With business budgets and publicspend under pressure the creative dividend is of greater value than ever.
Do you know the smiley face that appears on some speeding signs when you travel under the speed limit? It is 10% of the price of speed cameras and twice as effective at reducing speeds.
On the same theme.
17-year-old Kevin Richardson’s (USA) idea of a Speed Lottery Camera was piloted in Stockholm. His idea? Speedsters pay into the Lottery Fund, while those who obey speed restrictions are entered in the Lottery draw.
Result? An average 22% reduction in speeds.
Set a big budget and people start with what is known, available and easily bought.
Students at Stanford University were set an extreme affordability project to develop a portable incubator for babies that would cost $25 rather than the then normal $2000 (or much more).
They did just that. Now premature babies are kept warm when they can’t regulate their own body temperature. We now have product that saves lives and prevents organ damage due to hypothermia – all for $25
Why do I talk of creativity in the workplace? It’s that I know that ideas can achieve the extraordinary and save money.
The reduction in anti-social behaviour for one housing association by giving new tenants a fully printed nameplate for their front door.
Replacing players with city icons and fans on the front of the HibsFC match programme netted the highest ratio programme sales in Scotland.
Just two of my own ideas that achieved turnaround results.
Creativity is now the greatest tool at our disposal.
Start with a budget. Unless like Stanford University University you set a low-cost expectation.
Creativity is cheaper and more effective