The one-sentence summary
When considering creative ideas, concentrate on the size of the idea, not the size of the budget.
WHAT THE BOOK SAYS
- It is sub-titled How to turn creativity into a powerful business advantage
- Most leaders have more creativity in their organisations than they realise
- Identify one critical business problem that needs solving and then rigorously unearth insights that lead to a spectacular solution
- There are Seven Principles of Creative Leverage:
1. Always start from scratch
2. Demand a ruthlessly simple definition of the business problem
3. Discover a proprietary emotion
4. Focus on the size of the idea, not the size of the budget
5. Seek out strategic risks
6. Collaborate or perish
7. Listen hard to your customers (then listen some more)
WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT IT
- Starting from scratch is harder said than done, and more marketers should do it, or at least investigate doing it
- The principles at the heart of the book will resonate with anyone involved in any form of creative marketing:
1. Creativity will be an increasingly essential business tool
2. You can’t buy creativity, but you can unlock it
3. Creativity is not an easy path to walk but the rewards are worth it
- There are some good case histories from Skoda, Citibank United Airlines and Lee Jeans
WHAT YOU HAVE TO WATCH
- The authors are the founders of Fallon so at times the book can read like an agency brochure
- The seven principles aren’t that original or earth-shattering – a helpful reminder of good practice, but not stunningly new in any particular sense
- American case histories such as Holiday Inn, EDS, and Bahamas Ministry of Tourism may be of less interest to UK readers