffee at 9,000 Subway restaurants in the US and Canada.

Burger King To Partner With Starbucks’ (BKC, SBUX, MCD) (benzinga.com)
Burger King Revamps Coffee, Eyes Menu Rehab (abcnews.go.com)
Seattle’s Best Coffee Coming to Burger King (friendseat.com)
Burger King to team up with Seattle’s Best (money.cnn.com)
Starbucks’ Seattle’s Best Coffee brand partners with Burger King (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
Burger King to start offering Seattle’s Best Coffee drinks (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
Burger King revamps coffee, eyes menu rehab (sfgate.com)
New Burger King Menu Features Starbucks Coffee, More Breakfast Options (huffingtonpost.com)

Corrie product line to include Wii game and hot pots

Retailers will be stocking Cor onation Street-branded products to mark the 50th anniversary of the ITV soap. From next month, fans will be able to play a Nintendo Wii game featuring their favourite characters. They will also be able to tuck in to Corrie-branded food. Holland’s Pies is launching Betty’s Hot Pots, named after veteran barmaid character Betty Turpin‘s pies, which will be sold in supermarkets.

Twitter for Agency RFP

JetBlue Challenges Potential Agencies Via Twitter

After splitting with JWT last year, JetBlue is searching for a new agency of record (AOR). Said VP-Marketing Marty St. George, “We’re pitching our advertising AOR. Curious on digital savvy …first test is how many of the agencies will find me on Twitter.” He also hashtagged it #sneaky. St George – who can be followed at @martysg – is an MIT grad that has been at JetBlue since 2006.

JetBlue’s marketing strategy has relied heavily on the web and social media in the past few years; using Twitter as a customer service tool (with over 1.6 million followers), Flickr to humanize the brand, and YouTube to inform and engage with customers. The airline made Ad Age’s America’s Hottest Brands list in 2009, and is recognized as a progressive marketer.

Maybe Marty is doing this to make a defining gesture about JetBlue and the pitch (good on ‘im) but I personally really don’t see how finding someone on Twitter indicates digital-savvy … I think my longwinded friend Jaffe concurs …

CMO 2.0 Interview with Marty St. George, CMO at JetBlue (socialmediatoday.com)
CMO 2.0 Conversation- How Jet Blue Won The JD Power Award (thecustomercollective.com)

The Stimulus Appears To Have Worked

Data Suggests The Stimulus Is Working
It was exactly one year ago today that Barack Obama signed the $787 billion economic stimulus package, officially known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, into law. With the unemployment rate hovering around 10 percent, the White House continues to battle public perception and Republican attacks that the stimulus plan has been ineffective in creating jobs, and it just released a report reiterating claims it made last month that 2 million jobs have been saved or created.

Related

U.S. stimulus prevented another Depression: report (ctv.ca)
Obama Notes What Could Have Been Without Passing Stimulus (gloucestercitynews.net)
Obama hails stimulus plan success (news.bbc.co.uk)
Obama Says Stimulus Bill Saved Troubled Economy (abcnews.go.com)
The Rachel Maddow Show: Duality Bites (videocafe.crooksandliars.com)

Google goes Trans-Siberian

Google Maps v Trans-Siberian Railway
The joint project between Google and the Russian Railways guides virtual travelers on a detailed tour along the famous route where you can see Moscow, the Khekhtsirsky range, the Yenisei river, Vladivostok and many other views of Russia without leaving the comfort of your house. During the trip, experience classic Russian literature and stories that accompany sites along the route. Make sure to select audio and hear the rumble of the wheels to complete the trip.

Travel the Trans-Siberian Railway From Your Sofa, Using Google Russia’s YouTube and Maps Mash-up [Google] (gizmodo.com)
Trans-Siberian Railway Views, a Click Away (thelede.blogs.nytimes.com)
Take a Virtual Journey on the Trans-Siberian Railroad (centernetworks.com)
Google Sends You On The Trans-Siberian Railway (VIDEO) (huffingtonpost.com)
Google sends us to Siberia (timesonline.typepad.com)
Will virtual travel ever replace real travel? (guardian.co.uk)
Virtual Tour on the Trans Siberian Railway (downes.ca)
Google Russia creates virtual tour of Trans-Siberian railway journey (guardian.co.uk)

CPG: Campbell’s Neuromarketing, General Mills Kneejerk

Campbell Soup Alters Labels After ‘Neuromarketing’ Research
Researchers found that warmth and other positive attributes people associated with Campbell’s soup at home evaporated when they faced store shelves. Typically, consumers show simultaneous blips in most of their biological metrics when they decide to buy something. These indicate the emotional reward they feel for making a choice and may help drive future purchases, Mr. Marci says. But the array of condensed soups so overwhelmed many participants that they would quickly scan the category and select soups while evidencing little biometric response. The people who spent more time exploring varieties showed more and bigger simultaneous spikes in biometrics—and tended to put more soup cans in their baskets. The Campbell team figured it could boost sales by triggering more emotional responses in stores and prompting more people to focus on more soups.

General Mills Targets 3 Groups to Fuel Growth

General Mills spelled out its recipe for profitable growth: Hispanics, baby boomers and millennials. In a cliched and reactionary-sounding move, the Minneapolis package-food company revealed products and marketing plans designed specifically for those segments at the Consumer Analysts Group of New York conference this morning.
“We think our categories and our brands are well-positioned for strong future growth because they are on trend with the evolving consumer needs,” said Ian Friendly, chief operating officer and exec VP-U.S. retail. “We’re anticipating a rise in multicultural consumers, particularly Hispanics, plus a growing number of aging baby boomers and the emergence of millennials as the next generation with significant influence in the marketplace.” General Mills also has its eye on U.S. Census data — and is therefore aware that the Hispanic market will be driving 53% of the population growth between now and 2015.