A Creative Title!

It would be ironic to answer the few questions for this blog in paragraph form, size 12 font, no embellishments, no pictures, no original ideas. You can of course understand the pressure I feel to make a blog post about creativity… well, creative. Let’s give it a shot.

What is creativity?

(I know. I’m not off to a good start with the standard definition-in-the-first-sub-heading. Bear with me.)

Creativity is all about thinking outside the box- coming up with new ways to use something, new ways to catch someone’s attention, new solutions to a problem.

Innovation is a product of creative thinking. I think that in our technological, rapidly changing, sensory overload society, the standards for creativity and innovation are insanely high. Especially if you want to make any difference, or if you want anyone to notice.

Here are some examples of ideas that could be categorized as creative, but I think they kind of missed the mark.

If you search “creativity” on Wikipedia (and yes, I did do that), you will find this picture... The description below it says:

...an electric wire reel reused as a center table in a Rio de Janeiro decoration fair. The creativity of this designer in reusing this waste was used with good effects to the environment. 

While I support recycling, I don’t think this is more than just marginally creative! After all, it pretty much already looked just like a table. It did not take much imagination.

Here’s another example:

The challenge here on Project Runway was to use car parts to innovate a new garment. This one is woven out of seatbelts. It looks fashionable and well-made. However I wouldn’t categorize it as innovative for two reasons. First, the “rules” specified the use of car parts, limiting imagination. Second, seatbelts are probably among the most fabric-like parts of a car. Looking for something that resembled conventional materials for clothing further limited this designer in creativity.

Again, I only point these out because I think the standards for creativity and innovation are really high if you want to make any impact.

In my opinion, these next people are pretty great at thinking outside the box:

It has to be tough to innovate in art, because every artist tries to be unique. Whoever first created this kind of sidewalk art is undoubtedly innovative. He not only used a non-conventional medium and location, but also a completely new perspective.

Take a look at this ad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGud_WBWpnE 

I don’t think I ever would have guessed that this story in an Indian commercial was meant to sell investment services. But they thought enough outside the box to catch my attention, which is a crucial first step.

What settings foster creativity?

I can tie these previous examples into what I think about individual vs. organizational creativity. In general, I believe there are distinctly different benefits from both situations, and either could bring about worthwhile innovation in the right setting.

- Individual

The wheel-as-a-table idea to me represents a flaw with individual creativity. There is no one else around to help you brainstorm, build off of your ideas, and make them more innovative.

On the flip side, creativity in an individual setting can be more limitless (like the sidewalk artists).

I tend to most enjoy being creative in an individual setting. This is because 1.) I take more risks when it is just me on the line (I am scared of doing something that would in any way negatively affect other people), and 2.) I personally need to a lot of time to think, process through ideas, and look for inspiration if I am going to come up with a good, unique idea. So I prefer plenty of time, a relaxed or in some way inspiring location, and few restrictions in order to be really creative (whether on a project or problem solving, or in art or music).

I think creativity is rarely easy. Like I mentioned before, this world has high standards to be entertained, engaged, or even remotely impressed. It takes work.

I was creative when I worked for a non-profit as an intern, and I was given the task of organizing our auction. With complete freedom, I felt that I developed a unique organization structure, and made it more fun than had I been given many guidelines. That being said, sometimes I really like instructions to get me started, or other people to work off of. For example, if I am being graded or evaluated, I feel limited in my creativity by the grader’s expectations, and tend to look to other people for validation in my ideas.

- Organization

So in that way, an organization structure can be limiting (like the structure put on the project runway designers). But as I have already mentioned, it is of value to bounce ideas of others and improve and further innovate each other’s ideas, which is a benefit of working together in an organization.

When I worked with Macy’s, my fellow intern and I worked together to develop new games to motivate our employees. We found that in brainstorming together, both of our ideas were better than had we worked alone.

Macy’s also really fostered our creativity, giving us minimal guidelines on our projects. Being trained as we are to follow instructions, this was daunting at first. But we soon gained our footing, and developed unique ideas, and innovative recommendations to present to our district team at the end of the internship (things like new training programs and store wide announcements we created). The Indian ad is another great example- advertising is a structured process, but it is the goal for people to work together to come up with something unique

I think this is my most effective setting for creativity- when I have people working with me to brainstorm, but little pressure to fit within certain guidelines.

