Seven ways to unleash creativity in B2B marketing

Seven ways to unleash creativity in B2B marketing 

1. Forget the limit
   
   I was thinking about creating this rule called the ‘What box’ based on the idea that everyone will have heard, or have been told to “think outside the box”. It’s a well-used trope that is almost ironic, because so many people who say they think outside the box, actually don’t. I’ll explain this in more detail later.  

I’ve always thought it would be interesting to suggest getting back inside the box considering so many people are outside of it. There’s probably more room inside the box now!
 
In all seriousness, the reason why I believe the concept of ‘outside the box’ is a fallacy, is that in many instances, all people are really doing when they say they’re getting outside the box, is actually creating a bigger box.  

The solution? Forget the box. Smash it to pieces. Or at least see the box for what it is—just a framework. It’s the construct and lines that set limitations to the way that you think, the assumptions you make, how far you give yourself or your creative teams the permission to go. 

The rule ‘forget the limit’ is about looking beyond the limitations that it’s rational and normal to consciously (and sub-consciously) impose on yourself or your creative team; when you only look at what’s immediately in front you—how you’ve always positioned or marketed your brand or business, what your direct competitors are doing, what established persona models suggest certain buyer types want or need. 

It’s important to push the boundaries out further than you have before. The further you step beyond the limits, the more room you give yourself to play. You can come back to the limits later, but it’s vital you allow yourself to take your thinking further. 

I like to make clear to clients and creative thinkers that it’s our job to test the boundaries of our imaginations as far as we possibly can. Even if the outcome is nowhere near the edges of the horizon we’ve created, there is a very strong chance that the creative output will be far beyond where you might have previously played. And that makes it great creative. 

2. Inspiration can come from anywhere 

This is important: inspiration can come from anywhere. At any time. And in any form. But for it to come, or for you to find it, you must be somewhere. Sitting in front of your screen, at a desk, in the same environment—hoping a moment of creative brilliance will come to you—is a waste of time. 

Being somewhere is more than just going somewhere (although that is essential), it’s actually about allowing yourself to be open. To find and connect with inspiration you need to embrace multiple forms of stimuli. That means stepping out of the ‘lane’ you usually sit in, or the sector, or the industry you operate in. It means looking over the fence at parallel industries or going somewhere new in the landscape to look at completely different sectors—finding unlikely sources of inspiration.  

In terms of creativity, stop thinking vertically about your challenges. Get horizontal. 

3. Simplify 

Obvious, right? But do you really do it? Especially when it comes to creativity in B2B. We all know that B2B marketing and communications relies on a foundation of specialist, and sometimes complex messaging to properly articulate a proposition, a solution or a product. But don’t just simplify the complex in a rational way. Don’t get hung up on being clever with summarising solutions.  
 
Believe in the power of pop songs! Yes…read that again, I did say pop songs. It might sound crazy; but think about what a well-crafted pop song achieves in 3 minutes. It can take a movie 90 minutes to get a message across, or a novel 1000 pages (and 10+hours of reading). Your creative thinking, creative ideas, and creative expression are what you are relying on to achieve cut-through, help you to engage, and resonate. You’re still attempting to turn the heads of an audience of human beings. We’re emotive, and we respond to things in expected and unexpected ways.  

Hence my reference to pop songs. Really good pop songs create emotional responses and connect with people. They convey often complex messages, emotional ideas, and philosophical thoughts in a really confined timeframe—and in a way that is easy to digest. Oh, and they’re often ridiculously memorable. And there’s something valuable to learn from that. 

4. Get upstream 

Find a boat, build a canoe and swim. I don’t give a f*&$ how you get there, just get upstream!

Seriously, this point is all about the importance of TIME. Great creative thinking, and great creative ideas don’t just happen on demand.  
 
Yes, we live in an ‘on demand’, ‘always on’ culture where instant results and gratification are increasingly expected. Technology and media sell us the idea that everything can be created with a click, or a swipe, and posted for instant consumption. It’s exciting, but it’s also a conceit. If you want to be truly creative, you need to get started way earlier.  

Time is one of the most important things creatives need to be truly creative. It’s not okay to give a creative team 2 hours to deliver, then wonder why they don’t come back with great ideas. If you don’t give yourself or creative teams, the time to be creative, you’re letting them and yourself down. 

If you encourage this behaviour, you’re selling your creativity short. And this will show in the quality of the creative output that comes from you. 

5. Embrace difference 

I am an advocate and disciple of Stanford / IDEO Design Thinking. It feels natural and something I was practicing before I even knew it existed as an approach or methodology.  
 
Typical creative behaviour tends to take a reductive or convergent approach to ideation and creative exploration. The brief comes in, strategy do their thing, a single-minded proposition is defined, and it’s over to creative to bring this baby to life.  
 
By bringing a different perspective into the way you think creatively—at the start of a project—you may uncover completely different angles or ways to think about the problem or challenge you are trying to come up with an idea to solve.  

This may mean that what you originally thought the solution could be, is completely different. For instance, it might not be a campaign you need, it might be a completely new digital product. Bringing different perspectives into your creative thinking enables us humans to bring our whole brain into developing ideas that really do make a difference. 

6. Relationships 

This is a no-brainer—creativity thrives on the interaction that comes from relationships and the trust they’re built on. Obviously, I mean positive relationships between internal teams (Client Services, Strategy, and Planning, Project Management, Media, and the Creatives themselves).

In an agency or in an organization with its own in-house creative function, the creative team is not a service function—and should never be. Treat creatives with the respect they deserve. They’re not prima donnas. They’re not just here do some ‘colouring in’ on request. Very often, they are strategic thinkers who want and need to understand the client’s business problem (and their business) to think creatively and develop an intelligent solution. 

So don’t limit creative thinkers’ ability to build relationships. Some of the best creative ideas I‘ve ever seen, have come about from allowing creatives to connect directly with other stakeholders in the client’s business—whether that’s Creative Directors with CEOs, or experience designers with sales teams. 

7. Energy 

Creativity and being creative requires energy. It creates an energy. Hell, maybe it is an energy? It’s the flow that can be measured in that buzz you get when you experience something that’s been beautifully or masterfully created. That’s energy.  
 
In contrast, how many of us have experienced creatives or creative teams who are burned out? Or have lost their mojo because they’re constantly being asked to do more of the same, faster, from the same place, over and over? The fact is, creativity in any form happens more readily when a creative rhythm is established. This is true for any of us as individual creative thinkers, as much as it is about creative teams.  
 
This isn’t about managing or creating time, it’s bigger than that. It requires commitment to develop an understanding about peak energy times, how to enhance these and how to embrace and harness them.  

These aren’t rules or guidelines. They’re things to consider when engaging creatives to help you solve business problems in B2B. 

So get thinking, get creative, and get on with it!