Issue 35: A bulletin for big ideas and better business.

September surge 🔋

Full energy for September. We look ahead to Milan Fashion Week, pirouette towards the New York Ballet, and get set for a big reveal (wink) at a UK art gallery. Plus: why Britain is getting an environmental envoy. But first, Sir John Hegarty wants you to embrace the downturn.

OPINION/ ENTREPRENEURSHIP 

Creativity is key to thriving in tough times

💬 Sir John Hegarty

Necessity (the truism goes) is the mother of invention. We are never so moved to create something new as when we’re afforded the impetus of discomfort. Where businesses are concerned, there’s considerable pain to endure right now. In the UK, consumer confidence is dwindling as we warily await the autumn budget. The global economy is limping along too according the IMF. It’s dispiriting stuff. But in adverse conditions, the only sensible action is to try to create the future you’d want to live in.

It looks as though many are already trying. A record number of British start-ups launched last year, according to Natwest. The 900,000 companies that opened for business in 2023 marked a 12% increase on the year before. The number of new patents surged to unprecedented levels too. For the same period, design applications increased by 20.6%. It’s no coincidence that this happened as the country teetered on the brink of recession.  

History shows just how

productive we tend to

be during downturns.

History shows just how productive we tend to be during downturns. The Great Depression gave us FM radio, the electric guitar and the photocopier. Straightened times in the 1970s led to the computer mouse, the PC and the barcode. The 2008 financial crash led to the gig economy, fintech and crypto (this last one is a useful reminder that not every idea minted in a crisis is worth exploration).

In this decade, the course of action should be obvious. While business leaders are prone to de-prioritising imagination when times get tough, they should invest in it all the more. The best riposte to a challenging environment is a new idea, and the will to see it realised. It’s time for a creative revolution.

Our latest course, A.P.E. – Advertising Principles Explained, launches in exactly a week. It’s an essential primer on how to turn imagination into revenue. Join us on the 23rd September.

P.S. Thanks to all who contributed their favourite end lines in response to last week’s column. Our winning entry was from Russ Hodgson, creative director at Point 6 Design, who opted for ‘Peperami: it’s a bit of an animal’. We think this pleasing double entendre invokes the irreverence of the 1990s.

THE AGENDA

✏️ Pencil it in: your agenda for the coming week

1.
The swing-state charm offensive continues in the US presidential election. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are pressing flesh in Pennsylvania and Michigan, respectively.
17th September

2.
Maniacos – and maniacas – della modas will assemble in northern Italy for the Spring/ Summer edition of Milan Fashion Week. Organisers are pegging on an extra day to give attendees more time.
17th – 23rd September

3.
The New York City Ballet opens its Fall 2024 season. The resident choreographer, Justin Peck, is celebrating his tenth year in the role. Expect performers to be en pointe.
17th September – 13th October

4.
The annual Retail Industry Awards will be held at the Brewery, London. It reportedly calls itself the ‘Oscars of the grocery industry’, (whether anyone else does is unconfirmed).
18th September

5.
Like art? Love nudity? This special private view for naturists might be your thing. Dorset Museum and Art Gallery is allowing the un-clothed into its exhibitions. The event is organised by British Naturism.
17th September

Credit: Sir John Hegarty

Innov-ape-tion
Credit: The Garage Entertainment

GLOBAL / CREATIVITY

Simian in session

Researchers into advertising have made a startling discovery. While businesses spent over $750 billion on it worldwide last year, as little as six percent is truly effective. This lost value is – justifiably – causing concern among agencies and clients. What’s going on? Advertising’s effectiveness crisis can be attributed to a range of issues, but none more so than a lurch toward ads that seek to convert sales – rather than entertain, beguile, or build the image of a brand. A.P.E. – Advertising Principles Explained is the latest course from The Garage Entertainment. Led by Orlando Wood, chief innovation officer at System 1 Group, it’s a comprehensive masterclass on how brands can re-discover the art of persuasion. Highlights include – what Roman orators can teach us about communication, why humans have two types of attention, and how creativity really drives commercial performance. The first cohort begins next Monday 23rd September. Take a look here to learn more.

“It’s the ecology, stupid.”
Credit: Uwe Deffner / Alamy Stock Photo

BRITAIN / ENVIRONMENT

Green team

Britain is getting a special envoy for nature. Foreign secretary David Lammy (pictured) is expected to announce two roles today as part of an effort to step up the UK’s involvement in fighting ecological crises around the world. He will say that “climate change may not feel as urgent as a terrorist or an autocrat. But it is more fundamental. It is systemic, pervasive and accelerating towards us.” Creating a diplomatic position around green concerns is a smart move – environmental risks require collaboration across borders. Meanwhile, the appointment is likely to win the government some plaudits on the international stage. It’s a reminder that when starting down an implausibly huge task, the first step is to find the right team.

O Captain, my Captain: the template for creative education.
Credit: AJ Pics / Alamy Stock Photo

GLOBAL / WORK

Employers: graduates aren’t creative enough

Creativity is a sought-after trait. Bosses need workers who are capable of thinking around problems. But a report by Canva shows that some employers feel there is a deficit in this quality among new starters. For instance, only 56% of hiring managers and 36% of educators believe that graduates are prepared for the workforce (which makes one wonder what the latter think they’re doing). In comparison, 68% of fresh-faced graduates think they’re up to the job. Hiring managers cite a lack of creativity, time management and problem-solving skills in applicants. Many agree also that as digital tools such as AI mature, imagination will continue to be a highly attractive trait for those offering junior jobs. The solution is clear: re-write curricula to better equip students with creative skills.

A life spent making mistakes is not only more honourable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.

/George Bernard Shaw