Harnessing the power of creative ideas — even ‘stupid’ ones

In this series, our CEO Debby Penton and Head of Creative Services Emile Kronfli have already addressed a couple of the biggest misconceptions about creativity.

But there is one final myth that I want to highlight. This concept is just as pernicious as the idea that creativity doesn’t ‘belong’ in B2B marketing — and as self-defeating as the idea that some people are inherently creative and some people aren’t.

So what is this idea? I am talking about the ‘lightbulb moment’ concept of creativity — the notion that creative ideas pop out of someone’s head fully formed. 

Let me say straight off the bat, that is not how it works. Creativity is iterative, interactive, and interconnected. Yes, someone might have the initial idea, but honing that kernel of a thought requires collaboration. In short — creativity requires process. 

Creativity isn’t magic, it takes work

To illustrate my point, a few years ago I went to a fantastic Picasso exhibition at Tate Modern. What made this particular show so compelling was the fact they didn’t just put up a selection of his masterpieces for you to marvel at. 

What they actually showed was a selection of Picasso’s masterpieces alongside all of the experiments and earlier versions of the final piece. Each room gave you an immediate visualisation of the creative process in action, with the initial germ of an idea developed, honed, and sharpened over several canvases until he landed on the ‘definitive’ version. 

The experience has stayed with me. Because it was such a visceral demonstration of how creativity is inherently an interactive process. Ideas are built brick by brick, layer by layer. And if it’s good enough for Picasso, then it’s good enough for me.

Pure creativity v applied creativity

Now, while B2B marketing may not be directly linked to the work of the great masters of art, the fact remains — like great art, great ideas require experimentation, work, and constant evolution.

In essence, what I am talking about is something Sir John Hegarty has defined as the difference between ‘pure creativity’ and ‘applied creativity’. 

While pure creativity might resemble more of the traditional idea of the ‘lightbulb’ moment of inspiration, applied creativity refers to that process of adding to, developing, and enhancing a core idea. 

The point being, in most circumstances — and certainly in the context of PR and marketing — you need both. Yes, ultimately, someone has to have a spark of an idea. But without that collaborative effort to shape and mould that initial thought, the idea probably won’t amount to much.

So when we talk about ‘The Creative Process’, what we are really talking about is harnessing the benefits of both pure and applied creativity to create the sort of ‘industrial-grade creativity’ Emile described in his previous blog. 

Enter Think.Bold

At Wildfire we have defined this process as Think.Bold. This guides how we approach every brief and opportunity — ensuring that we maximise our creative thinking and create the compelling campaigns that deliver meaningful impact for our clients.

The process, as may be obvious, starts with Think.

Think is all about giving us the raw materials we need to fuel our initial creative thinking. Great ideas don’t just drop out of the sky after all.

Using a range of tools and prompts we find out absolutely everything we can about a brand — its target audiences, market, and competitors. We then get together for a ‘Thinkstorm’ to share everything we’ve learnt and distil it down to the most important and relevant information that is going to fuel our creative thinking.

Then we pause — and everyone has the opportunity to do that ‘pure’ creativity piece. Again we have a range of tools and techniques that help our people have those initial sparks of creative ideas.

And then we dive into the Bold side of the process. Here we bring together our initial ideas in a ‘Boldstorm’ to discuss, shape, and add to each other’s thinking. After this we apply a series of finely honed filtering and sharpening processes before we get to the final idea.

It’s an amazing process to both be a part of and to see in action from afar. It is incredible how it harnesses the power of the whole team, and gives everyone a voice.

The real secret sauce for creativity

But there is one final ingredient that we at Wildfire really believe in and it makes the Think.Bold process even more powerful — the value of ‘stupid’ ideas.

All too often, creative ideas don’t even have a chance to grow and develop because people simply don’t put their ideas forward for fear of looking, well…stupid.

But you know what? So often the best ideas started out as stupid ideas. 

Holding a funeral, complete with headstone, for Windows 7 was a stupid idea — until it became one of our most successful campaigns. Buying the world’s least effective billboard was a stupid idea — until it became a multiple award-winning campaign.

So here at Wildfire we are all in on stupid ideas. We encourage every team member to bring their biggest, dumbest, stupidest ideas to the table every single time. Because we know we have the process that can harness, refine, and build on those ‘stupid’ ideas to make them into the perfect campaign.