1DISRUPTION IS MORE
THAN A GREAT IDEA
Brad Jakeman of PepsiCo: “Disruption doesn’t
hinge on ideas at all. Marketers shouldn’t
confuse great creativity for being a disruptive
brand.”
Disruption is more than a great idea or
innovative campaign. It’s a fundamental
change of a business model. And that
means brands must be relentlessly agile and
responsive to emerging trends and cultural
shifts.
2AGE IS JUST A
NUMBER
Forget about Generation Z, millennials,
and baby boomers. Progressive CMO Jeff
Charney looks not at age but at “APT” — the
“age people think.”
Rather than rely on general stereotypes, tap
into available data in order to narrow down
the APT. We’ll make sure we have the best
available means of gathering just the right
data to inform our creative strategies.
3LOOK OUTSIDE THE
INDUSTRY
Hiring outside of the industry is a great way
to keep innovative thinking and creativity
alive.
Another: working with those on the outside.
We live in a world that’s far too complex to
allow us to operate in isolation. We need
to always be on the lookout for smart
partnerships. The companies that thrive are
the ones that bring people together to spark
creative ideas.
4DON’T OUTSPEND;
OUT-CREATE
When Airbnb took out a full-page ad in The
New York Times announcing the launch of
operations in Cuba, the ad was shared via
social media many more times over than the
separate social campaign.
Our fragmented media landscape has made
it tremendously more difficult to buy people’s
attention. And so we need to earn that
attention via creative content that compels,
inspires, amuses, excites, and involves.
5EVOLVE YOUR
LANGUAGE
The way we talk about our work matters.
As the industry evolves, so too should our
vocabularies:
• “Digital marketing” is not a separate bucket.
Everything is digital now.” It’s all “marketing.”
• The phrase “best practices” is a roadblock
for innovation. Let’s focus instead on
“insights” that constantly inform iterations.
• The client relationship has changed. Rather
than “agencies,” we should think of ourselves
as “partners.”
“LAST THOUGHTS
• The most critical thing a 21st century brand
must do is stand for something. — Jonathan
Mildenhall, Airbnb
• I don’t think advertising is dead. I think it’s
craving courage. — Robert Lynch, Arby’s
• Young people don’t own cool, growth or
innovation. Products can adjust, logos can
change entirely, but meaning is ageless. —
Mark-Hans Richer, Harley-Davidson
• Content is content. We fall in love with great
storytelling. — Linda Boff, GE
• Flexibility is the new stability. — Kira
Wampler, Lyft
• To really engage a lot of people, you have to
be prepared to lose some people along the
way. — Melissa Goldie, Calvin Klein