I definitely think there is more than one process to solve every problem. Should we trust ourselves to just know when we need one approach or another? No, probably not. But that's not necessarily bad. I actually think we often get stuck in one method of solving a problem, and don’t even consider another way could be better.

This girl has now solved her soup-is-too-hot problem. (Bonus points just for trying!)

Visualizing HALLOWEEN Data

Here's a visualization of some data I found about Adults' costume and spending habits on Halloween:

My sources (also shown at the bottom of the photo):

http://research.nrffoundation.com/Default.aspx?pg=110#.UmKZKfmTiKp

http://www.pumpkinpatchesandmore.org/halloweenfacts.php

Why I want to write about Macy's

I worked with Macy’s this past summer as a Store Management Intern. I got to manage a team of associates, learn all about how Macy’s operates, practice analyzing store reports, and network with a lot of awesome people.  It was a fantastic experience.

Here is my store! I worked in Austin, and my little 2 story Macy’s is right next to California Pizza Kitchen (delicious).

I only say it is little because of my trip to Chicago for the Intern Summit. This is their 11 story tourist attraction store.

Why do I want to write about Macy’s?

Macy’s is such a solid retailer, and has been so since 1929 (then called Federated Department Stores).  In 2013, they were ranked number 14 on the top 100 retailers list, bringing in $27.6 mil in 2012 (source: www.stores.org/2013/Top-100-Retailers).

Macy’s sells everything from clothes and fragrances, to furniture and housewares.  They have an “omnichannel” strategy, serving customers both within the brick and mortar stores, but also online. They have recently developed a back of house system to deliver merchandise to customers via large fulfillment warehouses or from other store locations through their “more choices” system. I loved learning about Macy’s, and I already have a basic knowledge of how they operate and who they cater to, as well as in store experience with their associates and customer base. So here are some insights I already gained about Macy’s target segments:

Macy’s Customer Segments

As of about 2009, Macy’s has been developing a localization strategy. At our intern summit, I watched a video Macy’s made that described their movement towards diversity at the store level, with the purpose of catering to the needs of the specific city.

For example, we learned that the stores in San Antonio carry long sleeves and jeans year round, colorful “fiesta” wear, and sparkles (ha) for the wants of their Hispanic market.

Another example is the “street wear” that is primarily advertised in the Detroit market – which includes the “Miss me” jeans, and matching tops.

A third example is the DC market, where they focus on professional looks, and dark colors, for their high concentration of business people.

The market is defined at the district level, but planners and buyers are encouraged to get even more specific to the store level.

What I think I am going to write about…

This localization strategy just proves to me that Macy’s is a company that is focused on individualizing their offerings based on customer needs. That being said, I don’t think I want to write about 3 or 4 specific locations, but instead, markets that are seen nationwide. I divided these based on departments that interested me:

Moms:

Macy’s has brands that are more mature for their shopping moms. For example, they carry Style&Co, a store with simple and classic looks at a reasonable price. They also carry a brand called “Not Your Daughter’s Jeans”… self-explanatory, but here's a picture! 

Teen girls:

Macy’s has connected themselves with designers that appeal to this market, like Jessica Simpson. They have also developed in store brands like MaterialGirl, which offers bright colors, edgy styles, and mix and match options.

Businessmen:

Macy’s offers a unique store experience for its professional customers. The suits and dress shirts department has a much more clean feel than the rest of the store, and they offer associates with expertise for fittings to add to the overall prestige of the department.

I hope to look at these three market segments, and get some insight as to how they differ from location to location. Right now all of my insights come from Austin, so I am really interested to do further research.

Generative Research

Close to you:

Items definitely have by far the most value to me if they represent something emotional. Deeper meaning behind objects, not just their cost, are what give them value. I am a feeler, not as much a careful calculator!

Digital Ecosystem: 

I am somewhat intentionally distanced from mass media- but I do love staying connected to my friends! So when I learn something from them that peaks my interest, I look it up, watch videos, etc.

Typical Weekday:

I consume the most information during my break times, which are divided here into obligatory and leisure. I like to get my obligations done first (at those times I would be consuming information about jobs, news, etc.) and then later be able to relax (and consume information about my hobbies, read movie reviews, watch TV, etc.)

