Forty Ways to Marketing Creativity from Hugh MacLeod (aka Gapingvoid)

Modern B2B Marketing is a new, technical, and constantly evolving way of marketing that allows for measurable campaigns results and has created the need for marketing ROI measurement.  But while the way we are doing marketing is now quantifiable, it is also highly dependent on the creativity of those in the field.  Marketers today are challenged to be more creative than ever, as they need to find out-of-the-box ways to implement lead generation programs, create viral messages, and build links.  Modern marketers must be right and left brained, and able to switch between the two seamlessly, though I suspect this is often what attracts successful marketers to the field.  The rush of creating campaigns and watching them produce revenue for an organization is powerful, and is what often pushes us on. 

But creativity is sometimes hard to capture.  And marketers must learn methods to think of new ideas that are going to continue to be the spark in their campaigns.  For forty ways to help do this I would like to recommend Hugh MacLeod’s new book, Ignore Everybody and 39 Other Keys to Creativity.  You may not recognize Hugh by name, as he is better known for his blog GapingVoid.com, which features his quirky cartoons that are the size of business cards (like the one pictured below).  In this quick read, he describes his path to cartoon success from his start in New York City’s intense world of advertising.  His advice is sometimes harsh and cynical, but is based off of real examples, and can be implemented by anyone in any industry. 

Hugh MacLeod- GapingVoid.com

Hugh is a great resource for marketers, as he has been very successful in use of social media and blogs to promote his cartoons and book.

My favorite part of the book, and one that applies so well to marketing, is about allowing your work to age with you.  He points to an old adage that suggest, many people who claim to have 20 years of experience, may really only have one year’s experience, repeated twenty times.   I know you can think of marketers that this applies to, as I know the marketing industry still has many that are resistant to online marketing or hesitant to move from advertising’s traditional ad based revenue model.  To avoid being one of these people, Hugh suggests going with the flow, changing with the times, and most importantly, avoiding those who are worrying about change instead of making it.  

For the other 39 ways, you’ll have to grab Hugh’s book, “Ignore everybody and 39 Other Keys to Creativity”, which can be ordered now for delivery on its release date of June 11th.  Haven’t ordered the book yet?  One lucky commenter to this post will be randomly selected to receive a free copy, so let me know what your key to creativity is, why you want the book, or just say hi.