First of all: Innovation doesn’t happen by accident. That’s the truth every single company working for the creative branch must face. Either do our clients. But what’s the secret and how can we come up with innovative ideas?

Simon Lowden, CMO at PepsiCo, compares creative teams to rowing teams. The best ones consist of diverse members. You need a diversity of talents to create new ideas. Why should you always meet up with experts who know the same things like you? It’s Simon’s principle No.1 to let new thought leaders join the team. And these teams should be quite small and act quickly. But act! Because it’s more important to do something than to do it perfect.

Rowing vs. surfing

Have you ever surfed the perfect wave? Surfing is not a team sport but it’s a brilliant metaphor the guys from 72andSunny describe your everyday challenges with. Their secret to new ideas is no structured process but three factors which coin innovation: Optimism, space and timing. Optimists may be laughed at, but in fact they change the world as they are more open and have the power to influence people and convince them. Good news: you can learn optimism. You’re not born as an optimist or a pessimist. 🙂

The factor space refers to office rooms as well as diversity teams – same point of view as Simon’s. You have to disrupt structures to build something new. And finally it’s about surfing where there’s a myth of perfection. Same myth works with innovation and timings. Don’t act too early, don’t act to late. But: At the end you have to make something out of nothing. No perfection at all, but you “have to surf the wave you got”. So don’t wait for perfection or complain about conditions – just go out and find your waves.

Live from Cannes – Jasmin Sieverding.