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Just because you can, doesn't mean you should

by Paul Armstrong

I frequently read the blog Church Marketing Sucks to get an overall feel for what is "abuzz" in the world of churches, creativity and marketing. I find myself nearly ashamed at what is heralded as "creative" marketing and design within the padded walls of the church -- which more often than not mistakes style and imitation for creativity, besides being about 5-8 years off current trends. But one blog title caught my eye. I was curious when I saw a post that references a piece written by Michael Iva entitled "100 Ways To Kill A Concept". The article (a PDF download) is well written; though most of the items are redundant, and full of many designers nightmares. But concepts go far beyond the realm of designers, concepts are ideas. Ideas are creativity. Creativity is embedded in everyone. In his opening paragraph Iva states:

"Most of the time, somewhere along the way, a person’s idea gets changed before their concept transaction is completed. Sometimes their concept lives and evolves, but more often it dies. Once a concept is conceived, persuading someone else to buy into that concept usually causes any of the following circumstances to happen (particularly in business, marketing & sales, the arts, science, government, and any entrepreneurial venture)…"

 

The basic premise of the piece is that in order for you concept to survive the onslaught of excuses for its demise, you must become adapt at selling concepts. But the premise doesn't take into account one very important foundation: creating a concept. This then begs the question -- what is a "good" concept? Merely being creative and having a concept neither makes it good or worth fighting for. Concept development isn't just about research or execution, but about the solidity and pertinence of your idea. How does one make an idea that is both unique, creative and applicable?
A Good Concept is Hard To Find

"... your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should." -- Dr. Ian Malcolm (from Jurassic Park)

One of my favorite movie quotes (above), when Jeff Goldblum's character Dr. Malcolm reacts when he discovers that there is a plan to recreate, rebirth dinosaurs. The same can be said for concepts. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. All ideas start with a fundamental understanding of the problem, which is the definition of creativity: the unique solution to a given problem.

 

To start at the beginning is to start where everyone else has stood. Everyone starts at the blocks. Your first thoughts out of the gate are the same thoughts as everyone else out of the gates. Write them down, crumble up the paper, and toss them away. You're pulling from a dry well -- if you thought it, the likelihood of someone else having thought it (and executed it for the exact same problem) is pretty high and its best to just move beyond that.

 

Write down keywords, word associations, phrases, definitions, synonyms of the everything even remotely related to the problem, this allows you explore the problem from a variety of angles. Learn your competition. Learn the market. Learn what others have done -- successfully and unsuccessfully (there's nothing worse than repeating someone else's mistakes). Allow yourself to explore every possibility between the successesand unsuccesses. If you've done your research, seen what is being done, what has been done, you'll know the general limits and parameters of where you should go and can freely run toward more unique solutions and concepts. The hardest thing to learn, or even recognize, is when a concept is not worthy pursuing.

 

Not all concepts and ideas are worth the battles -- either because they are far too advanced for the current audience or mindset, or simply because they aren't good. Marketing, design and communication failures aren't for lack of being creative, and certainly not for lack of being fought for; but more for lack of appropriateness, timeliness and intended market. If you know to develop a concept, than you'll know if you concept is worth fighting for -- which doesn't mean you won't run across the "It's not us", "I don't get it", "This will never work"'s. Knowing you will face a harsh audience with a solid, well researched, and worthy concept allows you engage in a battle for its fruition.

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Just because you can, doesn't mean you should