We live in a world where the digital marketing landscape is changing. It’s getting harder to get cut through, harder to get journalists to like our ideas and harder to get customer loyalty. The ability to be creative, to innovate and think of new, original ideas and solutions is a skill that will prove to be invaluable in the future. In this inspiring talk Kirsty talks about why we need to improve our creative thinking, and define a process that can help us all improve our ideas and originality in our daily lives.

1. @Kirsty_Hulse
The science of creativity
How to train your brain to have
better ideas

2. “Tired &
clueless”
Who is
Kirsty Hulse?

3. Let me start with a fact
@kirsty_hulse

4. 11 items of clothing...
...39,916,800 ways to get
dressed
@kirsty_hulse

6. Business operate on
quantifiable predictability
@kirsty_hulse

7. We reward not
making
mistakes
@kirsty_hulse

8. 74% of CMOs said they are
“unlikely” to take a creative
risk with their brand
@kirsty_hulse

9. 87% of us can’t get our best
ideas signed off
@kirsty_hulse

11. Meanwhile...
@kirsty_hulse

12. We are exposed to 4000 adverts a
day
Source: huffingtonpost.com/advertising-week/the-de-risking-of-creativ_b_10491178

13. Ad
blockers
on the rise
slideshare.net/InSitesConsulting_onStage/why-people-use-and-engage-with-digital-content-globally

14. Voice search
will have an
impact
weareroast.com/whitepapers/voice-search-vertical-report-q3-2018

15. sparktoro.com/blog/on-serp-seo-the-infuriating-reality-of-searchs-future/

16. “I get thousands of press
releases a day. Literally.
Thousands.”
@kirsty_hulse

18. We need creativity to
incite emotion
@kirsty_hulse

20. MRI scans show when evaluating brands, consumers
primarily use emotions (feelings, experiences), rather than
information (features, facts)
University of Doha: emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/JPBM-12-2014-0774

21. Emotion enhances our recall
of a brand or product
Neilson: isihome.ir/freearticle/ISIHome.ir-22074.pdf

22. Sell aspiration
@kirsty_hulse

23. “Creative quality is
the most important
factor for driving
sales”
Neilson: ncsolutions.com/case-studies/five-keys-advertising-effectiveness/

24. I did a lot of
research to
test this
theory
@kirsty_hulse

25. 3 high ranking sites in
Insurance, Ecom cool, Ecom
dry, Travel, Finance
Analysed the top 150 links
earned in 2018ish
Defined a scale of content effort
Identified how likely it was to
be a paid placement
Was it “creative”?

26. You can
read the full
post here
@kirsty_hulse
bit.ly/2018-content-research

27. The format of the content was an
added bonus. The only thing that sets
performing content apart is
authenticity, timing and originality.
@kirsty_hulse

28. Authenticity: emotional resonance, being genuine
Timing: is this already on our agenda
Originality: a new concept, or an interesting take on
an old one
@kirsty_hulse

29. @kirsty_hulse
Creativity does
not guarantee
performance,
but boosts it

30. @kirsty_hulse

31. Invest in developing
creativity as a skill
@kirsty_hulse #inorbit19@kirsty_hulse

32. Who here believes you are a
creative person?
@kirsty_hulse

33. @kirsty_hulse

34. @kirsty_hulse

35. @kirsty_hulse

36. Creativity is a
skill that can be
learned,
developed and
applied
@kirsty_hulse

37. Science
Agrees…

38. “No evidence of
heredity variation
appeared in the [...]
Divergent Thinking
measures.”
Thomas Puzello. Road Island Universityfiles.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED061542.pdf

39. lancaster.ac.uk/staff/subbotsk/Creativity%20paper%20for%20PMS,2nd%20rev.pdf

40. There isn't one "creativity"
area in the brain; creativity is
the interplay of brain activity
involving multiple systems
Harvard, Yale: pnas.org/content/115/5/1087/tab-article-info

41. “We can consciously
influence ourselves to have
greater creativity [...] by
practicing exercises which
require it”
@kirsty_hulse

42. 1. Habits
2. Brainstorms
3. Process

44. University of Zurich media.uzh.ch/en/Press-Releases/2018/Brain-Anatomy.html

45. Businesses have to develop
habits to enable their staff to
be creative
@kirsty_hulse

47. journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0146167212436611

48. @kirsty_hulse #inorbit19Tim Harfard: How to be creative and resilient in a tiny minded world
Highly innovative
scientists move between
topics more quickly than
their less innovative
peers

49. Random wordsUse random words against a defined focused to stimulate new
ideas. The random word allows us to open up paths we would
otherwise never explore.
amazon.co.uk/How-Have-Creative-Ideas-exercises/dp/009191048X

50. Dr Robert
EpsteinWrote this book, Harvard Professor, generally a cool dude
amazon.com/Big-Book-Creativity-Games-Jumpstarting/dp/0071361766

51. Absolutely do this test tonight.
(Not now. Stay with me)
mycreativityskills.com

53. @kirsty_hulse
“Research has consistently found working separately, to be
superior to groups interacting verbally [...] In over 50 studies,
the evidence speaks loud and clear, individuals working
separately generate many more, and more creative, ideas
than groups. This difference is large and robust.”

54. @kirsty_hulse

55. Production Blocking: may forget, focus on remembering
rather than generating, listening overrides generation
Evaluation Apprehension: risk of criticism
Free/over riding: when members rely on others or take over
@kirsty_hulse

56. Paul Paulus, University of Texas, apa.org/gradpsych/2009/01/creativity

58. VERY SECRET
INFORMATION
VERY SECRET
INFORMATION

59. Train your
brain.
Develop a
creative
process

60. Train your brain, know
areas to develop and have a
creative process
@kirsty_hulse

62. WTF?!?!
Go home
Kirsty, you’re
drunk.

64. A millennial targeted data security guide doesn’t
exist. Use the data to create the news, and the guide
as the asset for outreach.

67. 01.
02.
03.
In a world where
people, avoid risk.
Embrace creativity to create
genuine connection and
emotional resonance
Recognise creativity is a skill you
can learn and hone your innate
creative ability
Develop a creative process to
validate your ideas

68. Thank you!
(ps ask me
about my
confidence
workshops)