Catalyst issue 3 | 2019: Out of the ordinary Exchange_Lock
Catalyst

Catalyst issue 3 | 2019: Out of the ordinary

Inspiration vs perspiration

In this edition of Catalyst magazine, we look at a number of ways that marketers can start doing things differently, taking the path less trodden and putting themselves in a place where inspiration and opportunity are more likely to strike.

Take Twitter’s EMEA vice-president, Bruce Daisley, for example, interviewed on page 22. He argues that we aren’t giving big ideas the space to breathe. We are squashing even that tiny one per cent of inspiration with unnecessary ‘busyness’. The more we schedule meetings and teleconferences, not only do we actually end up doing less productive work, but we are stifling any opportunity to simply think. By failing to find ourselves in moments he calls “daydreamy”, those magical ideas just will not come.

But we are also not going to find ground breaking ideas if we look for them in all the same places. In ‘Thinking Differently’ (p52), Direct Line Group’s marketing director, Mark Evans, champions neurodiversity. He says that we need to access insights from people on the autistic spectrum or with dyslexia who are able to offer fresh perspectives. That means we have to rethink the way we hire, as current recruitment processes are incompatible with bringing these people to the fore.

In this quarter’s ‘Big Conversation’ (p26), a panel of experts explore the power of the ‘nudge’ – how to find new ways of influencing customer behaviour in a way that benefits both brand and consumer. Interestingly, while we have been trying to smooth every possible hurdle in the consumer’s path to purchase, it turns out the odd barrier can be a very helpful thing indeed.

As always, this issue is packed with insight and opinion from a wide range of sectors, disciplines and geographies. 

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Morag Cuddeford-Jones Editor, Catalyst magazine CIM
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