race to

the bottom

So much is possible in a virtual world and a lot of things are a lot easier than in the real one (because frankly, what a mess!). People want to be entertained and inspired, and a virtual event can give them just the escape they’re wishing for. This also means expectations are rising. We’ve known for a while that the days of buying people's loyalty with a branded keychain are over. But the bar keeps on rising. Technology sharpens consumer expectations to a point where experimental is the new normal. Is that a sustainable evolution? Can brands keep up, or is there a limit to their creativity and ingenuity?

As is

‘Here we are now. Entertain us!’ Nirvana couldn’t have summarised the Zeitgeist any better. But when the demand for originality becomes the default setting, can brands still live up to it? Campaigns become more spectacular every year. You can’t just be present at Paris Fashion week, you have to have The Simpsons wear your clothes to the défilé like Balenciaga did. The Super Bowl can’t just be about football any longer. You have to have Snoop, Dr. Dre and Mary J to keep the people busy during the break because god forbid they would be bored. All very nice, but not everybody has these kinds of budgets. So we have to get creative.

Could be

The history of art shows tells us to be creative. No easy feat: it’s kind of like telling someone to be spontaneous. But you have a brand and you want it to be known, so you find yourself some young talent with crispy fresh ideas to come up with the next campaign or guerilla intervention. You tell them to think out of the box, to come up with something nobody else has. And if that talent knows their tech, you just might have found your competitive advantage.

With immersive technologies, new options open up for creatives to play with. So you can stop thinking of the perfect funny quote to put on the branded umbrella. In fact, you have to stop. The key to creativity might be to stop trying, to stop trying to create more and bigger and madder, but just be smarter. To see where your audience goes, to learn new technologies, to play with them and preferably have fun doing so. Because if you don’t even like it, why would your customers? Originality and creativity are about having an open and curious attitude, finding new and smart ways of doing things and reaching people in their own world, whether it's virtual or analogue.