Consumers have never been so spoiled when it comes to the quality and quantity of content they consume. It’s not that long ago that our likes were mainly for our close friends and family photos and videos. Now we can click in an app and see a new video every seven seconds from a random person somewhere in the world.
And while we all binge series on Netflix, we skip YouTube commercials. As consumers, we are more savvy and reject marketing messages that bore or disturb us. In such a fragmented and filtered context, for every brand, the ability to create and maintain an audience’s attention is more valuable than ever before.
Originality is essential if you want your brand to stand out among the content that’s generated by brands and users. Creativity will be the key differentiator for successful brands in the coming years, because without creativity, when every competitor has access to the same channels, all campaigns are optimised and fully automated, it's more difficult to distinguish yourself. Make creativity an indispensable part of your organisation’s mindset and skill set.
For emerging brands, creativity is often the catalyst. But as organisations expand and the impact of the decisions they make grows, willingness to take risks for the sake of creativity can decrease, replaced by a safety-first approach. That’s why courage plays such a crucial role, both for the creative and for the manager who must dare to choose an outside-the-lines idea. If you don't dare to take a risk, you'll be stuck in the familiar and safe zone – and before too long you'll be overtaken by a brand that dares to be original.