Creative Disruption

Creative Disruption is a term that has both marketing and business applications. The uses are similar but distinctive.

Creative Disruption in Marketing

Creative Disruption is a phrase that has been used in the marketing world for more than a decade to describe the desired break in existing patterns of behavior of the target audience in response to a highly creative message (advertising). "Disruption" signals a departure from the norm. Disruptive messaging disrupts the mediocrity in the deluge of advertising the consumer encounters. Creative Disruption helps disrupt the normal flow in the way a target processes a massive volume of marketing messaging, so they pause to consider the message they have received.^[1]

Techniques employed in Creative Disruption are as boundless as creativity, but may include:

• Contrasting messaging
• Unusual or out of place presentation or placement
• Exaggerated presentation
• Intensely targeted messaging

One early use of this term can be found in the 1996 book "Disruption: Overturning Conventions and Shaking Up the Marketplace" by Jean-Marie Dru (chairman of TBWA Worldwide).^[2] Additionally, the thought of "disruption" in marketing (which often appears without the use of this exact phrase) has been utilized in such publications as Forbes,^[3] Fast Company,^[4] and AdAge,^[5] and has become a key descriptor in many new advertising agency names.

The aims of Creative Disruption include:

• Developing marketing messages which will be remembered and acted upon (which will improve performance/ROI of marketing expenditures).^[6]
• Improving brand perceptions and other market indicators (e.g., awareness, understanding, interest, engagement, etc.).
• Disrupting the flow of traditional marketing strategies to make existing business and marketing techniques obsolete.
• Creating new business innovations that lead to new markets and new marketing techniques.

Creative Disruption in Business

Creative Disruption has also been used as a general business term to denote instituting challenge (disruption) within a business to break old corporate habits; this disruption is instituted by the institution itself (or its management) and requires the business to adapt and improve its business model so that it can better succeed.^[7] Every business continues to adjust to disruptions, as competitors respond to a business' unique offering. Creative Disruption helps a business gain a competitive advantage by seeking tipping points for improvement before competitors replicate and/or improve upon the business model^[8]

"Creative Disruption" as a term is sometimes confused with two other terms: "Creative Destruction" and "Disruptive Innovation," but can be easily differentiated by their goals:

• In Creative Destruction, the goal is to tear down/clear away the existing so that a new foundation can be built, and the economy can expand.^[9]
• In Creative Disruption, the goal is to expose flaws in the current business model, highlight areas where improvement/changes are needed, and to help inspire adaptation of the business model for future growth.^[10]
• In Disruptive Innovation, the goal is to bring about a new market entirely, such as the development of the consumer camera in 1888 by Kodak or the use of the internet to conduct online trading for collectibles by eBay in the 1990s.^[11]

Notes

References

• Spenner, P., Forbes, “Why You Should Create Disruption for Your Customer,” September 12, 2012, http://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickspenner/2012/09/27/why-you-should-create-disruption-for-your-customer/
• Baylis, Fast Company Create, “What's Your 4D Marketing Plan - Interruption or Disruption?,” http://www.fastcocreate.com/1682362/what-s-your-4g-marketing-plan-interruption-or-disruption
• McDermott, AdAge, “Mobile Ads More Disruptive Than TV Spots,” December 12, 2012, http://adage.com/article/digital/mobile-ads-disruptive-television-spots/238730/
• Lasker, Adweek, “Redefining 'Disruptive',” April 26, 2010, http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/redefining-disruptive-102161
• Creative Disruption by Simon Waldman, Sep 2010, Paperback, ISBN 9780273725732, Financial Times / Prentice Hall
• School of Entrepreneurship in the Arts & Technology http://arts-tech.org/our-programming/creative-disruption
• Burns, C., Insurance Networking News, “An Introduction to Creative Disruption,” January 27, 2012, http://www.insurancenetworking.com/blogs/celent-disruption-innovation-insurance-technology-29807-1.html
• Rasheed, Ph.D., Innovation Strategy, 2012, ISBN 1469780445, pg. 49