For my journey map to picking a major, I interviewed my good friend and roommate Lexi. Lexi and I met at Ignite Texas Retreat when we incoming freshmen at UT. We were both thinking of being business majors, but had no idea what college would be like, much less whether or not we would actually enjoy business. In the end, (spoiler alert!) we both ended up deciding on Marketing, where we are happy to be today, in our fourth year. I have actually stayed very close to Lexi throughout our college career, so I know a lot of the ups and downs she went through deciding a major. However, going through this interview, I gained a lot of insight into her thought processes behind her milestones to making her final decision.

Here is a visual representation of her process in a journey map:

Now I will explain her milestones, influences, and changing confidence levels in more detail.

Lexi first thought about the need to pick a college major in high school. She was very confident that she wanted to go to UT, but it naturally followed that she had to decide what she wanted to study. In this very first step, the number one thing that influenced her was her experience working with the Texas Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital. She really loved the thought of working with kids, and especially with prosthetics – her cousin was being treated for scoliosis, and she was so impressed with the hospital staff there. Based on this influence, she thought she would do pre-physical therapy or pre-med, although she did not feel confident that that was something she wanted. Before college started, she decided she would consider McCombs (her dad influenced this decision), and her backup idea was Biology, to be a foot doctor (she is not sure where that idea came from!). Her confidence was still not very strong, she just thought maybe she would be good with money.

Our first semester is where Lexi and I met, and she was Business, undeclared. She was very unsure of this decision, and she was VERY close to changing to physical therapy. Her influences were exclusively her friends, and she had a lot of trouble comparing herself to other people’s experiences. In her 2^nd semester, she took psychology, which further influenced her to keep PT and option, because she really enjoyed it. Of course she still was not sure of her decision, but did not want to go to school for a ridiculously long time – she considered combining the two fields and doing hospital administration. To accomplish this, she ended up minoring in pre-med.

That ended up being short-lived, because her 3^rd semester, she dropped pre-med, because she really started to enjoy her business classes. She still however had no idea of what she wanted for a career path. The following semester, she was still loving classes, and decided that Marketing was a good place within the business school to work with people. So that understanding of marketing was her primary influence, besides her classes.

The following summer, she worked with PPI marketing, which she absolutely LOVED. She had an excellent experience doing events marketing/sports marketing/negotiations/partnerships. This really strengthened her confidence in Marketing as her career path.

Her final milestone that confirmed her decision in her mind was her second internship experience with Southwest Airlines. She told me all about her experience traveling and having an absolutely wonderful time first of all. She worked within the Community Programs and Engagement Department, and it confirmed to her that she could do something good and of service to the community with her marketing degree. Thissycology, which further influenced her to keep PT and option, because she really enjoyed it.e exclusively he made her confidence all the more strong, and also made her excited for what her future held. It really ended up feeling like the best of both worlds for her – remember back to when she wanted to help kids in hospitals, or in some way be able to benefit sick kids. With her position at Southwest, alongside online marketing, she also gathered donations on behalf of the airlines for children’s charities. It really brought everything full circle, in her opinion.

Lexi still doesn’t know what her full time position will be, but she is excited to look into her options this year as she closes in on graduation.

This is my brother Chris.

I really like this kid.

He is 16 years old, attends a private school as a junior, and is breezing through his pre-calculus and AP biology classes.

I know this assignment works best with someone vastly different than myself, and Chris and I are siblings. However, I have always said if I could get inside anyone’s brain for just a little while it would be his, hands down. He is such a stark contrast from most 16 year olds (including myself at his age) in the way he thinks – he is very critical and analytical in his decision-making, and thinks about things in a unique way.

So I plan to share some insight into how he operates with this empathy map.

Empathy Map ~

1.      What does he Think and Feel?

What counts the most for Chris is people. He is very relational. On a positive note, he is very preoccupied with how to serve people and make their lives easier- he loves to encourage. However, he is often distracted and worried about people who don’t seem to like him.

 

Some of his other preoccupations, on a more material level, include movies and media – he spends more time that your average person reading movie reviews, articles about TV shows, and

blogs. He loves to analyze the value in things, and think critically about them to form his own opinions. Because of this fascination, he aspires to work in journalism or another entertainment field, by first attending a prestigious university. Even though he gets well above-average grades, he sometimes worries about the pressures to be set apart academically.

