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Cultivating Creativity in Calgary – Advice from CBC’s Terry O’Reilly

Almost 10 years ago, I found and fell in love with Terry O’Reilly’s radio show, Under the Influence. I still look forward to the weekly episodes, often listening more than once. The topics and stories are incredibly well researched, fascinating, and so powerful, they never disappoint. So, when I read that the CBC radio and marketing guru, O’Reilly, was the keynote at SocialWest, a digital marketing conference in Calgary, I immediately purchased a ticket. Prior to the event, I found out one of my colleagues on the Calgary Marketing Association board, was a personal friend of Terry’s. On a whim, I asked if she could connect us. Without hesitation, Terry responded saying he’d be happy to sit with me for a chat.

Courtesy of Neil Zeller

Creatives – Born or Made?

In June Terry O’Reilly delivered his keynote during SocialWest at the Eau Claire Cinemas. We had arranged to sit down following his talk, and as we walked to the courtyard I tried to keep my fangirl enthusiasm under control. Our small talk segued to his keynote topics of creativity and the power of counterintuitive thinking. O’Reilly believes that “you are born creative, but you can learn how to focus and become a better creative person over time”.

What does it really mean to be a better creative person? “You can learn over time, how to develop creativity, quickly.” A necessity, O’Reilly says, if you want to succeed in an industry of deadlines. “If you need to meet deadlines, you need to give yourself constraints, that way you will learn to create in those parameters and your mind will learn to create great ideas quickly”.

With O’Reilly headlining in Calgary, it got me thinking; can our city evolve under new constraints and become a hub for creativity? Can a city historically sustained by a commodity-driven economy build a culture of creativity and marketing excellence? Many of us don’t believe we are capable of ingenuity and innovation, but O’Reilly thinks it is intrinsically in all of us, “I believe that because sometimes the greatest ideas I have been a part of, come from the most unlikely people in the room.”

 Strategy First, Always.

Courtesy of Neil Zeller

What separates the good from the great? O’Reilly says it’s all about the underpinning strategy. In his new book, This I Know: Marketing Lessons from Under the Influence, he describes what he calls the Shish Kabob theory, “you’ve got your chicken, beef, tomato, mushroom, green pepper, but it’s all kept together by the skewer, and the skewer is the strategy. All digital mediums have their own language, disciplines, requirements, but it should all feel like you are using each medium to advance a consistent strategy. Sweat over your strategy, long before you sweat over how to creatively express it.”

Many organizations jump to digital execution and they are disappointed when the results aren’t there, proliferating a culture in which we are not willing to take a risk with our marketing. “If you don’t have the strategy right from the beginning, it doesn’t matter what happens later, you will always have incidental or minimal growth as opposed to explosive growth,” reaffirmed O’Reilly.

Once the strategy is in place, the fun really begins. “Everything is a creative opportunity; from your tweet to your business card, to your hold message,” stated O’Reilly. Creativity and marketing excellence does not always go hand in hand with big brands or budgets either, “we did our best work for the smaller clients, always. You always dream about working with a big beer brand our automotive company, and you finally land one and it’s not as fun. We always did incredible work with feisty entrepreneurs, sitting across the table from owners as opposed to a lengthy chain of command,” great insights from O’Reilly’s 25 years in the industry. Get the strategy right early, build relationships with your clients, takes risks, get creative, and enjoy the ride.

If you Build it, Creativity will Come.

So, what can we do as a community to become a powerhouse of unconventional thinking that solves marketing problems and grow businesses? “It’s important that you all get together and you talk, and you meet, and you share ideas and you get inspired. I think creating a hive is what it really is, creating a culture, a place where you can gather and talk.” Not only sharing and talking, O’Reilly suggests a little competition sharpens your tools, “I used to love award shows in Toronto, not for the awards but because it was the only time you gathered to see everybody, have great conversations and develop relationships. When you see great work done by someone that you know, first you hate it, [laughs] then you are inspired by it.” O’Reilly believes that creating an excellent marketing community is integral to creating marketing excellence, “If you look at any city that is doing extraordinary work, that exists there. It’s not that other big cities don’t have the opportunity, it’s that they don’t have that creative culture community humming and buzzing.”

Judging by the attendance at Social West. It’s clear that Calgary marketing professionals are looking for outlets. The 500-person conference sold out 6 weeks in advance with 100 people on the waiting list. “You couldn’t do that in Toronto, and we have 6 million people,” said O’Reilly.

In his parting words, O’Reilly attributed creative communities and industry associations as an integral part to his career, “I went to all the show and was part of associations, I did all of that because I was a big believer in creating a hive. I would put on a creative radio seminar every year and stand on the stage for 7 hours to teach young writers how to create effective radio advertising. I would literally tell young writers everything I know, everything I’ve learned.” At one of those creative seminars, O’Reilly remembers sharing a drink afterward with one of the attendees who asked him why he would ‘give it all away’ –  O’Reilly’s response? “Giving it all away, is hands down, the best marketing strategy for my company. The more I give away, the more I get back.”

Courtesy of Neil Zeller

Elevating Calgary’s Cultural Community

It’s been three weeks since I spoke with Terry O’Reilly, and I am still buzzing. I am eager to be a part of creating a city and a hub that is capable of solving unsolvable problems, creatively. We are seeing a momentum building in Calgary in the marketing community, from students to CMOs, that is very exciting. It’s important for us, as marketing professionals, but it will also be an integral piece to how Calgary defines itself in the future. From start-ups to multi-nationals, organizations are seeing disruptions and facing challenges that will require creative marketing solutions. Let us, the Calgary Marketing Community, be the local talent that steps up to the challenge.

Be a part of the Calgary marketing community. Join CMA for the upcoming Panel & Power Hour: Enhancing Customer Experience or become a member for access to discounts, job board, CMA marketing directory, networking opportunities, and special offers.

About the Author – Jenelle Peterson

Jenelle Peterson, BComm MBA is a Senior Marketing & Research Consultant with Tenato Strategy and a board member with the Calgary Marketing Association. Jenelle’s passion for technology, design, and innovation has given her opportunities to work both on client and agency side in a variety of industries; Oil & Gas, IT, Education, Health Care, and Consumer Goods. She loves the outdoors, making bad art, and all things Sci-Fi. Tweet her @petersonjenelle