The Business Playground Where Creativity and Commerce Collide

by Stewart, Dave; Simmons, Mark

• ISBN13: 9780321720580
• ISBN10: 032172058X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-07-13
• Publisher: New Riders

Summary

FOREWORD by legendary business icon, Virgin's Richard Branson "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." Pablo Picasso In today's flat world, business as usual no longer cuts it. Anyone can compete on quality, price and timing. So what's the secret weapon that will boost your business over and above the competition? Creativity! But far too often creativity is sidelined and the energy and excitement that go along side it are subdued. The Business Playgroundwill change all that! Prodigious musician, producer and entrepreneur Dave Stewart, and advertising and branding guru Mark Simmons show you how to rediscover your creativity. Through a quirky selection of idea-inducing games and stimulating stories you'll be able to bring your workplace back to life. Be inspired by creative conversations with legendary Mick Jagger, Tony Award winning director Matthew Warchus, and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. And learn from innovative companies like Google, NASA and Nokia. Unleash your amazing creative potential and get ready to play! What they say about Dave Stewart: "If you are an entrepreneur and you spend time with Dave, you will know exactly what your next business idea should be, if you are a philosopher and you get talking to Dave, your mind will suddenly have clarity like never before. If you are a student and you listen to Dave, immediately you will believe in yourself and know exactly what you need to do next. Dave is a creative genius." -Simon Fuller, Founder and CEO of 19 Entertainment and creator of American Idol "Captain Dave is a dreamer and a fearless innovator, a visionary of high order, very delicately tractable on the surface but beneath that, hers"s a slamming, thumping, battering ram, very mystical but rational." -Bob Dylan "Dave is who we all want to be living his dream and actually changing the world every day with his gentle inspirational genius." -Janice Vandenbrink, Senior Vice President of Global Systems at Visa International "Dave is a truly extraordinary blend of creative genius and business person with flair." -Rita Clifton, Chairman of Interbrand "Real creativity has me in awe, and Dave Stewart is one of the most thrilling creative minds I have ever met." Anita Roddick, Founder of The Body Shop "When I met Dave he talked for 12 hours about the impact of digitalizationon the production and distribution of media. As a banker, I didnrs"t know what the hell he was talking about - nor did anyone else. Over the next five years, we all found out." -Michael Philipp, Chairman and Executive Board Member of Credit Suisse Europe, Middle East And Africa "For over 30 years I have been working with creative people the world over; but none compare with Dave. His creative cup overflows with originality, profusion and, most importantly, generosity. He is undoubtedly a genius" -Andy Law, Worldwide Chairman, The Law Firm "Jack of All Trades Master of All of Them" -Sunday Times "Hers"s a One Man Advertising Think Tank" -The Daily Telegraph What they say about Mark Simmons andPunk Marketing: "Blunt, fair, fearless and outrageous just like the marketing style they espouse." -Publishers Weekly "Punk'reads like the insider wisdom your tattooed brother gave during your first nose-piercing session: 'Donrs"t show Mom, but the girls at school will dig it.'" -Advertising Age "Taken together, their anecdotes show that truly original, engaging, and- most important - surprising ads will always prevail, whether theyrs"re labeled punk or not." -Bus

Author Biography

Dave Stewart is  founder and chairman  of Weapons of Mass Entertainment, an idea  factory described by  the LA Times as 'a media  company for the new world’. A multimedia entrepreneur,  his career spans more than 25 years and over  100 million album sales. As well as being one half of Eurythmics with Annie Lennox, Stewart has  worked with some of the best including Bono,  Mick Jagger, Gwen Stefani, Sinead O’Connor,  Tom Petty and Bob Dylan, winning best  songwriter and best producer 4 times as well  as numerous Grammy and Life Time Achievement  Awards. Described by Dylan as ‘a fearless  innovator’, Stewart was recently named one of  the 100 Most Creative People in Business  by Fast Company Magazine. Stewart is  an acclaimed public speaker and regularly  advises businesses on creativity and  innovation. He is a key advisor to  mobile phone giant Nokia, where he has the  unique title of ‘change agent’, and has  created a number of  game-changing ventures in the  entertainment industry. Stewart is an  accomplished photographer and filmmaker, and  also makes a mean vodka martini.

Mark Simmons is a branding expert, innovator and the co-author of Punk Marketing: Get Off Your Ass and Join the Revolution. Over the past twenty years he has been a senior global marketer at Coca-Cola, run advertising agencies in the UK and US, been an adviser to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection, and is the co-founder of useless.org, a social enterprise dedicated to helping people use less and give more. Mark frequently speaks at conferences about creativity, marketing and branding. He passionately believes in the power of ideas to make a positive difference in business and society and works with organizations around the world to put this into practice. Follow Mark on Twitter: @markjcsimmons.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Richard Branson

INTRODUCTION
Why business needs creativity

CHAPTER 1: HOW TO PLAY
When we unleash our natural creative potential, anything is possible.

CHAPTER 2: IDEA SPAGHETTI
Having lots and lots of ideas increases the chance of having some really great ones.

CHAPTER 3: SCAVENGERS
Always on the hunt for things to innovate.

CHAPTER 4: THE ANSWER IS IN THE QUESTION
Why getting the best answer means asking the right questions in the first place.

CHAPTER 5: LEFT BRAIN, MEET MR RIGHT
Helping the two halves of our brains work together.

CHAPTER 6: BRAIN FLASH
Using visualisation to come up with creative solutions.

CHAPTER 7: THE IDEA COMMUNE
Working (and playing) with others to come up with ideas.

CHAPTER 8: FAR OUT
Think big and don't let the truth get in the way of a good story.

CHAPTER 9: SHOE SWAPPER
Looking at problems from different perspectives.

CHAPTER 10: CONNECTED
The art of putting unconnected things together to create something completely new.

CHAPTER 11: KILL THE IDEA
Choosing which ideas to focus our time, money and energy on.

CHAPTER 12: BLAST OFF!
Creating environments that put creativity into orbit.

CONCLUSION