THINKing » My Creative Team http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog My CreativeTeam Thinks About Creativity, Marketing, PR & Social Media Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:40:12 +0000 en hourly 1 Creativity 2012 – Week #6 http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/creativity-2012-week-6/ http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/creativity-2012-week-6/#comments Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:20:36 +0000 Harry Hoover http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/?p=2837
Photo credit: kevin_p from morguefile.com

The Surprising Path To Innovation – The path to innovation is rarely a direct line, but that circuitous route is often necessary for true innovation.

Think Like A Child To Achieve More – Kids often have a clarity to their goal setting that adults can learn from.

Three CEOs Who Get Innovation –  A handful of CEOs aren’t solely focused on next quarters numbers. Meet three of them.

Six Questions That Lead To Innovation -  How do true innovators actually make the leap from status quo to full-on disruption? Asking questions.

How To Improve Your Creativity – It’s all about improv.

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Photo credit: mconnors from morguefile.com

 Klout & Pinterest: Time Wasters Or Creativity Tools? – Are these social media sites a total time and energy suck, or is there some redeeming value?

Three People Who Never Belong In A Brainstorm Room – Hold on there, Negative Nancy. You can’t come in.

Screen Typography Is Falling Behind – iPads and other tablets are calling for screen typography evolution. It is not happening.

I’ll Never Fall In Love (With Ideas) Again – Every good new idea means an old idea must die. Do you have the heart for that?

The Three Ingredients Of Innovation – Are you cooking with the right creativity sauce?

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]]> http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/creativity-2012-week-5/feed/ 2 Creativity 2012 – Week #4 http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/creativity-2012-week-4/ http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/creativity-2012-week-4/#comments Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:37:11 +0000 Harry Hoover http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/?p=2826
Photo credit: ajaxserix from morguefile.com

It Takes Two In The Innovation Tango – Which is better for innovation – a lone creative or a group of creatives?

Innovation And The Art Of The Story – The art of storytelling is nothing new. Storify co-founder and Hacks/Hackers founder Burt Herman discusses the next generation of the centuries-old craft.

A Running Shoe Inventor Shoots Himself In The Foot - How hard is it for an independent inventor to sell an idea to a multinational? Try running a mile in Lenn Hann’s shoes.

Social Technologies Speed Innovation – Research by McKinsey indicates that open innovation will only improve, as porous company borders increase external participation.

Creativity Is A Gamble – Whenever we start a project or pursue an idea, we’re risking our time, energy, and potentially money, on something that we can’t see the outcome of. It’s a gamble to try something new, to be creative.

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]]> http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/creativity-2012-week-4/feed/ 1 Calling All Guest Bloggers http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/calling-all-guest-bloggers/ http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/calling-all-guest-bloggers/#comments Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:13:34 +0000 Harry Hoover http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/?p=2812
Photo credit: EmmiP from morguefile.com

Here’s a shout out to all guest bloggers. This is a new year and I want new voices here on THINKing.

You may be asking, “why would you want to write for this blog?” We had about 200,000 visitors to the site last year. So, it is a decent sized audience for your writing. We covered a variety of marketing related topics, ranging from advertising, PR and social media to creativity,  branding and writing. So, you will find a receptive audience for those topics.

Convinced? Read on.

If you have an idea for a guest post, here is what I want from you. First, send me a brief outline of your idea with reasons why your post would be a fit for our blog. This should include an explanation of who you are and why you are qualified to write the piece.

Let me know if this is a single post or part of a series of up to three posts that you propose. Final posts should be no more than 750 words, so point me to examples of pieces you have written in the 350 – 750 word range.

Oh, and I don’t want commercials for your company or yourself.

That’s it. Easy, right?

Times a-wasting. Send the information to me, harry at my-creativeteam.com.

 

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]]> http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/calling-all-guest-bloggers/feed/ 1 Creativity 2012 – Week #2 http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/creativity-2012-week-2/ http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/creativity-2012-week-2/#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:19:38 +0000 Harry Hoover http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/?p=2805
Photo credit: jusben from morguefile.com

A Creative New Year’s Resolution – Get creative in 2012 -  there is some evidence to suggest that we may be heading for a creativity crisis.

Here’s What Creativity Looks Like – It’s a connect the dots puzzle, but you have to define the dots, too.

10 Commandments For Creatives - 1. Give space, time and energy to your creativity.

Do Innovation Experts Kill Innovation? - We sense that the more a company talks, thinks, and strategizes about innovation, the less real, big innovation it produces.

Quotes On Innovation & Creativity – Inspirational thoughts on creativity from great thinkers.

