The key to creative success is...

We have a number of sayings around our office, among them...  

1) Don't stick your finger in that.

2) Go put a quarter in the swear bank.

3) The best idea wins.  

While I'm confident that numbers 1 & 2 piqued your interest, this blog post is about number three.  

What we do is essentially a corporate kind of theater - we create great brand experiences using lights, sound, video, environment, music, and whatever else we can put our hands on.  When working in multiple media like this, one can't expect to be an expert at all things at all times.  That's why theatrical productions have a lighting designer, a stage manager, a director, a choreographer, and the list goes on.  That use of a team of specialists not only means that you've got someone responsible for each element (always a good idea), but it means that you've got lots of creative people who see things through their own lens.  

And there it is - the key to our continued creative success, exemplified in item number three - the best idea wins.   That's a lesson we learned in our theater days, and it was an easier sell there because theater artists are used to working with no money, so people generally speaking don't have the egos you'll find in the corporate world.  But it must apply, otherwise you'll just keep executing crappy creative to protect someone's ego.  We hold fast to the idea that the best idea wins - always.  That means we don't bring ego to the table about whether a great innovation comes from the Creative Director, the Production Assistant, or anyone in-between. 

Great ideas aren't great because of who had them, they are great for what they accomplish.  True innovation is rarely the result of a single visionary, but comes from having the right mix of skills and sensibilities gathered around the table collaborating to make ideas feel unexpected and perfect.  

But, you may ask - don't you have a Creative Director who drives IM Creative's creative?  Absolutely we do, and we'd be lost without him.  Everyone needs a creative visionary on the team, and Shannon is one of the best.  But his job description isn't to have all the great ideas (though he usually does), but to recognize a great idea.  When you're utilizing the "best idea wins" philosophy, you've got to have someone in the room who can see the potential of the ideas coming from multiple directions, and refocus them back into effective creative.  

There's the key, folks - the best idea wins.  Stay tuned for another day's blog post to find out what people in our office keep sticking their fingers into.  Sheesh - creatives!