Being mega creative is easy peasy Japanesy

So easy a child could do it

Come to think of it, children do do it

(Like my daughter)

Children are the most creative people around

(After Jimmy Carr’s accountant)

So embrace your inner child – and PowerPoint – and follow these 3 steps

1. Be simple yet surprising

1. Be simple yet surprising2. Tell a compelling, emotive story

1. Be simple yet surprising2. Tell a compelling, emotive story3. Apply ICE (insight, concept, execution)

1. Simple yet surprising

Lots of creative work is simple but not surprising

Lots of creative work is simple but not surprising

Lots more is surprising but not simple

The creative challenge: do both

Something simple, immediateand easy to understand

Yet new, fresh and surprising

2. Tell a compelling, emotive story

Like the John Lewis Christmas TV ad

– Compelling –Because we want to persuade our audience to do something

So involve them, persuade them and use psychology

(Like a Derren Brown show)

– Emotive –Emotional experiences make more of an impression and

are better remembered

Like your childhood memories – it’s the emotional experiences

that you recall most easily(Cue another daughter pic)

– Storytelling –Stories have always been a

powerful, engaging way to pass on knowledge and communicate

Novels, films, TV, anecdotes, gossip mags, blogs, tweets and

true stories – we love consuming content in story-form

But it’s important to do all three – compelling & emotive & story

Not just one or two

Just a compelling story?A BBC documentary

Great content, but not very moving… so not very memorable

(sorry, bloke from Bang Goes The Theory)

Just a story that’s emotive?A blockbuster movie

Gripping, moving, but it’s not going to persuade you

to do anything

But it is really sad when Bruce Willis dies, isn’t it?

(Sorry, spoiler alert)

Just emotive and compelling?A Bjork music video

Without a story, you won’t be able to pass it on

to someone else

PS One way to tell compelling, emotive stories: engage your

audience’s head, heart and hand

3. Insight, concept, execution

The ‘creative process’ can be split into three –just look at Toy Story

– Insight – The innovative thoughtbehind the whole thing

Eg What if toys come to life when their owners aren’t around?

– Concept – Brings the thought to lifeEg The plot of Toy Story,

characters like Buzz Lightyear

– Execution – The craft skill that

polishes the conceptEg The particular choice of animation used in Toy Story

Oh, and remember those bizarrely named

‘hygiene factors’ –

Great creative is on brief and on brand

And right for the audience and medium

And that’s it

Like we said at the start – easy peasy Japanesy

1. Be simple yet surprising2. Tell a compelling, emotive story3. Apply ICE (insight, concept, execution)

And Congratumalations – you’re a creative genius

(Or a small child)