MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Creativity was in full swing on May 10 at Ayala Museum, Makati, as CreativeFest 2024 made its much-anticipated return to in-person events since the pandemic. Hosted by 4As Philippines and the Creative Guild, the festival boasted a lineup of insightful talks and panel discussions. Kicking off the event was Joji Jacob, Regional Chief Creative Officer of Havas SEA and NA, and Co-founder of BLKJ Havas, with his keynote titled “The power of unreasonable.”
Jacob’s talk emphasized the value of embracing the unreasonable aspects of creativity, urging attendees to challenge conventions and push boundaries in their creative endeavors. He highlighted the tendency to become “reasonable” as we grow older and join the workforce, emphasizing the discontent that often accompanies conformity. Instead, Jacob encouraged creatives to embrace their innate inclination towards “being unreasonable.”
He reflected, “When you were a baby, you were unreasonable; when you were a teenager, you were unreasonable; but when we [started working and] joined advertising, we become reasonable.. we start believing in the predictable, we start believing research.”
He further noted that during periods of being “reasonable,” he felt the most discontent and depressed in life as if predetermined paths constrained him. Urging a shift in mindset, he said, “And so, be unreasonable.”
During his talk, Joji delivered three key points:
- Reasonable has all the answers, unreasonable has all the questions.
- Reasonable knows the rules, unreasonable knows the exceptions.
- Reasonable chases money, unreasonable pursues meaning.
Joji also touched on the importance of “being unreasonable” as the key to outsmarting artificial intelligence, a topic of significant relevance beyond the advertising world. He told attendees, “Anything that is predictable, or is a pattern, or has been done before, machines are very good at reading. What they’re not good at is reading the unreasonable. Those are the jobs and expertise that [enable us to] survive AI.”
This supports his point that being human is unpredictable because of our ability to come up with new ideas and make fresh and innovative decisions that aren’t based on previous behaviors — something machines can never do and achieve.
Joji went on to share personal practice: “The habit I strive to cultivate is asking myself: ‘What is one unreasonable thing I did today?’ I find that it changes the quality of the day, the interaction with the people in my life. I’m calmer, and I’m able to focus more on my work.”
This mindset encourages him to embrace novelty and unfamiliarity, ultimately fueling creativity and innovation.
During the Q&A session, an audience member posed a question to Joji about selling “unreasonable” ideas to clients, prompting chuckles from fellow advertisers and creatives in the crowd. Joji replied, “You have to be an unreasonable expert in the client’s business, in the market, in your consumer.” He stressed the necessity of grounding unconventional ideas in the truths and facts of the client’s business, ensuring that even the wildest concepts align with their objectives and resonate with their audience.
Concluding his talk, Joji reiterated the call to “be unreasonable.” Encouraging creatives to challenge the status quo and push beyond comfort zones, he underscored how embracing the unreasonable can lead to breakthrough ideas that redefine the boundaries of advertising and creativity.
adobo Magazine is an official media partner of CreativeFest 2024.
