Marty Kohr

I offer a comment on our creative process here at DDB Chicago. It's very late Tuesday night and it will be a lot later before all go home. There's a group of very talented people getting ready to present new campaign ideas tomorrow to Budweiser and the following day to Bud Light. They've worked all through the Labor Day holiday and sacrificed good times with family and friends and missed out on some of the best weather Chicago has to offer. Why? Because they truely care about their brand, their client and their agency. There's no secret to the process. It's plain and simple... talented people who care and work hard.

Posted by Marty Kohr | September 5, 2007 2:10 AM

jappreet kitty

between passages of inspiration and solutions, we often fumble upon a creative break through, it can be in the form of a strategy, a creative source, an insight well pronounced or maybe a visual that breaks the monotony of the expected. creative does not need a definition. creative can be anything, a flower that tilted in the vase, or the well dramatised art directed commercial. and because creative is so fluid, it can allow almost anything to inspire it.

Posted by jappreet kitty | September 5, 2007 5:02 AM

André Amaral

A pertinent quote says that creativity is just like a beard: you only have it if you let it grow. So keep away from all the scissor-holding folks around and have fun, man. Plain and simple.

Posted by André Amaral | September 5, 2007 1:57 PM

JOller

To create new and meaningful ideas in our business, is to connect brands and people in search for a life-lasting relationship at the same time. We must not move our eyes from the laser beam dot, green or yellow: to ignite brands that may create loyalty, emotionally turbo-charged away from specs, characteristics and information. We're the ultimate connectors, fueled with transformational ideas. DDB: congratulations on your new corporate identity.

Posted by JOller | September 6, 2007 2:17 PM

nemrut

There is no glory in sacrificing one's health and personal life for a company. All this rah-rah nonsense to motivate the troops to maximize shareholder value is a complete sham. People who buy into this charade are typically left out in the rain when corporate profits to not meet expecations...where is the loyalty then?

Posted by nemrut | September 6, 2007 7:57 PM

The Denver Egotist

fret not DDB and beyond, find daily inspiration here: www.thedenveregotist.com

Posted by The Denver Egotist | September 7, 2007 10:54 PM

JP

nemrut, you sound like you need to quit your "job" and find a "career". People who love what they do typically do not share your cynical POV. My guess is you do not work at DDB...

Posted by JP | September 8, 2007 8:10 PM

JP

JP. You sound like the kind of person who has a strong opinion when masked by anonymity. My guess is you are less strident in real life.

Posted by JP | September 10, 2007 3:46 AM

Charles Frith

Now my identity is playing up. This should be more accurate.

Posted by Charles Frith | September 10, 2007 3:48 AM

Tim Dorsey

To be creative you have to be able to take in, and learn something from, every second of every day you walk this earth. Our ideas and our actions upon those ideas are the only true thing driving us toward another meaningful day. Without revelation, without utilization, we are left with self doubt in who we are, why we are, and what we will be. Each day would be just as fruitless as the last. An uncultivated idea is the worst idea of all. Everything has potential. Every person you meet, every instance you witness, every second you breathe is just one thought or one action away from creativity.

Posted by Tim Dorsey | September 10, 2007 2:51 PM

Tim Dorsey

A letter to Anheuser-Busch

Dear Mr. Busch,

I writing to say thank you for this weekend. I mean who else could have known that my mother in-law was flying in; or that she would feel our bed was going to be more aesthetically pleasing for her and her 4 cats? Could anyone else have guessed that she was going to criticize my job and the way I dress, and talk about all my wifes old love interests... all 3 days? I charge anyone to find another person who knows me as you do Mr. Busch. And, once again I thank you sir.
Sincerely,
John Wright

Posted by Tim Dorsey | September 10, 2007 3:32 PM

Tim Dorsey

A letter to Anheuser-Busch

Dear Mr. Busch,

I ran into those guys at the bar again. You know the ones I was telling you about who keep recounting that time they were stuck to a 10 story beer monster... but then they jumped off (with hundreds of other people) and went to the bar to be all unique. Well they got me thinking. First, how cool would a beer monster be? I mean seriously, a beer monster, that's sweet. And second, wouldn't that just make another beer monster? Only this one would wear knock-off suits and never have anything of substance to talk about, so it's constantly asking other beer monsters how their 401k is looking. Anyway, just wanted to say thank you again for getting me through that. I really owe you one.

