ANTICIPATION ENGINES YOUR BRAND’S FUTURE

I was recently asked what exactly is the heart and soul of creativity. A portly question with of course, no skinny answer.

I know we all agree that creativity defined includes generating, recognizing and implementing alternatives, possibilities in solving problems, capitalizing on opportunities, communicating effectively: fueling emotional capital in the language of entertainment. And of course with the understanding, under the ribs of a creative umbrella, that our united goal in sales and marketing is to gain an audiences “attention, interest, conviction, desire and close them on our creative supposition, our product and or brand proposition. Always with a brand promise of benignity, clarity of beneficial purpose.

Which leads me to what I personally believe composes the art and heart of creativity, in any form, in any language: anticipation. Nearly all we do, all we expect within every art form imaginable from music, to magic, to sports, to Hollywood movies, to business meetings, to contract negotiations is to anticipate. Creating and fueling anticipation must mirror relevant consumer expectations. Anticipation creates emotional capital, creates engagement, creates response, desire and ultimate preference and demand. Creativity without anticipation destroys consumer expectations.

This music video I created in Studio W last weekend examples (in a progressive rock genre) anticipation as the core construct of creativity: as a catalyst for relevant entertainment.

Further, there is a tight congress between creativity, relevancy and anticipation. The formula for fueling change, opportunity, expectations and emotional capital is: CREATIVITY + RELEVANCY = ANTICIPATION. If we are highly creative yet not relevant to any intended audience, we will fail in our mission. If we are highly relevant yet not creative we will fail in stimulating anticipation for engagement. Anticipation is an emotional behavior that cuddles the future digestion of relevant happiness, opportunity or in-congress resolve. On the other side of the equation relevancy can be very complex with non-linear dynamics, with discontinuity, with changing inconsistencies. Anticipation augers, portends and protracts an effective perfect union of creativity and relevancy.

As we know, creativity requires originality and effectiveness in order to ensure the formula works. Relevancy ensure the audience has the will, the need and the means to engage. While anticipation effects, migrates and colonizes opportunity for effective return on emotional capital, return on multi-modal investments. Creativity and relevancy united as “won” are best curated as anticipatory catalysts designed to gain competitive market advantage, to catalyst boomerang consumer demand: to best amplify your brand promise.

Any questions? Remember, “questions are the answers.” Ask a multitude of questions regarding creative intentions, relevancy of the market to serve… ask if there is enough anticipation built into your creative and relevant intentions to ensure your demanded returns. Remember, “creativity without the refulgent heart of anticipation destroys relevant opportunity, dampens the art of the possible, causes the largest museum of failed products across all warehouse and floor locations. And simultaneously spanks, arrests and erases brand value, market opportunity.” Anticipation engines your brand’s formidable future only if you are creatively and relatively well prepared.

Peter Weedfald is the author of Green Reign Leadership designed to enlist superior sales and marketing disciplines and market leadership available at amazon and Barnes and Noble and other book retailers.