Robin Landa is a distinguished professor at Michael Graves College at Kane University, as well as an award-winning author who has written 25 books. She did her training as a Designer and fine artist and was swayed into writing. Robin’s books are an extension of her work in the classroom to educate people and have taught 1000s of people to tap into their creative potential.
One quick way for people to tap into their creative potential is to be curious and observant, and it’s critical to maintain your creativity and mental health. There have been articles about the fact that being observant, wards off civility, and asking specific questions, posing questions about possibilities outside your own experience, not about regrets, but about possibilities. Listen to what other people say. That’s how inventions are created.
Strategic creativity is the power to conceive something that solves a problem and benefits people, aiming empathetically at an appropriate target audience, which is the key. When people think about creativity, they often think about poets or painters being creative and doing their own thing for themselves. In advertising, branding, and design, we aim at mass audiences. Being strategic in the creative process, and being relevant in order to connect with people and resonate in the long term. Being thoughtful and fitting into people’s lives to have context, appropriate perspective, and humanistic, being people-centered. Make those observations, always look for that human truth, and have the insight on to base an idea. Solutions have to be interesting, something that people will want to spend time on.
Looking at the social film for Intel by PJ Pereira, the president and chief global Creative Officer of Pereira O’Dell, called The Beauty Inside. Auditioning people on Facebook to be in the film, all fans – male or female – were called to audition for the lead role of Alex because his appearance changes every day. Every time this person wakes up, he’s in a different body, it’s the same person on the inside, just like Intel is on the inside, but the person looked different on the outside. People also played Alex throughout the experience on his Facebook timeline, via photos and videos, adding to his narrative at every step. When this person fell in love, he had to deal with the fact that his physical being kept changing. It was a real breakthrough idea in advertising, a branded content piece for Intel.
You don’t want your work to sound like advertising. Nobody wants to be sold. Nobody wants a sales pitch and therefore you have to get under people’s radar. The greatest risk is to do something pedestrian, to do whatever the other guys are doing because no one’s going to take notice. It hurts when advertising sounds like hucksters or snake oil salesmen. A lot of brands right now are trying to do good for society. Contribute the foundations they have, to sustainability. To align their values with Gen Z as Gen Z really wants to know what you’re doing for the world, doing more than just making a profit.
In this episode:
[02:23] Ways to help people tap into their creative potential and communicate it to the world
- Asking specific questions and being very curious
- Being observant is critical to not only maintaining your creativity but your mental health
[04:49] How strategic creativity is so important for advertising agencies and graphic designers
- The power to conceive something that solves a problem
- Connect with people in order to be relevant and resonate long term
- Looking for that human truth, that insight on what you can base ideas on
[08:45] Discussing examples of great advertising
- Mcdonald’s and Burger King
- The Fearless Girl on Wall street
- The social film for Intel by PJ Pereira called The Beauty Inside
[13:20] What constitutes bad advertising
- Nobody wants to be sold
- The greatest risk is doing something pedestrian
[14:54] A lot of brands are trying to contribute to sustainability
- Gen Z really wants to know what you’re doing for the world
- It’s not about the brand, it’s about the audience
Watch the Interview:
Learn more and reach out:
- LinkedIn: Robin Landa
- Website: https://www.robinlanda.com/