John

Posted by Tim Dorsey | September 10, 2007 3:50 PM

jappreet kitty

i always say this aloud, many many times, and often come close to sounding like a broken record stuck for some godforsaken reason. we dont need to break our backs to create good work, we dont need to be martyrs, give up a life, family and some memories we will never have to create good work. we dont need to. what we need to is be interesting people, only interesting people tell interesting stories, create interesting work, meet people you wouldnt generally, go places you dont, explore that lil quaint shop you ignored or take a ride on that bus today, you cannot do any of it if you are going give yourself medallions for spending your life in your office. bring back a lil something extra everyday to your life.

Posted by jappreet kitty | September 11, 2007 7:54 AM

shirvan sagar

If you want to make millions, you need to set up an appointment with me to give me the opportunity to present my ideas for some commercials. I have a couple of really good ideas for products ranging from sneakers, to cars to beverages. If you don't take me seriously and want to sacrifice 10 minutes from your day, it's your loss. One day I'll be making a company millions, and you'll want to kick yourself in the head knowing that it could have been you.

Posted by shirvan sagar | September 13, 2007 9:31 PM

REJ

Do I like the DDB corporate ID & website? Mmmm, not so much. Is it an improvement from the last site? ANYTHING would have been an improvement.

But seriously, I still love the work, and the Clorox stuff coming out of your SF office is headturning. Love it.

Posted by REJ | September 16, 2007 11:48 PM

Evil Niko

From the home page:

"Along the way we aim to be the world's most influential communications company."

Who cares what OUR "aim" is? Our "aim" should be to improve our "CLIENTS" business.

Posted by Evil Niko | September 17, 2007 2:40 AM

T Dorsey

Q: Are you really worried about making millions when you could be making sense?

Interview available upon request

Posted by T Dorsey | September 21, 2007 5:09 PM

tuncer atalay

dear sir,

I'll.

bye

Posted by tuncer atalay | September 24, 2007 11:58 AM

oh wow

My man you haven't updated your blog in a very long time. Could it be that you are just another leach in the advertising industry that has jumped on the bandwagon?

Posted by oh wow | September 28, 2007 6:22 PM

I can't be ignored

Ok. So the painter pulls his van into the driveway. He gets his tools and makes his way to the house, where his customer lets him in. 20 minutes into his job, he hears two guys screaming at their 50" hd plasma tv. The painter looks at the tv and sees Tom Brady of the Patriots throw a hail mary to Randy Moss. In the background, one of the guys are screaming "he can go all the way." Randy Moss makes it into the end zone, and they win the game, defeating the New York Jets. What a play, the painter thinks to himself, as he finishes up his job. The next day, as he is hanging out with two of his buddies, he asked them if they had seen the game. One of them says no, and the painter tells him wow, you miss a hell of a game. His other buddy asks him what is he talking about, that the Patriots and Jets did not play yesterday. The painter insists that they did, that he saw it with his own eyes. His friend tells him maybe you dreamt it, that neither of those teams played yesterday. The painter shrugs him off, saying he knows what he saw. The painter went home that night, and called a couple of his buddies, and also asked them about the game. They all said the same thing, that neither of those teams had played the day before. Determined to prove them wrong, he went back to the clients house where he saw the game to get their word that the Jets and Patriots played each other on the Monday that passed. The painter rings the doorbell, and one of the guys came out. He told them that was a great win the Patriots had over the Jets on the day he painted the house. The guy asked, "What game? What game are you talking about?" The painter tells him the game where Tom brady throws the hail mary to Randy Moss and he scores and they win. The painter exclaims, " I saw it, right here, when i was painting your wall. That was an amazing play!" The guy laughs and says,"Yeah, it was an amazing play, the Patriots deserved that win, but it wasn't a real game. My buddy and I were playing madden '08 on our xbox 360, thats the game you saw. Its too real!