 

 

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]]> http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/creativity-2012-week-2/feed/ 2 Is Everything Old New Again? http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/is-everything-old-new-again/ http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/is-everything-old-new-again/#comments Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:31:31 +0000 Harry Hoover http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/?p=2783
Photo credit: blondieb38 from morguefile.com

OK, it’s 2012 and like a caterpillar, it seems, marketing is completing its metamorphosis. But really, it’s only the tactics that have changed. At least in my view. We’ve talked a lot about this. Back in 2009, we addressed this subject,

Technology may have changed, bringing us blogs and social media, but people haven’t changed since we came out of the trees and onto the African plains. Marketers need to remember that no matter what vehicle you are using to deliver your message, you should set strategy first, then tightly define your audience. It is, after all, the people that matter most in the marketing equation. Once you clearly understand your target audience, the message almost crafts itself. That hasn’t changed and never will. End of sermon.

But what do others in the field think? I asked a few. Let’s check in with them.

According to Scott Hepburn of Media Emerging,

The fundamentals remain the same, but there are more plays in the playbook. Will you try to use every play, or will you focus on soundly executing a handful of effective plays? I say focus on fundamentals and a few key plays, then expand.

Kathy Rowan of Rowan Communications says,

The essence of effective communications – telling your story and building goodwill through relationships – remains the same.  Now, however, we have a toolbox filled with new equipment and devices that  allows us to hammer home messages and construct meaningful relationships via social media.   The gates are open; we are not constrained by traditional gatekeepers of the communications channels.

Says Jason Falls – author, speaker and CEO of Social Media Explorer,

I don’t think marketing has really changed … yet. While there are some one-off examples out there, most companies are just doing social for social’s sake, checking off a task list and looking for the easy button. Few are really taking social technologies and the shifting consumer habits to heart … and they’re feeling the pinch as a result. But I’m optimistic that more and more companies will see how holistic adjustment to the market — that which companies like Dell and Southwest Airlines have led us into — and really begin to evolve. I hope it happens sooner than later, but beating traditional thinking out of marketers takes a while.

Nathan Richie, who heads up NR Creative Group, says,

 I believe when the tide subsides it is just about how to integrate new tools in the toolbox. Albeit a more human approach. We’re more sensitive to “in your face” vs the softer “Oprah” touch. People want to feel warm and fuzzy first it seems.

Bob Taylor from Social Wave weighs in,

In my opinion, marketing has not systematically “changed”, in fact it would be smug of us to think that somehow in 2011/12 we changed our historical, fundamental marketing rules & realities. We are (by virtue of changing/evolving technology) given new tactical tools to use in our marketing efforts. But the core audiences for the tools are fickle & scattered just as the radio listeners, and tv viewers were at the beginning of their proliferation. Brands and marketers still need to build trust, gain market share, and promote their goods and services. Consumers are still influenced by the messaging, and the word of mouth affinities of others within their communities. With social media we may be able to have two-way engagement like never before, and some new consumers may demand it, but traditional service, quality, and trust, are just as important today as ever-no matter the delivery.  None of these things have changed.

An aside however, is the change that is required by companies to react to the new tactics/tools. For instance, never before have we had the transparency and velocity of reaction as we do in social media and digital marketing. The recent Lowe’s, Chapstick, etc., dust ups show us that our new tools have removed the barriers between projected image and perceived image. Instant public reaction and how it is dealt with are mixing PR, Marketing, and perhaps Legal, like never before. But if you think about it, back in the small town public square, this kind of dust up (albeit a smaller square) was very possible. So new? Not so much.

So, what’s your view on this topic? Let us know in the comment section below. Or, drop me an email at harry at my-creativeteam.com. Look forward to hearing from you.

 

 

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]]> http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/is-everything-old-new-again/feed/ 2 Creativity 2012 – Week #1 http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/creativity-2012-week-1/ http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/creativity-2012-week-1/#comments Mon, 02 Jan 2012 13:11:04 +0000 Harry Hoover http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/?p=2779
Photo credit: emmip from morguefile.com

The 5% Creativity Challenge – Most of us don’t have the staff and resources to disappear for weeks on end, but we all have the ability to schedule two, one-hour thinking sessions each week (5% of a 40 hour week).

Clutter Kills Creativity – Clutter is procrastination not creativity.

Five Questions To Ask Of Your Next Innovation – If innovation is so critical to…everything…then how does one know when an idea is a valuable innovation?

Rituals That Turn On Creativity –  For some authors, there’s something spiritual about starting each day the same way.

How To Boost Your Creativity Quotient - Want to be more creative in your thinking and your life? Try these techniques to increase your creativity quotient.

