Chief Experience Officer | Int'l Best-Selling Author, The 10-Second Customer Journey | 2024 CX Team of the Year
Recently, a colleague referred to me as “A CREATIVE.” Not “creative,” but “A Creative” with a capital “C.” This was a first, and I had to think about why it made me so uncomfortable. For most of my early career, there were “#creative” people and then there were “#business” people. And there was always a wall that separated them. I worked at an ad agency for many years, and the term “A Creative” was reserved exclusively for the #copywriters, #art directors, and creative directors at the #agency. In those days at least, the “Creatives” owned the “#product,” and their opinions ruled the agency. I also worked for a large #magazine #publisher, where the same creative/business wall existed, this time between the #editorial staff and the #sales and #marketing folks. The editorial staff owned the “product” and kept the businesspeople at a distance. I found that the wall between “creative” and “business” really hemmed me in, so I made my way into the digital world, where I could be a creative businessperson. Where #data replaced opinion. Where #agility replaced rigidity. Where art and commerce combined to drive #growth. #Digital #transformation and history have not been kind to industries with walls between creative and business people. One only has to look at the difficulties of ad agencies or publishers to see how this turned out. While there were historical reasons for this separation (especially in publishing and media), this set-up now seems arbitrary and antiquated. It’s a throwback to “here’s the product, go market it” kind of thinking that is antithetical to #customer #experience in the #digital age. Curious if you still find those “#walls” in your organizations. Read more about the unifying “product” and “marketing” in my new book, The 10-Second Customer Journey, available now (link in comments).
It's fascinating how industries evolve! Breaking down the walls between "creatives" and "business" is essential in today's digital era. Embracing a hybrid role where creativity meets strategy can lead to innovative solutions and better customer experiences. The digital world thrives on collaboration and integration, where data and agility drive growth. Let's continue bridging these gaps to create more holistic approaches in our organizations.
Todd Unger great post and couldn't agree more. From my perspective "A Creative" places people in a box, stay in your lane, get out of mine mindset. Organizations that foster a multidiscipline and cross functional approach collaborate better and have more members of the team that can problem solve. Thank you for your work and sharing your knowledge.
I love this... lol!
Chief Experience Officer | Int'l Best-Selling Author, The 10-Second Customer Journey | 2024 CX Team of the Year
2whttps://www.amazon.com/10-Second-Customer-Journey-retaining-customers/dp/178860590X