 

2.      See?

His primary environment (that most influences him) is his school. It is a small private school, and he is very perceptive of things that happen there, especially when it pertains to relationships. He is a very empathetic person, especially for a 16 year old boy. He has a group of really close friends, and he perceives this group as unique and setting themselves apart from whatever is “trendy.” In that way, the market offers things that can set you apart from the crowd, while still helping you to fit in (set apart from what he thinks is common in the world around, but still fitting in with his personal group of friends).

3.      Say and Do?

I know from personal experience (and from what Chris tells me, it’s still true) that outward physical appearance is not as defining as it is in other high school environments. However, Chris is at a stage in life where he is “redefining” who he is. He used to be introverted, which has changed drastically as he has matured in recent years.

So take a look at his new hairstyle!

He’s such a character.

I think new hair shows that he wants to be noticed and stand out from the crowd. He even posted this online... kids these days.

Even though that’s the case, he is not prideful in the way he talks to others- he is very kind, down-to-earth, and quick to engage in conversation. For the most part, that is. Some people who he decides would damage his “cool guy” image, he somewhat-subconsciously avoids (although never being outwardly mean or demeaning). This is a product of what I would consider a superficial, high school environment.

4.      Hear?

Chris hears a lot of approval from his friends- he would definitely consider himself pretty popular (I will speak more to the approval he desires and receives in the following two sections). He hears his friends being constantly interested in gaining unique experiences, like concerts and parties. But they are also simultaneously interested in being successful in school, because they are personally driven to get into prestigious universities. Since his friends are his major influencers in his life right now, he thinks a lot about fun experiences, but that does not overshadow the importance of school.

 

His teachers (both formal teachers and informal mentors) are of course speaking a lot to him about being motivated and hard-working so he can get into the college of his choice. One of his most respected teachers influenced him deeply by also speaking to the importance of forming and maintaining deep relationships.

A brief deviation from the empathy map:

I wanted to take a second to look at these top four questions, and think about what they mean for my brother as a consumer:

First of all, he is exposed to a lot of media, but direct attempts to influence him to buy things don’t usually work. He does, however, often look for new products to help him stay connected to media, movies, etc. And he really likes memorabilia from old movie sets.

Secondly, he wants to set himself apart from the “crowd,” and any product that can help him do that is a good one in his book. Things like unique clothes, hair gel, obscure brands…

Now back to the final two sections:

5.      Pain Points?

Chris does definitely fear failure. Some of this is because of his personal drive to succeed, but more often he is afraid to fail because of what other people will think. He deeply values approval from his loved ones.

He is most likely to be frustrated when someone doesn’t value something, especially when he put a lot of effort into it. Naturally, this happens mostly in his classes, when his teachers do not give him the grade he was expecting for something he worked hard on. This is something that really discourages him.

6.      Hope to Gain?

He strives to be independent and self-motivated, but he knows that something he desires deeply is to be approved of by people, as I mentioned in the previous section. Those people include his friends, teachers, and even complete strangers. Fortunately, he is surrounded by intellectual people for the most part and so is influenced to be that as well. And of course his family and authority figures give him approval for his dedication, hard work, and learning.

That approval is a big measure of success for him. However, he strives to change that, and be able to measure his success independent of what other’s think of him.

As far as his obstacles to success, they are tied closely to his fears from the previous section: he doubts his own ability at times, which keeps him from putting himself out there and taking risks. For example, he was discouraged last year when he did not get accepted into an honors program. Although this year he has improved his ability in many ways, he was almost too fearful of rejection to apply again. He battles between his desire to be set apart and successful, with his fear of failure.

These last two sections take some more critical thinking about how they affect Chris as a consumer. I am going to focus on approval:

Some products position themselves in the mind of their target consumers as offering status and acceptance. I believe these kinds of appeals would have an effect on my brother. I can think of a lot of expensive clothing brands or luxury cars that use these appeals.

Compounding on that, I think a wider range of emotions that are connected to feeling accepted would be valuable to him – loyalty, for example.

Maybe something like this Subaru ad:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Wa_6g9WNgU

I really like this one, and I think based on his personality, Chris would really like it too.

So that’s my expertise on who Chris is! He is a pretty intriguing character, researchers would definitely have to dig deeper and ask more questions to get further insight.

Here is my summary Empathy Map for Chris: