Whilst everyone’s focus these past weeks was on crisis management – taking the time to understand and manage the sudden disruption to everyday life – post-lockdown scenarios put forward by speculators encourage us to start thinking about life beyond the crisis. With consumers having shaped and adopted new attitudes, needs and behaviors, brands have started to realize that we might not go back to our familiar pre-crisis reality. The question is: what will change and what will remain in a post-COVID-19 reality?

In all this uncertainty, one thing is certain: actively shaping consumer relevance and thriving in a volatile business environment requires creativity. Which, however, is a unique skill, and one of the hardest things to keep alive under pressure. What’s your (brand) plan for life beyond the crisis? And how are you managing your creative capacity?

Sourcing the right crowd for the right ideas

Creatives are a rare breed. Not everybody within an organization or team has the skill to come to new and fresh ideas, let alone in high-pressure situations. Moreover, for every group of 100 people, it is said that only 1% can be labelled as true creators, thinking outside the box and creating new concepts and solutions. In order to connect with that 1%, organizations need a more flexible business model rather than trying to house all talent under one roof. Creative Crowdsourcing allows organizations to tap into the creative potential of external creators by sourcing the right crowd for the right ideas. From generating new product concepts that meet unprecedented consumer needs, to brainstorming about relevant communications and optimal touchpoint experiences: crowdsourcing fuels any business challenge with fresh ideas.

A continuous pool of fresh ideas

In times of crisis, it’s easy to fall back to a ‘fight-or-flight mode’ that narrows the business focus. Creative crowdsourcing encourages organizations to open up to new opportunities, by providing access to a continuous pool of fresh ideas and inspiration, without putting an extra burden on the payroll. Moreover, research has shown that these ‘from-consumers-for-consumers’ ideas have a greater acceptance and adoption among the general public, as they often are more relevant. Working with external creatives therefore provides the opportunity to unlock ideas that are not immediately apparent to internal stakeholders yet do tap into highly relevant consumer frictions or needs.

Diversity to unlock true breakthrough ideas

The ‘diversity trumps ability’ theorem shows that groups of diverse problem solvers can outperform groups of high-ability problem solvers. This is explained by the fact that the latter form a homogenous group, with members sharing similar perspectives and therefore often a unified view on problem solving. Bringing in diversity avoids this bias and unlocks truly breakthrough ideas. This is also the backbone of creative crowdsourcing: involving a diverse set of people when exploring the solution space.

In line with this thinking, our digital creative crowdsourcing platform eÿeka gathers more than 400,000 talented creatives from +160 countries, who participate in online creative competitions. Its members are diverse in their level of experience (e.g. from amateurs to students and professionals) as well as in their profession (e.g. designers, copywriters, creative thinkers). Furthermore, any idea contest run via the eÿeka platform involves over 20 nationalities. 92% of the best ideas have proven to originate from creatives located outside the target market, which proves that ’great ideas truly come from anywhere’.

A fresh perspective and out-of-the-box ideas are key for brands to survive and thrive in today’s highly volatile business context. However, unlocking creativity in crisis times comes with many challenges as it is a unique skill. Creative crowdsourcing aids brands in shaping the future, by onboarding a unique community of external creatives who get to ideas that spark!

Eager for more? Don’t miss our Creative Collaboration in times of crisis infographic to revisit the key take-aways on how to unlock creativity for your brand!

Want to learn more on how to tap into creative collaboration for your brand? Get in touch and we’d happy to start the conversation and listen to your challenges!