Creative Curveball
Creativity is at a premium these days. We’re surrounded by chain stores, music that all sounds the same, movie remakes and sequels, and ten versions of the same crime shows on TV. While it’s true these products generate great ratings and healthy profits, they’re rarely memorable or industry changing. Fortunately, there are exceptions to every rule, and these exceptions can teach us some valuable lessons.
Sticking with the TV theme, consider shows such as Dexter, Breaking Bad, and Mad Men, shows about a Miami Metro forensic analyst, high school chemistry teacher turned drug lord, and a 1960s advertising agency, respectively. While these shows are on smaller networks, cater to smaller audiences, and make less money, each has a fiercely devoted fan base, receive critical acclaim, win highest industry honors, and are profitable. Simply put, they’re game changers. The difference between these shows and CSI [insert city here] is simple, they are different. Programs like these tackle topics and develop characters in ways that haven’t been done before and they’ve been successful. Furthermore, the producers didn’t stop being creative after filming the first season. Each show in its own way continues to break conventional TV rules and is not afraid to shock their audience. Dexter fans will never forget the end of Season 4.
So what does this TV show nonsense have to do with your business? I believe there are at least three things you can take away from these shows and apply to your business. Spoiler Alert: Clichés ahead.
1. Think outside the box – How many times have you heard that statement? Hundreds probably. But how many times have you actually done it? To truly think outside the box you must get outside of your own. Be disruptive. Shake up how things are usually done and try something new. You’ll be surprised how far your imagination will take you.
2. Paint with your own brush – Most companies spend far too much time worrying about what their competitors are doing. That’s one of the reasons major television networks are constantly ripping off one another’s ideas. Unsurprisingly, their ratings continue to drop.
As Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson wrote in their outstanding book Rework, “Focus on competitors too much and you wind up diluting your own vision. Your chances of coming up with something fresh go way down when you keep feeding your brain other people’s ideas. You become reactionary instead of visionary. You wind up offering your competitor’s products with a different coat of paint.”
3. Continue breaking new ground – Once you’ve created something unique for your business and developed a following, don’t get lazy. Chances are those who like what you’re doing also like being surprised. There is a powerful group of consumers out there who crave variety so keep pushing.
It worked out pretty well for Apple after all.
Tags: Apple, cliches, creativity, David Heinemeier Hansson, Dexter, Jason Fried, MadMen, Rework