4 Ways Goals Can Enhance Creativity for Ad Agency New Business

Shift Your Ad Agency’s Thinking to Stimulate Creativity, Spur Innovation and Create Enthusiasm for New Business.

Walt Disney was a creative innovator in the cartoon industry who stands head and shoulders above all others. There were specific elements in the way he organized his creative work force that tended to guarantee creative outcomes.

A lot of small to midsize ad agencies have chosen to take shelter during a lengthy recession, digital and socia media revolution. That strategy doesn’t provide any creative stimulation for agency new business. Perhaps the better strategy would be to dramatically shift your agency’s thinking, spur innovation and enthusiasm by setting some challenging new business goals.

I owe inspiration for this post to a recent Stephan Shapiro, a well-known business innovation author, speaker and consultant. In a recent article, “How Goals Enhance Creativity”, he said,

“… businesses are driven by goals, how can we leverage them as a tool for enhancing creativity? One way is to use stretch targets.  REALLY stretch targets.

What if they set a target of growing by 50% a year? It might have a fundamentally different impact on the organization.

That level of growth is unprecedented. It will certainly stretch the way they think.  A 14% improvement can most likely be attained through conventional thinking.  But a 50% growth target would require some breakthrough thinking; radical ideas.

The future gives them the present, rather than present giving them the future.”

4 Ways Goals Can Enhance Creativity for Ad Agency New Business:

1. Shifts thinking. Instead of being reactive, it provides a proactive approach to generating new business. A shift from defense to offense and getting your agency out of its hunkered down, bunker mentality.
2. Stimulates creativity. I have never liked setting unrealistic goals. To me they are meaningless. But I do embrace robust new business goals that will stretch and challenge your agency’s creative thinking to attain them.
3. Spurs innovation. Most agencies are not good in creating a consistent new business program. They are always busy. Client work comes before their own. But, there are solutions to these types of challenges, always a “work-around” if you will take the time to figure out an innovative solution.
4. Creates enthusiasm. Big goals can be the spark to generate a spirit of enthusiasm. A rallying point for your beleaguered troops. These may seem like the darkest days your agency has ever faced but in reality this could be the greatest of times for growing your agency. You will NEVER have another opportunity like this in your lifetime. These times present the perfect conditions for small to midsize agencies to shine.

I would encourage you to read Steve’s full article, “How Can Goals Enhance Creativity?”

Additional articles that may be of interest:

• Ad Agencies: Three Things a New Business Director Needs for Success
• “The List” for Ad Agency New Business
• B-2-B Agency Gains New Business from a Narrow Niche and Social Media
• A Niche Blog for Ad Agency New Business
• How to Qualify Leads for Ad Agency New Business

photo credit: Abby Lanes via photopin cc