What you can expect at my session
We are operating at a time when the value of creativity has never been higher, but the opportunity for each individual to neglect creativity has never been higher either. If we don’t value creativity, we’ll delegate more and more of our role to machines – and we’ll write ourselves out of marketing’s future.
Thriving creatively in the age of AI therefore must begin with a conviction that creativity has value. Aim to find opportunities to exercise your creative muscles where others don’t see them. Challenge yourself to thinking beyond the obvious solution to a problem. It’s only through constant use that we can train our creative capacities – and hope to improve them.
Come watch this session and prepare to unleash your creative genius through a new definition of creativity, not only in B2B marketing, but in everything you do.
The B in B2B doesn’t stand for boring
Anyone who still buys into this type of thinking isn’t paying attention, and it’s becoming a tired conversation. The lines between what works for B2B vs B2C are completely blurred. I would argue that there’s more space for creativity in the B2B world because of this perception. The marketers who stand out understand the importance of testing and experimenting and leaving no ideas, good or bad, on the table. The ones who continue to play it safe and celebrate mediocrity will continue to be “boring”.
There are certainly pockets of creativity, but the majority of B2B are still playing it safe – and safe is the new boring. I frequently get asked for examples of creative B2B campaigns and I find myself defaulting to the usual suspects and scouring to find new examples as they are few and far between. We can all be more creative and we should focus on doing more than checking boxes and pushing out half-baked ideas just to hit some meaningless MQL number.
We need to hone our creativity to come out on top
Creativity is an essential and essentially human skill. Though not a technical skill related to a specific task, tool or role, it is most definitely a skill. It can be developed, practised and enhanced. And if we want to thrive as marketers in the age of AI, that’s exactly what we need to do.
It’s not enough to shrug that we weren’t born particularly creative and settle for just going through the motions in our profession. Creativity is our unique selling point in the age of AI – and part of that unique selling point is that we must keep pushing ourselves to keep thinking differently; to keep raising the bar.
Creativity isn’t just something you practice now and then. It’s a calling, a way of life and a way of looking at the world. And it’s never been more important.
How you can get buy-in for creativity
As we all know, the powers that be ultimately hold the keys to letting creativity in. You have to build trust to be successful. Start with little experiments around executing creative ideas, then paint the picture of what it could look like on a larger scale. Don’t ask for permission. Don’t bring your creative idea to so many people that it becomes distilled down to something you are no longer excited about.
For example, during my time at LinkedIn, I had my team focused on 80% getting shit done with programmes and campaigns that kept the brand story moving forward and leads coming in the door. But we left the other 20% for intelligent risks and trying new things. That’s the key, make time and space for these creative ideas. Then empower your employees to bring them to life. If it fails, so what? Try again.
So many companies talk about failing fast, or celebrating failure, yet few actually live and breathe this within their culture. It’s clear who’s got this figured out and who doesn’t. A simple scroll through your LinkedIn feed will surface the interesting ones.
There’s no ‘artificial creativity’
Any sort of edge you think you might have in the general knowledge space or even specific vertical knowledge, that’s all being surpassed by machines right now. I would say the biggest opportunity we have to sharpen one cognitive skill is to focus on creativity. Artificial intelligence is here and it’s getting more sophisticated every day. But Artificial creativity doesn’t exist. I would argue that creativity is the highest form of intelligence because it goes beyond knowledge recall and extends into knowledge creation.
As Dr.Michael Bloomfield says, “If you want to future-proof your brain, make it more creative” Let the machines crunch the numbers, let the marketers focus on the big ideas. When the two come together, that’s when the magic happens.
We all need Ignite
We’ve gotten way too comfortable with virtual meetings, on demand webinars, and working from home. In-person events are back and Ignite is the event for B2B marketers.
If you can make it in person, then come and immerse yourself in the moment. If you can’t, block out your day, watch live, and join in the conversation digitally. The critical thing is to invest in yourself, learn something new, and most importantly, meet some fellow B2B marketers and get inspired.
