CREATIVITY, THE EYE MAGNET

The Marketing and Advertising industry has tremendously grown over the years owing primarily to the emergence of big local industry players, growing SME’S and increased consumerism, amongst other factors. This has simultaneously led to the growth of marketing communications agencies; tasked with developing brands and campaigns that will put them out into the forefront in order to be seen, considered, purchased and ultimately, loyalty built amongst amidst customers. In the process consumer has never so spoilt for choice in the new levels of clutter and competition.

As Barack Obama said, “Innovation is the currency of the 21^st century.” Alongside creativity- these two are the prime driving forces of competition and growth in this dynamic industry. Creativity is key in stirring interest amongst our target audience who will in turn drive businesses to a higher level. Leading businesses actively seek employees who uniquely identify and solve problems whilst being a dependable source of interesting and disruptive ideas. Majority of employer’s regard creativity as one of the top three personality traits, most important to career success.

So how does one go about increasing or acquiring creativity? It starts with belief; training your mind to have thoughts that inspire wild and spontaneous ideas. A change in your daily routine, a new piece of furniture, a random conversation with a stranger. When you set yourself free from all the meticulous planning and the pre-set routines, the world begins to be a source of inspiration.

However, if the experiential method of increasing creativity seems too eccentric one can opt learn it as a skill. This is definitely a more structured option that provides mentorship and support for those who need it. All in all, you must train the mind to believe in its vast potential for therein lies the key to creativity.

Now, for campaigns and brands to be an eye magnet, the idea which is expressed in the copy , images and experience need to resonate with the needs and desires of the target audience. A logo and a color palette alone is not enough to make a brand visible, relevant and unique- you need a great central idea. Therefore, it is crucial that people in brand communications, whether a client or agency, are equipped with the skills necessary to generate valuable ideas that are at the heart of every successful campaign.

That’s why the Mindscapes tools are so intriguing to me. Developed by Yonathan Dominitiz, a trainer and a leader of creativity enhancement projects in advertising, media, marketing and communications; these tools have provided an excellent method to ‘learn’ creativity.

The tools are a result of continuous study and analysis of creative patterns in thousands of case studies of award-winning campaigns in the globe’s top creative festivals.

They result in a solid process of creating, understanding, evaluating and selection of creative ideas. Through this analysis, Yonathan has established thinking patters that put logic to the magic, making it possible for anyone with the right aptitude and attitude to learn how to develop award-winning campaigns that are both creative and effective.

Big brands like Google Inc, Coke, Vodafone, Nestle, Mondelez, Pepsico, Coca Cola, Eurobank and more have used these tools. In addition notable agencies like McCann WW, BBDO, Cheil WW, DDB, Y&R, Public is and more have built the capability of their teams using these tools.

I’m also happy to see the return of the Association of Practitioners in Advertising (APA) awards after a long hiatus . At the same time I applaud the Marketing Society of Kenya (MSK), and Public Relations Society of Kenya (PRSK) who have been holding awards every year to recognize brand communications talent in Kenya.

And while several global brands that used the Mindscapes tools have won awards in international festivals such as the Cannes Lions, Spikes Asia, Eurobest and more, it was exciting to see the same happen in Kenya, with several of the winning campaigns being testimonies of the power of Mindscapes tools.

After a success series of workshops in 2015 and 2016, Yonathan will again be in Kenya from the 24^th to 31^stof March running master classes in the understanding and application of Mindscapes creative tools. This time the focus will be on Below- the – line campaigns, Digital, Brand Marketing . An advanced class for creatives will be held, to give fresh ideas to those who attended previous workshops as well as those who wish to join the bandwagon.

Yonathan will be hosted by the International School of Advertising, a professional training school that has institution has been playing a big role in nurturing young talent and transitioning them into a career in brand communications while offering working professionals up-skilling opportunities.

We are blessed to have amazing talent. Let’s nurture it, let’s build it.

Chief Executive Officer, International School of Advertising