Mark Earls did a splendid thing on Co-Creativity.
It did make me think that while American account planning is largely a sub-division of Business, British account planning is a sub-division of Entertainment. Or at least of the arts. You can argue about which is more effective, but I know which I'd prefer to watch.
He was talking generally about co-creation, about the way that real value in the world is created in the interactions between people, not by the prototypical lone genius.
He reminded me of one of the most hateful dynamics of client/agency life - the way that almost every meeting you have is about selling something. No wonder trusts breaks down. He suggested, quite rightly, that maybe some of those meetings should be about co-creation - the joint creation of something new, rather than just a transactional thing to do with selling and approval.
References from Mark - worth checking out:
Dirk Helbing and econophysics.
Boeing and the 'world design team'
C. K. Prahalad on Co-creating value.
Ah monsieur Earls - having worked at Ogilvy I know that sometimes Mark is someone who wants to poke the industry in the ribs or merely to feed its imagination - either way we are lucky to have his intellect. Never dull - always refreshing - I recall him offering the fact that data is not information as might be offered up to the debate by a data analyst (God knows there are enough lacking in basic craft skills) who might suggest that 8.5% of Jesus's disciples betrayed him - great data - lousy insight, glad he was as inspirational as always Russell. Please tell us more if you can - be really interested in what he had to say - as well as your own views. - Well done the Brits! (crikey - coming over all patriotic about our planners now -where will it all end...)
Posted by: Holycow | August 02, 2005 at 09:25 PM