Re-imagine, Reinvent and Re-build: It’s time for a factory reset
The role of the creative has changed as business transformation pushes brands into rethinking their operational processes. Increasingly, creatives are working closely with business leaders to align these internal processes with the brand’s future strategy and vision.
The industry needs to reassess creativity’s role in business transformation. How can it spark the creation of new products, services, operations and experiences? In practice, business transformation should change how companies organise themselves, their people and customers. It’s time to consider how creativity can champion this. Transformative companies understand the power of imagination to unlock quantum leaps of progress. That is why they can evolve without losing their way. These are the brands that seek expansion and hone this into their operational culture. In successful cases, business transformation has applied creativity up and down the value chain. Experience leaders executing transformational strategies not only communicate creativity in their marketing but also in the back-end systems and processes as well. This ultimately engages the consumer in new ways, helping to create a deeper understanding of the customer's needs and aspirations. LIONS data also found that of the winning work, campaigns driven by brand purpose and impact won the most Lions at last year's festival.
Focus areas for 2022
Future-proofing business
People are more accustomed to digital solutions than ever before. Brands need to continue investing in new ideas and models to respond to the ongoing digital disruption.
Experience transformation
Experience Transformation looks at creating new ways to engage customers directly, deepening the connection between them and the brand. Brands need to reflect on their purpose and align it with their customers’ growing needs and desires.
Leaving a legacy
Maintaining market leadership proves a probing challenge for many leading brands. Most legacy brands are built on historic value while challenger brands are defined by their mindset. These brands look to progress in both the market and its category. Adopting a challenger mindset will help business leaders to sustain their position and product.
"The biggest overall theme was the work being driven from a place of purpose. When you think about what transformation is, if you want to go from thinking about the future state of your company, your reason for being should be anchored in.”
Geoff Northcott Creative Business Transformation Jury President | 2021
ACT FOR FOOD | CARREFOUR | MARCEL PARIS | CREATIVE BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION LIONS GRAND PRIX
Progress in play from the 2020/21 Lion winners …
A true testament to what creativity can do for business transformation is Carrefour’s Grand Prix winner ‘Act for Food’. The French supermarket group has worked with Marcel Paris over the last four years and is well on its way to becoming a legacy brand.
Check out the full campaign on The Work.
ACT FOR FOOD | CARREFOUR MARCEL PARIS
CREATIVE BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION LIONS GRAND PRIX
DIGITAL TOOLBELT | UNITED RENTALS VMLY&R KANSAS CITY
CREATIVE BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION LIONS BRONZE
Thought starters for today
- Understand and explore the interconnectedness of the business. You need to be knowledgeable of all the different systems if you’re going to optimise a whole business operation
- Apply the human lens at every level. Part of operational excellence is making processes and systems easy to understand.
- Find new ways to express the brand, its products and values. Always have a vision beyond what is already there and continue to reinvent - sticking to the old model doesn’t secure your existence.