Two creative sparks to elevate your week
Hey friends! I’ve go two juicy nuggets of creative inspiration for you: Creative Directors and Cracker Jack. Let’s get into it.
Creative Directors
Here’s how Wikipedia defines the role of Creative Director:
…a person who makes high-level creative decisions; oversees the creation of creative assets such as advertisements, products, events, or logos; and directs and translates the creative people who produce the end results.
This role, which is generally a senior level position in an organization, has much more to do with high level strategic planning, resource allocation, and management than it does with executing any specific set of skills.
AI tools like ChatGPT, Claud, MidJourney, Grok, and so on can act as creative assistants, helping you generate content, strategize, visualize, and refine ideas while you focus on the bigger picture.
How can you leverage AI tools to act more like a creative director than a practitioner in your own work?
Cracker Jack
In 1912, the caramel-coated popcorn and peanuts company, Cracker Jack, decided to include a small novelty prize in each box of its snacks. They are widely credited for pioneering this innovation in the consumer packaged goods space. Here’s why it was so clever:
Consumer Engagement: Cracker Jack’s prize concept added surprise and delight to their snack, making it more than just a treat—it was an experience.
Marketing Genius: The prizes differentiated Cracker Jack from the competition and appealed to children and adults alike.
Brand Loyalty: Collectible prizes encouraged repeat purchases as consumers sought to complete sets.
What’s a low cast add-on that you could include in your work that could offer outsized value?*
*as a reader of my newsletter, I’d like to offer you three children’s books that you can read for free on my personal website (see what I did there?).
See you soon
That’s all for now. I’ll see you in your inbox again on Friday for my deeper dive of creative takeaways from the week.
Until then, be well!
-Mike