Posted by I can't be ignored | September 30, 2007 11:59 PM

i can't be ignored

The commercial ends, and the xbox logo comes and and you hear the narrator say " Xbox 360, its too real!"

You can used this commercial to market either the xbox 360 or the ps3. You can also market the new game madden '08 if you decided to release a commercial with this type of content around the same time the game dropped. If you wanted you could even try and market Hd tvs, by stating the facts that it displays a more clear picture.

Well that's it, I just wanted to let you know that I will be the next creative genius in the marketing industry. Please excuse all gramtical errors, I'm hungry and I just wanted to prove to everybody that I am talented. So go ahead, make millions on this idea, change it around, try and make it your own. I didn't patent this idea, its a throw away idea of mine. There's tons more of these, with the same creativtiy and brilliance, and some with even more. Want to contact me, no1advertising@aol.com. I can't be ignored, if you won't hire me, mark my words, I plan to come in and dominate the marketing industry. By the way, I'm only 20 years old, majoring in marketing and advertising, no college degree yet, but hundreds of brilliant ideas put away in a book of mine.

Posted by i can't be ignored | October 1, 2007 12:04 AM

I can't be ignored

I just wanted to state one more thing. Many of my ideas can be applied to basically any product that's being advertised on tv right now as I type this. For instance, shoes, beer, beverages, cars, practically anything. I know some of you are going to mock my typos, only because of the fact that I stated I'm young with no college degree yet, but I'm enrolled in college working very hard at it. Also, if you decide to mock me, it's because you know my idea is a good one.

Posted by I can't be ignored | October 1, 2007 12:13 AM

treehaus

If you think you hear the harmony, sing the melody.

Posted by treehaus | October 2, 2007 10:50 PM

Dwayne M. Johnson

When I think of creative I think inspiring, moving, uplifting. whether it be an image, a printed brochure, a commerical, it captivates the viewer and moves them from a place of interest to involvement!

Dwayne

Posted by Dwayne M. Johnson | October 3, 2007 8:23 PM

PO'C

Creativity is discipline, focus and craft applied in media to communicate. In pure art the process is to capture an autobiographical aesthetic -- it is creator-focused. In commercial communication the process applies the creative crafts to maximize human contact -- it is audience-focused. The creative process for both is the same: problem solving.

"Advertising advertises advertising," McLuan said, explaining why so much of it sucks. As in "mirror mirror on the wall...." Self-indulgent novelty and sophmoric edginess purport to be the means to "great work" -- measured in hoped-for advertising industry awards. But in much great work (in whatever milieu)the craft and the creator seem to vanish in the resonance of a devised shared experience. Bringing about the human experience of standing together in a warm shared space amid the cacophony of dehumanizing anonymous cold clutter is the Big Medicine of advertising -- and that which causes the awards to rain like the monsoon.

In short, creativity is not about creatives inwardly turned; it is the effective alchemy of outwardly moving expression targeted to a pre-determined audience. Master crafts people are masters, and wannabes tend to fake it and talk the talk.

Posted by PO'C | October 7, 2007 2:00 AM

Bob

Wow, we do have a lively debate going here.

Some very interesting thoughts and comments.

P O'C, you've said it well: the best ideas in our business come from the truth. The truth of the product or the truth of the people we are trying to communicate with.

I have been flying all over the place lately, always trying to find inspiration wherever I can. Met a very interesting young artist in Beijing. She was born there but lives and works in NY these days. She is working on a very exciting and high profile project in China. Most of her work challenges convention in many ways. But in working on this particular project, she said "sometimes it's more important to work within expectations" than to defy expectations. Or as Wynton Marsalis once told a group of us: "It ain't unless people dig it". Pretty good advice, I think. I just hope I'm not being another "leach" with this post, "oh wow", although I admit I'm not an experienced blogger yet.

Posted by Bob | October 8, 2007 8:55 AM

bob

My memory is a little foggy.

I believe the quote was more along the lines: "It can't be weird just to be weird, man. People have to dig it." That's the way Wynton Marsalis said he approached his music and creativity.

