Kelly O'Keefe, Chief Creative Strategy Officer of Padilla/CRT and Brandcenter Professor, gave this presentation at "Ambidexterity 2," the VCU Brandcenter's Executive Education program for account planning on June 23rd at the VCU Brandcenter in Richmond, VA.

1. Lessons
FROM SOME OF THE MOST INNOVATIVE BRANDS
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Kelly O’Keefe / PadillaCRT / VCU Brandcenter / kokeefe@vcu.edu

2. Before we get started: A request

3. Don’t wait for change to happen
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“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.”
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– Mother Teresa
“They always say time changes things, but you actually
have to change them yourself.”
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– Andy Warhol

4. Ordered Chaos
the value of brands in a digital age

7. ChaosOrder
Striking a Balance
pointlesslifeless
Purposeful Creativity

8. 70
Insiders Influencers Loyalists Casual Fans General Public
{
{Active Participation Passive Participation
Influencing not just Advertising
Information Flow

9. 1.Work tribes
2.Leisure tribes
3.Family tribes
4.Political tribes
5.Health tribes
6.Food tribes
7.Art tribes
The Multicultural Me

10. CONVICTION
COMPANY
CONSUMER
COMMUNITY
CULTURE
CONCEPTS
CONTENT
CIRCULATION
CONVERSATION

11. Ten Lessons

12. 1. Less Voice/More Touch
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“The general idea is that no matter the size of your
company, your brand should act small.”
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– Jack Spade, Partners & Spade

13. Partners & Spade
"It was about this world we were creating, which was about graciousness.
Developing that identity involved making hundreds of decisions that don't seem to
be about marketing or advertising, but in fact, are essential elements of both.”
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– Jack Spade, Partners & Spade

14. Warby Parker

15. Starbucks

16. 2. Look for the Little Idea
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“There is something special about a warm,
yummy chocolate chip cookie.”
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– DoubleTree by Hilton

17. DoubleTree by Hilton

18. Amazon Big Innovation

19. Amazon Small Detail

20. Amazon

21. 3. Hold Conversations with Cynics
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“Without criticism there is no allowance for the full
spectrum of truth, without truth there is no growth,
and without growth there is no progress.”
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22. Barnes & Noble College

23. Barnes & Noble College

24. Barnes & Noble College

25. A Complaint is a Gift
“Complaints provide a feedback
mechanism that can help
organizations rapidly and
inexpensively shift products,
service style and market focus to
meet the needs of customers.”
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– Janelle Barlow and Claus Moller

26. 4. Shine Lights in Dark Corners
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“We've been changing the way America buys cars since
we opened our first store in Richmond, Virginia, in 1993.”
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– CarMax

27. CarMax

28. CarMax

31. 5. Build a Stronger Internal Case
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“If you are a company that is averse to failure… if you’re a
company that won’t embrace risk … if you’re a company that
won’t even set aside a small part of your marketing budget for
innovation, for failing, so that it can actually impact the learning
of the organization, then you don’t really deserve to grow.”
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– Jonathan Mildenhall, Coca-Cola

32. Coca-Cola

33. Coca-Cola

34. 6. Dumbo’s Feather

35. Stieglitz
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“Celebrated for his photographs,
Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946) was one
of the most influential figures in
twentieth-century art.”
– National Gallery
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1. The power of luck
2. The power of observation
3. The power of encouragement

36. 7. Purposeful is Powerful
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“The need for purpose is one of the defining characteristics
of human beings. Human beings crave purpose…it is a
fundamental component of a fulfilling life.”
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– Steve Taylor, Psychology Today

37. Chipotle

38. Colombian Coffee

39. Cenveo

40. Cenveo
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“Through these publications,
researchers from across the globe
began to turn their attention to the
potential in this protein. With the
input of some of these professionals,
the National Cancer Institute team
found the protein to be particularly
effective against the HIV virus.”
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– National Cancer Institute

41. 8. Do Less and Do It Better
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“Steve's kind of a fanatic about things, and you know,
I think fanaticism is underrated.”
– Bill Gates

43. 2001 2007 2010

46. $158 Billion in Cash

47. • $10 million
$7.4 billion
$10 million

49. 9. Ask For Participation
Brand Progression:
–A brand tells me what they do: Benefit
–A brand tells me why they do it: Context
–A brand does something that proves intent: Evidence
–A brand does it every time – even if nobody is looking: Conviction
–A brand and I do something together: Participation
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50. American Express

51. 10. The Age of Empowerment
“Only one in five millennials thinks, “most people can be trusted.”
“Millennials are more likely than their elders to believe that the
nation’s best days are ahead of it.”
“Most Millennials believe Social Security won’t be able to pay in
full when they need it.”
“Millennials trust that they’ll have enough money to lead the lives
they want.”
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– Pew Research Center
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pessimism?
optimism?
pessimism?
optimism?

52. Self-Propelled

53. “Bootlegging is defined as research in which motivated
individuals secretly organize the innovation process.
It usually is a bottom-up, non-programmed activity, without
the official permission of the responsible management, but
for the benefit of the company.”
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– Wikipedia
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Bootlegging

54. Bootlegging

55. Back to that request

56. Impatience is a virtue
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“If necessity is the mother of invention, impatience is
the mother of action.”
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– Me
“It is the job of the creative thinkers in any organization,
to test the limits of the administration’s patience.”
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– Also Me

57. Thank You