EPISODE ONE
Mandie Van Der Merwe On The Mistake Companies Make With Creativity
In this episode, Liana Dubois, Nine’s Chief Marketing Officer, is joined by Mandie van der Merwe, Chief Creative Officer at Saatchi & Saatchi Australia, to explore why creativity is now a business imperative. They discuss the risks of playing it safe in today's fast-paced market and how embracing bold, creative strategies can drive significant business success. Discover how creativity not only sets brands apart but also becomes a critical lever for growth and innovation in an ever-evolving landscape.
GUEST SPEAKER
Creativity highly valued
Creativity, a trait now highly valued in the corporate world, is often mistaken for something that can be taught.
Mandie van der Merwe, joint Chief Creative Officer at Saatchi and Saatchi Australia and AWARD chair, sees creativity as more a behaviour.
“There's this idea that you can teach people creativity, I'm sorry to say, but you can't,” she said
She was speaking to Liana Dubois, Chief Marketing Officer at Nine Entertainment, on Talking Creativity, a special edition of Nine's podcast series at the This Way Up event by the Australasian Writers and Art Directors (AWARD).
A recruitment tool
Dubois said a few recent surveys highlighted that creativity is now one of the most sought after skills among employers.
“Why do you think there's such high demand for creativity in the workforce today, and how can organisations better cultivate and harness creative talent to really maintain their competitive edge?” she asked van der Merwe
“Creativity is a behaviour,” said van der Merwe. “It's something that you decide to do every day by challenging convention and questioning why some people are just naturally wired that way.
“But if you aren't, you need to practise being uncomfortable and adopting a creative mindset.
“Now, this is important because employers often think that they need to find creative talent to maintain their competitive edge, as you've said, and then harness and cultivate them.
“I always laugh. It's like ‘quick go out there, capture the creative thinkers’. It all sounds really good in theory, but they won't stay.
“They will recognise that they are being used, much like you would use a tool or research. Creative people like to feel that they're part of a community, that they are being pushed and that they are being challenged.
“So if you really want a creative workforce, I say start with yourself. If you become more creative yourself, or at least attempt to start questioning that status quo, you will attract and retain other creative people, and then you will find that creativity not only becomes a recruitment tool, but it becomes a reason that people stay and that your business grows and that what you put out into the world evolves.”
Nine Dubois said creativity was a key differentiator for businesses.
Strategic necessity
“How do you perceive creativity playing a role in really setting brands apart? And why has it become, in your mind, a strategic necessity, rather than just a nice to have the?”
van der Merwe at Saatchi and Saatchi said creativity is absolutely a strategic necessity but most people really do think of it as a risk.
“And that in itself is kind of the riskiest thing. I'd say it's not a nice to have,” she said.
“You should double down on creativity because creativity is all about finding new ways to explain your brand, your offering, and to own a special place in consumers’ hearts.
“If brands really want to survive and excel, the only way for them to do it is by embracing creativity and newness. And it's really the newness that creativity brings.”
Problem solver
In tough economic times brands tend to pull back on marketing spend.
“And markets may change rapidly,” she said. “I always joke, it's been changing for as long as I've been in the industry. The one thing that remains is how creativity becomes a multiplier for brands when it's truly embraced.
“So sure, there's always going to be change, but creativity is the one constant that can give you that edge.”
van der Merwe urged brands not to turn their backs on the one thing that's your differentiator when times are tough.
“Creativity is not just a differentiator, but it's also actually a way of solving problems that others can't solve,” she said.
“And we find ourselves in a moment in time where there's a very interesting problem. So embrace creativity.”
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