Page 12 - index
P. 12
RESEARCH, ANALYSIS & TRENDS
Being creative –
why good ideas aren’t good enough!
Creativity must aim for innovation
It's not enough to daydream inspiring and original ideas
within our field; it's imperative to action them.
Take Velcro, for example. The concept for this prolific
fastener was born under the microscope, when the
Swiss electrical engineer observed a single burdock
burr that had clung to pants and dog's fur on a walk
through the woods. The engineers saw how the little
seed acted like a hook that attached to loops in materi-
al and hair. But because they saw value in the concept
and went on to repeat it synthetically, they invented one
of the most useful products in the past century.
Winged cupcake emojis and Donald Trump tweets
are not the only ‘creative’ contributions to social They didn't just think up a good idea; through trial and
media these days. Platforms such as Facebook and error, adaptation and experimentation, they perforated
Instagram have acted as global chalkboards on imagination and brought the idea to life.
which the English language has been tweaked, tink-
ered with and at times overhauled. A friend is now a Innovation is not overnight
verb, and numbers serve as 1daful substitutes for
words altogether. The gap between creating and innovating can be wide.
Even a proverbial scrum of the greatest minds can
But just before you think the corporate environment is have a bad game sometimes. Aerospace Engineer Ad-
above the #trending hype, think again. We also use our am Steltzner refers to it as the Dark Room.
share of buzzwords like one-up wonders around the
boardroom table. Let's take this one for example: crea- "There comes a moment in every creative or innovative
tive. "He's a creative," we've heard it said. The mere process," he says, "when you’re not only lost, you’re
sound of it puts a confident swagger in your step. Who not even sure where to find a map...You have to stay
doesn't want to be known as that? calm, hold on to the doubt, listen to the problem, and
keep thinking of solutions, while avoiding the mind-
But here is a thought. Creative is not always inno- locking panic that you won’t find a solution.” We’re of-
vative! ten uncomfortable with staying in the problem long
enough to innovate.
Creativity isn't necessarily innovative…There's actually
a difference between the two. While invention requires In another case, the solution was a rather serious one.
creativity to come up with new things, innovation is A debut of the Mars Expedition Rover mission was
about applying those new things in different ways. Cre- scheduled for departure in June 2002 and Houston had
ativity is essentially an 'inward' trait. It's murkier and a problem. The team of rocket scientists could not fig-
harder to define. Ideas within the creative realm are ure out how to make this Rover land intact, impervious
often judged more by their novelty than by their poten- to the piercing rocks and debris on Mars' surface. One
tial usefulness, either to consumers or to the company. strenuous year later, they found their answer. “There is
a virtue in staying in the Dark Room until you complete-
Innovation, however, is 'external', attached to a sense ly surrender - not give up but completely surrender your
of value, utility, or productivity that has been measured ego, and stop trying to force the existing solution.
and tried. "Often, in common parlance, the words crea- That’s when a breakthrough occurs.”
tivity and innovation are used interchangeably," states
Robert B Tucker, author and consultant. "They should- Creativity is the launching pad. But it requires innova-
n’t be, because while creativity implies coming up with tion and sometimes teeth-gritted determination, sheer
ideas, ‘it’s the bringing ideas to life’ … that makes inno- panic and a whole lot of guts to launch the mission.◊
vation the distinct undertaking it is."
By Jody Boshoff
12 Asian eMarketing - June 2016: Mobile Marketing & Advertising: Site development & Apps, Business Strategies & Trends
12
Being creative –
why good ideas aren’t good enough!
Creativity must aim for innovation
It's not enough to daydream inspiring and original ideas
within our field; it's imperative to action them.
Take Velcro, for example. The concept for this prolific
fastener was born under the microscope, when the
Swiss electrical engineer observed a single burdock
burr that had clung to pants and dog's fur on a walk
through the woods. The engineers saw how the little
seed acted like a hook that attached to loops in materi-
al and hair. But because they saw value in the concept
and went on to repeat it synthetically, they invented one
of the most useful products in the past century.
Winged cupcake emojis and Donald Trump tweets
are not the only ‘creative’ contributions to social They didn't just think up a good idea; through trial and
media these days. Platforms such as Facebook and error, adaptation and experimentation, they perforated
Instagram have acted as global chalkboards on imagination and brought the idea to life.
which the English language has been tweaked, tink-
ered with and at times overhauled. A friend is now a Innovation is not overnight
verb, and numbers serve as 1daful substitutes for
words altogether. The gap between creating and innovating can be wide.
Even a proverbial scrum of the greatest minds can
But just before you think the corporate environment is have a bad game sometimes. Aerospace Engineer Ad-
above the #trending hype, think again. We also use our am Steltzner refers to it as the Dark Room.
share of buzzwords like one-up wonders around the
boardroom table. Let's take this one for example: crea- "There comes a moment in every creative or innovative
tive. "He's a creative," we've heard it said. The mere process," he says, "when you’re not only lost, you’re
sound of it puts a confident swagger in your step. Who not even sure where to find a map...You have to stay
doesn't want to be known as that? calm, hold on to the doubt, listen to the problem, and
keep thinking of solutions, while avoiding the mind-
But here is a thought. Creative is not always inno- locking panic that you won’t find a solution.” We’re of-
vative! ten uncomfortable with staying in the problem long
enough to innovate.
Creativity isn't necessarily innovative…There's actually
a difference between the two. While invention requires In another case, the solution was a rather serious one.
creativity to come up with new things, innovation is A debut of the Mars Expedition Rover mission was
about applying those new things in different ways. Cre- scheduled for departure in June 2002 and Houston had
ativity is essentially an 'inward' trait. It's murkier and a problem. The team of rocket scientists could not fig-
harder to define. Ideas within the creative realm are ure out how to make this Rover land intact, impervious
often judged more by their novelty than by their poten- to the piercing rocks and debris on Mars' surface. One
tial usefulness, either to consumers or to the company. strenuous year later, they found their answer. “There is
a virtue in staying in the Dark Room until you complete-
Innovation, however, is 'external', attached to a sense ly surrender - not give up but completely surrender your
of value, utility, or productivity that has been measured ego, and stop trying to force the existing solution.
and tried. "Often, in common parlance, the words crea- That’s when a breakthrough occurs.”
tivity and innovation are used interchangeably," states
Robert B Tucker, author and consultant. "They should- Creativity is the launching pad. But it requires innova-
n’t be, because while creativity implies coming up with tion and sometimes teeth-gritted determination, sheer
ideas, ‘it’s the bringing ideas to life’ … that makes inno- panic and a whole lot of guts to launch the mission.◊
vation the distinct undertaking it is."
By Jody Boshoff
12 Asian eMarketing - June 2016: Mobile Marketing & Advertising: Site development & Apps, Business Strategies & Trends
12