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]]> http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/creativity-2012-week-1/feed/ 1 Top 10 2011 Posts http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/top-10-2011-posts/ http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/top-10-2011-posts/#comments Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:51:28 +0000 Harry Hoover http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/?p=2774
Photo credit: alvimann from morguefile.com

We’ve posted on a wide variety of topics in THINKing this year, and based on what you have been reading, you must like the variety. Let’s take a look at the Top 10 posts from 2011. You might find something on the list that you missed.

Creativity Boost #3 – Dictionary Excursion – This was far and away our most read – and commented upon – post. It’s an exercise to boost your creative writing skills.

Top 11 Free Resources To Improve your Blog’s Content - As part of a continuing series to help you in developing compelling content, this post provides you a list of the top 11 online resources to help you improve your writing skills.

How To Write Tweets That Get Noticed – This guest post from David Murton says you need to consider and understand two important rules: readability and retweetability when writing your tweets.

How Is Social Media Like A Mullet - As Joe Dirt said in the movie by the same name, a mullet is “business in the front, party in the back.” And that is how social media is like a mullet: it’s both business and personal.

LinkedIn – Branding – In our series on LinkedIn, we talked in this post about how to use the social network for branding purposes.

Top 19 Free Photo Sites For Bloggers -  This post outlines some of the best places to find free photos and images for your blog.

Creativity Boost #1 – The Mindtrip - A mindtrip is a way to find a novel solution to a problem by looking at it from a different perspective.

Pump Up Your Brain - According to Nobel prize-winning chemist Linus Pauling, the best way to get a good idea is to get a lot of ideas. In this post, we discuss brain exercises to help you generate more ideas.

Creativity 2011 Week#12 – Our weekly series of creativity links produced one of our Top 10 posts.

Top 15 Uses For QR Codes – QR codes were much discussed in 2011. We posted on some ways we think marketers should be using them.

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]]> http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/top-10-2011-posts/feed/ 1 Word http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/word-2/ http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/word-2/#comments Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:39:00 +0000 Harry Hoover http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/?p=2761 Wordle: Word

It is true that I am sometimes a grumpy curmudgeon, however, I also know a little about word usage. So, please let me help you so that you won’t look like an ignoramus when you attempt to create an act of literature.

Let’s start with homonyms, that is words that sound similar but have different meanings.

accept and except – accept is a verb meaning to receive with approval, except is most often a preposition meaning excluding.

- I graciously accept this honor.

- Everyone being honored was there except for me.

peak, peek and pique – a peak is a high point, a peek is a quick look and pique is a state of vexation. Now, let’s use them in sentences.

- I hiked to the mountain’s peak.

- I took a peek into the package.

- Their unruly actions will pique Bob.

they’re, there and their – they’re is a contraction of they are, there is in or at a place other than here, and their is of or relating to them.

- They’re going there to see their grandmother.

its and it’s – its means belonging to and it’s is a contraction of it is.

- It’s not my fault that the car has a dent in its fender.

your and you’re – Similar to its and it’s. Your means belonging to you and you’re is a contraction of you are.

- You’re going to pick up your car.

affect, effect – affect is a verb meaning to influence or cause change, effect is usually a noun meaning the result or outcome.

- The sorry state of the economy will affect everyone.

- Wine has a beneficial effect on health.

principle and principal – principle means a law or basic truth, principal is the head of an organization or a sum of money.

- That principle of common law was well known by the company’s principal associate.

We’ve tackled a few of the most egregiously used ones in this post but here’s an online list of some additional ones you should review.

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]]> http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/word-2/feed/ 0 Creativity 2011 – Week #52 http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/creativity-2011-week-52/ http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/creativity-2011-week-52/#comments Mon, 26 Dec 2011 13:31:31 +0000 Harry Hoover http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/?p=2752
Photo credit: mensatic from morguefile.com

It’s the last week of 2011 and we have had some good creativity links this year. I’ll be compiling home into pdf form shortly.  Happy New Year and enjoy this last installment in 2011.

When It Comes To Ideas, Teams Win - In an office where innovation and creativity thrive, convincing employees that teamwork can help build up their ideas – rather than stifle them – is critical.

Mind Games & The Human Brain – Mind games may come across as silly diversions from boredom or against waning social interactions but they are so much more than that.

15 Scientific Facts About Creativity –  Although creativity keeps human society flourishing, science honestly offers few answers to how the intricate, infinitely complex concept actually works.

Tips To Stimulate Children’s Creativity -  Creativity is the greatest human potential and we need to work together to develop children’s creativity start from home.

Ads That Win Creative Awards Sell More Product - Ads that win creative awards are 11 times more efficient at selling stuff than other ads.

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