SINGAPORE – At Spikes Asia 2014, FCB’s talk was led by Ed Bell, CEO of FCB China, and James Mok, Asia Pacific ECD of FCB. It talked about how the imagination is the only restriction to innovation.
Ed Bell, CEO of FCB China quoted Dave Trott saying, “A lot of people who say they’re creative and a lot of what passes for creativity is actually not really creative, it’s actually more stylizing an existing thought. True creativity is having an inquiring mind, it’s the ability to question why does it have to be that way.”
True creativity challenges the conventional practice and the established thinking.
The industry is very distracted by every opportunity to use technology, such that it has made it difficult for consumers. Mok talked about a parody case study by Cummins & Partners for ‘The world’s first 3D printed, QR code, live streamed via Go Pro to a smart phone or tablet device, drone delivery ticket system’.
He then explained that the it’s not the technology of the campaign that sells, but its humanity, that engages the consumers. “What inspires me more than the technology is actually the idea itself,” said Mok.
He then said that creativity comes from the birth of an idea, and not just something that is made for the execution. It is not innovation to find a willing brand to agree to use a certain technology. “Innovations is, fundamentally, creative thinking and technology is the outcome,” he said.
He also showed a case study for Coca-Cola, using innovation to create a little moment of happiness.
“How technology is used, can only be as potent as why it’s being used,” Mok said on innovation. Innovation and creativity should be used as a way to engage with consumers.
“When you start with creativity at the top end. When you question the business problem with creativity, what happens is it opens up more profitable ares and from there you can find an opening where technology can make it work,” said Bell. “When you work the other way around, you don’t have innovation, you just have a lot of technology.”
