Where Do You Spend Your Creative Energy?

I've been embarrassed lately. My last blog post was four months ago, and I was starting to feel like a failure for not writing. In fact, as a person whose strength is in communications, I had started to doubt whether or not I should even have a blog if I wasn't going to keep it current.

However, after a lot of introspection, I realized that my blog isn't so much about me being a writer, and having something of utter importance to say. Rather, it was an outlet for my creative impulses. And, after looking back over my life, I realized that much of my life's journey is plotted with phases of creative expressions -- all good, but none defined to just one area.

I love to cook, and lately I've been doing a lot of it. I reorganized my recipes, created a customized cookbook, and have been working through some new culinary experiments (much to the demise of my waistline). In the recent past I found my greatest outlet for my creativity to be at work creating strategies and communication plans for my employer, before that it was writing, before that speaking, before that...and the list goes on (mostly in a circular motion as I tend to revolve around writing, cooking, speaking, working).

I also found that when my need for creative expression had been met that I defaulted to absorbing other content -- watching movies, listening to books, reading articles, playing games with my kids, or just letting another obsession take over for awhile (like cleaning my house, or organizing the basement, or some other lower-level, obsessive-compulsive behavior).

Okay, so what does all this mean. First, I've gotten over the guilt for not writing more frequently. Also, I've become very comfortable with the idea that whatever my outlet is -- the important thing is that I am expressing it. When I worked in higher education, the faculty operated under the saying, "Publish or perish." This drove the professors to always be writing something -- and it rubbed off on me a bit causing me to think that I had to produce something in all my creative outlets in order to be legitimate in any of them. Simply not true.

I see it this way -- we need to be true to our whole selves. We are not just butchers, bakers, and candlestick makers. We are multi-talented, multi-faceted people with many possible expressions of our being. The important thing is to spend that creative energy, not bottle it up. And, most importantly, allow for that energy to change what it looks like over time.

So, in 2011, there will still be blog posts (I am still doing lots of author interviews and will be posting my backlog of them soon), but they will all be guilt-free. I'll write them when it makes sense, and not feel the least bit guilty about not writing.

How will you spend your creative energy in 2011? What areas (note the plural) will you cover?

-- David Kinard, PCM
(photo credit: AnaMaria Maestas-Wertz)

Play the iPhone Music and Market Your Cause

This is what I love about the human ability -- or drive -- to take a product and transform it into something else. This video, which shows a new app for the iPhone, allows you to blow across the iPhone's speaker and a tone much like a flute emits from the speaker. With a few well-placed fingers, you've got yourself a musical instrument.

So, what does this have to do with your cause or nonprofit? Tons.

First, if you're a struggling music society or arts center, why not have a concert done wholly with technology, not traditional instruments. Not only is this idea fresh and unique, it's buzz worthy and therefore sponsor worthy. A communtiy fundraiser added to the concert and WHAMMO, you've got an instant evening of fun.

The point IS NOT that you need to use the iPhone in your next awareness or communications program. The point IS that you can begin to think about the unusual and find ways to incoporate that into what you do. The public has learned to treat your calls for help as ever present, and never urgent. Masses are looking for somethign to surprise them (not shock them) and give them a moment's respit from the frenzy of their world.

So, put this idea to action by scheduling a brainstorming meeting with your staff and invite a few people who have nothing to do with your organization. Get the sales manager from a local car dealership, get a mail carrier or the UPS delivery person, aks a chef from a nearby restaurant, and how about the kid that works behind the counter at Best Buy. Have them come for a session on how to think about what you do and how to communicate it in different ways. Harvest the low hanging fruit from the ideas and have fun.

-- David Kinard, PCM

Flashmobs and Non Profits

How much fun is it to be a part of your cause or organization? This video is part of a public marketing effort by T-Mobile and from the faces in the crowd you can see they're having fun.

From what I can make out, there are plants in the crowd -- those who are part of the event, know the songs, know the choreography. But what is exciting to watch is how more and more people are added into the mix over time, and many who are not part of the marketing program.

This video reminds me of an old camp song that starts, "It only takes a spark to get a fire going." I wonder what could be done in today's cause-related organizations to add an element of fun, of excitement, of spontaneity that would engage all those around you. Here in Seattle, one of our famous companies Pike Place Fish knows how to do this as they are world-famous for their fish-throwing antics and customer engagement (yep, that's them in the FISH and FISH STICKS videos). Here are two for-profit examples of companies who learned to engage those around them. What are good non profit examples?

Whether you like T-Mobile or not, you can't deny the impact these flashmobs have had. Googling t mobile dancing video produces more than 22 million results. YouTube has more than 40 related videos on their site just from that same search and people are talking, buzzing, and sharing. Not to mention those who participated will share the story offline making individual and powerful connections.

Think past handing out fliers in the park. How can you add delight and amazement to your marketing and positively (leave behind the offensive sandwich boards and negative messaging) engage the public in your cause. Think of the smiles and joy you see in the faces of the people in this video -- how can you add that same quality to your own community engagement?

-- David Kinard, PCM

Managing the Creative Side of Marketing

Someone once said to me that you can't argue opinion. Everyone has one, and everyone is right in their own estimation. Certainly in today's politcal and election drama we see this to be true, except each candidate and party likes to weave their version of the facts into the mix, attempting to make their opinions sound more credible.

I see this happen all the time when it comes to marketing creative. I've recently heard statements using keywords like "industry standard" and "design conventions" in an attempt to justify an opinion. I keep asking, though, where are those standards and conventions written down? No one has been able to show me yet.

Sure, there are many places I've been told to go (pun intended), but for the most part those sources have just turned out to be more opinions citing these so-called conventions and standards. I think what happens is that we hear these phrases enough by people we think should know better, and begin to believe them ourselves. Or, worse yet, we see it one place and assume that is the only and right way to do it.

When it comes to managing the creative side of marketing, I've found two things to be true. HiPPO usually wins out (that's the Highest Paid Person's Opinion). When that doesn't happen, and common sense rules the day, then creative is judged on the following criteria:

1. How will our target audience interpret the creative?
2. How well does this creative enhance our ability to get our target audience to think, feel, and then act in the way we want them to?
3. Does the creative fit into the brand perception and associations our audience has of us?
4. How much are the answers to the previous questions colluded by our own personal preference or opinion?

Creative isn't about us. It's about the target audience. It's about relevance. It's about importance. It's about making sure we move forward, not just stand still or go backwards.

-- David Kinard, PCM