From Bombing the Streets to my Obsession for Bomb Billboards

My obsession with graffiti art and passion for advertising has lead me to think innovatively. With my background 'toying' with graffiti at a young age and evolving into becoming a marketer, I found my creative exploration to this point of my life has played a fundamental part to my career direction today. 

From bombing the streets to my obsession for bomb billboards for brands, it's mind boggling to where one's creativity leads us at times. Whiles doing the ICD ( Introduction Creative Development) in my first semester at Vega School of Leadership this course taught me how one can strategically tap into my inspirational masters by doing this you intrigue your creativity when connecting the dots to one's career path. With better insight to the successes of my inspirational masters minds, giving me a better acumen to why these masters are revolutionary in their own right. One of my inspirational master is Jean-Claude Decaux, the French entrepreneur who made is fortune in advertising. He founded the outdoor advertising company Decaux. Through innovation he introduced the first arrangement of the company was set up ads on bus shelters and public toilets in Lyon. Graffiti art obsession has evolved to my passion for OOH media.

On that topic here are some innovative Ad campaigns I would like to share:

               Corona Billboard Transforms The Moon Into A Lime 

Beer brand Corona Extra, in partnership with ad agency Cramer-Krasselt, incorporated the moon into their billboard in a unique ad campaign called Luna Corona.
The brand worked with top universities and planetariums to gauge the precise moment and calculate the angle when the moon moves at the right place to appear like the slice of lime on top of the illustrated bottle on the billboard.

Absolut's long-running ad campaign transformed an ordinary billboard into a stylish NYC apartment back in 2000

Absolut Vodka's long-running advertising campaign is one of the most successful consumer products campaigns in the history of advertising. Known for it creative design, the company outdid itself back in 2000 when it created this eye-catching billboard.
After teaming up with fellow Swedish global brand IKEA, the company transformed a billboard in Manhattan into a stylish, but cramped, New York City apartment turned on its side - and shaped like an Absolut bottle. Genius.

BBDO Toronto promoted Smart car's low impact on the environment with these titty-bitty billboards

This pocket-sized design proves that when you have a good idea, size really doesn't matter. In keeping with Smart car's low impact on the environment, instead of using big billboards that pollute the environment, advertising agency BBDO, Toronto created a series of scaled down versions.

Some think creativity is your ability to draw or paint a pretty picture?

Creativity can seem innate, but like many things, it is actually a delicate balance of nature and nurture. In other words, creative thinking can be enhanced by external forces, and isn’t necessarily reliant on “good genes” or natural ability.

 

Some say creativity is a skill that can't be taught. Some say it's your ability to draw or paint a pretty picture? In my opinion the theory of one's potential to be creative has evolved over the years. I've come to an understanding that being creative is a skill that everyone has but it's just used in so many forms that we not aware of.

Today we hear the terms 'problem solvers', creative directors, innovators, brand leaders even being on a budget forces one to get creative by finding alternative solutions. I say we can draw, we just have to define the tool that best suits 'you'. Creativity could be your capability to furnish your new apartment on a budget, coming up with text for your new blog or a skill to always find the silver lining when things aren't looking that great. I find creativity is in all that we do but it's not always a talent that we identify with. Tapping into one's creativity can be challenging but yet so rewarding when viewing the end product whatever it may be. My challenge to all is to find your creative tool and use it to the best of your capability, and don't forget to sign your art piece when you done!

Innovation is the Key to the Success

Capital isn’t so important in business. Experience isn’t so important. You can get both these things. What is important is ideas. If you have idea, you have the main asset you need, and there isn’t and limit to what you can do with your business and your like - Harvey Firestone

 

Creativity and innovation are often key to the success of a business, particularly during strategic planning or when designing new products and services. Creative thinking and innovation are particularly useful during strategy planning or when design a new product or services.

Innovation is a skill that I've adopted unconsciously but know find the skill more fascinating than ever. In my personal capacity I've used innovative thinking when coming up with my own business model, Artads Outdoor Advertising. The business model is focused on being innovative in the OOH space by using street art as a outdoor medium to advertise. The aim is to use prime locations in and around the city to suit brands target audience, demographics using high traffic areas.

To find out more visit my website on: 

Choosing Where to Innovate

Finding new opportunities to innovate and create value is often a routine expectation of research and development. However, the types of innovation exposed in the frameworks suggest multiple sources for innovation across the business, function, organization, or industry.

Ultimately, value is created in the decisions made for the business. A decision framework provides the complete environment for innovation. It simultaneously identifies the type of innovation, along with the context to evaluate the potential value, impact and scope needed to make an effective investment choice.

3 Components of Creativity

In the 1st semester of introduction of creative development one of the exercises we had in our lecture was to define what type of creative style we are. Based on the question of the exercise there were four factors that could define an individual creativity. Green (Intellectual), orange (creative), gold (organized) and blue (people person). This exercise assisted us to understand what style of creative we were and where we stood in the creative pool. After doing the exercise the result showed me that I’m a ‘orange’ a creative. I think this exercise was valuable to find out what styles everyone in class were and when collaborating we had purpose and different roles depending on the outcome of the exercise. I find when collaborating it’s essential to know everyone’s roles this 

Steal Like An Artist

 

The book ‘Steal like an artist’ forced me to reanaylize my creative process. The author Austin Kleon redefined the term ‘steal like an artist’ for me. I have adopted a mental awakening to whom I steal from and what individual inspire me and who inspires these individuals?

 

When taking the time to read steal like an artist it was right before starting my 1st semester at Vega, the book was one of our reading metals needed for the the subject creative development. I was pleasantly surprised to have this book as a starting font print to this course. What I can say this book has changed my life and personally stood as a means of reassurance. In the book Austin Kleon elaborates on his journey of creativity, I feel his transparency broke mental barriers for many creatives out there. Austin Kleon theme throughout the book sets as guideline to how to enhance and tap into once creativity and how to share it with the rest of the world. As a creative I appreciated and salute Austin for sharing such vital information with us.

The book has unlocked my creativity in a sense that making me aware that, what has been done has been done already but the KEY is to do it differently and better and be picky to where your draw inspiration from.

"Start coping what you love. Copy copy copy copy. At the end the copy you will find yourself" - Yohi Yammamoto

Design Thinking Activates Innovation