In previous posts I've made mention of a creative team and how they can be very helpful in developing a guerrilla marketing campaign. I gave a brief example of what a creative team consists of: “a small group of people from various backgrounds, ages and gender.”After seeing them in action, I think they are beneficial for a variety of businesses, churches and non-profits.
At a previous workplace we utilized the Creative Team concept. Since this was a church we would gather once or twice a year to brainstorm what sermon series and topics should be covered for the following year. Rather than come up with too many details we would lay out a sermon schedule that was more like broad brush strokes. And then throughout the year we would meet weekly to hammer out particulars of the individual 3-6 weeks series. Our meetings would be informal and some weeks we accomplished more than others. Businesses and non-profits can plan creative team meetings around product launches, and major events.
So what is a creative team and how can they help you communicate creatively? What a creative team is, is a group consisting of anywhere from 3-8 people who meet for the sole purpose of coming up with and developing ideas that will help you to creatively communicate the product or idea that you want to provide your target market. Here are some key concepts to follow in selecting your creative team:
1) Team members should be diverse in regards to their age, and personality type, as well as their likes and dislikes. Yet they should also be united in regards to the product or idea that you are marketing. The age span of our team was 20-something to 50-something. Some of the team came from a graphic design background; some of us were performers, supervisors, ministers, military veterans, video producers, etc. On various occasions we would bring in different people if we thought we needed better insight in a specific area which they could provide.
2) The team members have to know that they have the freedom to state their opinion on any idea that is given, without fear of repercussion. At the beginning, every idea is equally valid. Because when the team first starts out, the meeting is more like a brainstorming session. So no matter if the team member is the company president, or the newest employee or volunteer, they have a voice in the meeting.
(The importance of having the diversity of people and ideas is because each of us by nature is creative, but after a while we tend to get into a rut and soon find ourselves repeating what we’ve done. I think this happens because when we run out of fresh ideas we return to what we know.)
3) The team should number between 3-8 people. No less than 3, as you need the dynamics that a third person brings, so you don’t turn into a mutual admiration society and no more than 8, because too many chefs spoil the stew. One of the last annual team meetings I participated in had a group of more than 8 people and it turned out to be one of the least productive meetings. Too many people will mean you will lose your creative focus, as large groups of people tend to go off on their own agenda’s losing sight of the big picture of why they are there.
4) Limit your meeting time to 2 hours and meet before lunch. The best times to be creative are usually the morning when people tend to be their freshest. The longer a meeting runs, the less productive it becomes. It’s been my experience that 2 hours appears to be the limit when it comes to creativity. After that you tend to get a sense of beating a dead horse and you will start losing team members mentally. Also don’t just provide snacks/foods that are high in sugar. Have a mix of fresh fruits, vegetables, as well as chips and pastries, coffee, water, juice and soda.
The team members on the creative team I worked with were all staff members at the church I worked at. However your business or church or non-profit may not be larger enough to draw from staff members. Then partner with people who you do business with, if you are a church/non-profit then involve volunteers, if you are married utilize your wife. And depending on whom you are marketing to involve your children or the teenager next door.
The next post we will look at how the creative team operates in generating and developing ideas to meet your goal of communicating creatively.
1) Team members should be diverse in regards to their age, and personality type, as well as their likes and dislikes. Yet they should also be united in regards to the product or idea that you are marketing. The age span of our team was 20-something to 50-something. Some of the team came from a graphic design background; some of us were performers, supervisors, ministers, military veterans, video producers, etc. On various occasions we would bring in different people if we thought we needed better insight in a specific area which they could provide.
2) The team members have to know that they have the freedom to state their opinion on any idea that is given, without fear of repercussion. At the beginning, every idea is equally valid. Because when the team first starts out, the meeting is more like a brainstorming session. So no matter if the team member is the company president, or the newest employee or volunteer, they have a voice in the meeting.
(The importance of having the diversity of people and ideas is because each of us by nature is creative, but after a while we tend to get into a rut and soon find ourselves repeating what we’ve done. I think this happens because when we run out of fresh ideas we return to what we know.)
3) The team should number between 3-8 people. No less than 3, as you need the dynamics that a third person brings, so you don’t turn into a mutual admiration society and no more than 8, because too many chefs spoil the stew. One of the last annual team meetings I participated in had a group of more than 8 people and it turned out to be one of the least productive meetings. Too many people will mean you will lose your creative focus, as large groups of people tend to go off on their own agenda’s losing sight of the big picture of why they are there.
4) Limit your meeting time to 2 hours and meet before lunch. The best times to be creative are usually the morning when people tend to be their freshest. The longer a meeting runs, the less productive it becomes. It’s been my experience that 2 hours appears to be the limit when it comes to creativity. After that you tend to get a sense of beating a dead horse and you will start losing team members mentally. Also don’t just provide snacks/foods that are high in sugar. Have a mix of fresh fruits, vegetables, as well as chips and pastries, coffee, water, juice and soda.
The team members on the creative team I worked with were all staff members at the church I worked at. However your business or church or non-profit may not be larger enough to draw from staff members. Then partner with people who you do business with, if you are a church/non-profit then involve volunteers, if you are married utilize your wife. And depending on whom you are marketing to involve your children or the teenager next door.
The next post we will look at how the creative team operates in generating and developing ideas to meet your goal of communicating creatively.
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