Posted by bob | October 8, 2007 9:02 AM

Larry Laganelli

Creativity is as natural as breathing its the essense of human nature. In so much as it is natural, it requires the proper environmemt and can demonstrate its self in a wide spectrum of emotions. creativity is simbiotic, it attaches its self accordingly.

Posted by Larry Laganelli | October 12, 2007 5:25 PM

Rachel Cheung

I think Bob is right, "Sometimes it's more important to work within expectations" ...this is I believe what creativity is. Too often, the word itself has been quite misunderstood. Creativity is not how wild, how unique, how innovative, how many different ideas you can come up with. Working within constraints usually is when the most creative ideas/ execution comes about. You can't just keep producing ideas because that's not creativity. It is how you turn an insight into an idea that could be executed in such a way that's fresh, captivating, and said in a way never before, that's creative...and ideally, what you want to get to is that the receiver (target audience) will want to see the commercial/ ad over and over again.

Posted by Rachel Cheung | October 12, 2007 11:07 PM

Objessecefe

Hello.
I need some help

Posted by Objessecefe | October 17, 2007 6:02 AM

mediapro

Hey ICBI,

Interesting little screenplay. neat idea. But try packaging it into 29 seconds and 26 frames. Try storyboarding that Idea to see how it could actually be told visually.

I believe you could dominate the market, but you'll have to learn how it works first.

that's the problem with young upstarts, they don't know what they don't know.

peace love and happiness

Posted by mediapro | October 21, 2007 11:08 PM

The Card

'leach'?

'gramtical'??

How about a catchphrase for this next wave of young upstarts?

"Were comming! Here us rore!!

(teh, heh heh!)

Posted by The Card | October 23, 2007 3:35 PM

The Card

For the record, I am in no way, shape or form affiliated with DDB. I stumbled onto this site while researching something else. Advertising is not my field. I can't afford to buy a house. Hell, I can't even afford to rent. I actually LIVE in a field.

Posted by The Card | October 25, 2007 5:03 PM

NIcolas

Creativity.Wasted time between Observations.

Posted by NIcolas | October 29, 2007 3:33 AM

R T D

For some kind of piece (artwork, commercial, writing, etc) to be effective it must make a personal connection with the individual experiencing it. It does not matter how much "out of this world" orginality the piece has, if it cannot make a connection with at least one observer, then it is worthless. An unpainted canvass is just as effective as a painting that has never lit inspiration into a soul. (not to say a blank canvass cannot inspire)

Creativity is the means of connecting one's "out of this world" originality to an observer's soul, their inner-being. Ms. Cheung said it perfectly when she said, "It is how you turn an insight into an idea that could be executed in such a way that's fresh, captivating, and said in a way never before, that's creative..."

I want to thank everyone who posts for inspiring that very flame into my soul, that results in my continual yearning to learn and create.

God Bless

R T D

Posted by R T D | November 2, 2007 6:49 AM

Susan Plunkett

I often look into other fields to locate creative ideas - engineering, wood turning, farming, science et al - and then I work back and forth by considering transferability and new connections.

I also sometimes set myself the task of trying to arrive at an idea but limiting the expression method e.g. the idea has to be expressed in flora or song or shapes etc. Sort of a Zen approach I guess. It's a personal exercise and then I re-enter the usual expression modality of text etc.

Posted by Susan Plunkett | November 12, 2007 10:27 PM

Susan Plunkett

I'm copying the post hereunder from the communications blog because I think it worth mentioning in a creative blog and because I think this sort of problematic could be included in criteria checks. Wouldn't one normally ask what other ads are going to be shown in the same time slot? Isn't this part of a buyers role? It's a great example where an ad may be brilliantly creative but fail because of placement.

For some reason reading Rachel's comment reminded me of ad placement and the fact that the best designed ad in the world can fail simply because of other facts not considered. For example, a dairy marketing board had a great ad created in order to encourage drinking of milk. It was a very appealing ad with funky looking bovines and nice features. However, in one large rural region the ad repeatedly followed one on worms in cattle. A nice graphic of those worms was included.

Who wanted to drink milk after seeing the worms?

Posted by Susan Plunkett | November 14, 2007 11:23 PM