Leap! A Revolution in Creative Business Strategy [Hardcover]

Bob Schmetterer (Author)

Book Description

Series: Adweek Books | Publication Date: January 3, 2003

Traditionally, company leaders develop a business strategy based on bottom lines and profit margins, then hire an ad agency to back up that strategy with creative advertising. But history shows that some of the most effective branding campaigns are born when companies work with ad agencies to develop a business strategy that has a big, creative idea at its heart-what CEO of Euro RSCG Bob Schmetterer calls the Creative Business Idea.

In Leap, Bob Schmetterer shows advertisers how to combine advertising creativity and bottom-line realities to develop winning business strategies and winning ad campaigns. He analyzes some of the most creative business ideas in history, showing how successful advertising and marketing strategies do more than simply communicate the brand-they define it. Advertisers know how to create demand for an existing brand, but Schmetterer argues that the next challenge for advertisers is to help their clients apply creative thinking to their core business strategy before they launch a branding blitz.

Leap is about connecting the left brain and the right brain to develop solid business strategies that are also creative, fresh, and exciting. It's about mixing business's cold fixation on numbers with the warm heart of art and creativity to build revolutionary brands. It's about connecting with and listening to the client, understanding the business and the product, tapping into the client's passion for the product, and transmitting that passion to the consumer. It's about what happens when the business makes creativity part of its core strategy-enabling it to move beyond self-imposed boundaries and expand the limits of its reach.

With a wealth of examples from Volvo to Purdue, Schmetterer shows ad agencies and managers how to help their clients develop the big, creative idea that will transform their businesses-and perhaps their industries. It's time for companies to make the Leap that synthesizes business and creativity to reap the full rewards of profitable innovation.

BOB SCHMETTERER is Chairman and CEO of Euro RSCG Worldwide, a one of the world's top five global advertising and communications agencies with clients such as Intel, Peugeot, Air France, Orange, Abby National, MCI, Danone Group, Reckitt Benckiser, Volvo, and Yahoo!

Editorial Reviews

Review

“absorbing and quite compelling…a book that is full of good things…”(Admap, June 2003)

From the Inside Flap

"Drawing on dozens of firsthand case studies, Bob Schmetterer shares Euro RSCG's secret recipe for creating great brand experiences. Leap is a guidebook to success for any company willing to 'color outside the lines' of traditional advertising and marketing."
-Tom Kelley, General Manager, IDEO

Traditionally, company leaders develop a business strategy based on bottom lines and profit margins, then hire an ad agency to back up that strategy with creative advertising. But history shows that some of the most effective branding campaigns are born when companies work with ad agencies to develop a business strategy that has a big, creative idea at its heart-what CEO of Euro RSCG Bob Schmetterer calls the Creative Business Idea(TM).

When the CEO of Hallmark Cards wanted to redirect his company to better meet the challenges of the coming century, he turned to an ad agency for help. That agency came to realize that Hallmark wasn't really in the business of greeting cards or gift wrap. The brand's true DNA was tied to traditional values, family, and decency. That understanding led to new lines of business, including the hugely successful Hallmark Flowers. The agency helped its client take the leap and see all it could be.

In Leap, Bob Schmetterer shows advertisers how to combine advertising creativity and bottom-line realities to develop winning business strategies and winning ad campaigns. He analyzes some of the most creative business ideas in history, showing how successful advertising and marketing strategies do more than simply communicate the brand-they define it. Schmetterer argues that the true challenge for advertisers is to help clients apply creative thinking to their core business strategies before they launch a branding blitz.

Leap is about connecting the left brain and the right brain to develop solid business strategies that are also creative, fresh, and exciting. It shows you how to connect with and listen to clients, and understand the business and product, allowing you to tap into the client's passion for the product and transmit that passion to the consumer.

With a wealth of examples from Intel to Volvo, Schmetterer shows marketing and ad agencies how to help their clients develop the big, creative idea that will transform their businesses-and perhaps their industries. It's time for companies to make the leap that synthesizes business and creativity to reap the full rewards of profitable innovation.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (January 3, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471229172
• ISBN-13: 978-0471229179
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #672,047 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bob Schmetterer
Creative Executive, Communications Visionary, Author

Bob Schmetterer has long been recognized as one of advertising's (and business's) leading creative leaders and innovators.

Advertising Age called him "a creative visionary" Business Week profiled him as a "mover and shaker" for bringing technology and marketing together and Campaign magazine says, "No one should underestimate Schmetterer's determination" to change the way we think about creative thinking.

Bob brings a unique view of how to apply creative thinking to business (and to life) to his speaking engagements, his teaching and his writing. He believes properly taught and motivated people " have the power to instill the magic of creativity into the very fabric and nature of their lives and their business." He believes that creative thinking people and companies will became the leaders of the times we live in. Bob develops these ideas in his best selling book "Leap: A Revolution in Creative Business Strategy" (John Wiley & Sons) available in English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Chinese. Media magazine calls Leap, "An excellent read for business people and consumers alike".

Bob is considered an authority on creative thinking, consumer market dynamics, business organization, and communication technology, appearing at events, on television and writing extensively on the subjects.

Bob as been a frequent speaker at leading conferences around the world, including two keynotes for the annual meeting of the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA), and three keynotes at the Cannes International Advertising Festival and Ad:Tech conferences and the International Coaching Federation convention in Denver. Bob has also spoken to annual meetings, sales force meetings and conducted executive workshops at major companies around the world including Intel, MCI, Volvo, Kraft, Yahoo!, Danone, Reckitt Benkhiser, the International Advertising Association, the Association of National Advertisers, and the Chicago Advertising Federation. Bob is consistently ranked as the top speaker by his peers and by the organizations he speaks to. Bob has also lectured at many schools including the Kellogg School of Management and the Medill Scholl of Journalism at Northwestern University, the University of Florida, Emerson College, New York University and the Harvard Business School.


Additional Career information on Bob Schmetterer:

Bob Schmetterer began his advertising career at Scali McCabe Sloves in 1971 where he spent 13 years running many of that agency's most famous accounts (like Perdue Chicken and Volvo) and becoming President of the New York office in 1980. In 1984 he became President and CEO of HCM Worldwide, a joint venture of Y&R and Eurocom. In 1987 he joined partners Tom Messner, Barry Vetere, Ron Berger and Wally Carey to become president of what would become Messner, Vetere, Berger, McNamee Schmetterer. That agency would be named agency of the year in 1991 and after it was acquired become the New York office of Euro RSCG Worldwide.

In 1997 Bob became Chairman and CEO of Euro RSCG Worldwide. Under Bob's leadership, Euro RSCG Worldwide has become a leading integrated marketing communications agency with major practices in advertising, public relations, data based direct marketing and the largest interactive practice in the world. The agency has with 233 offices in 75 countries. After 33 years in advertising, Bob announced his retirement in January 2004.

Bob holds BS and MBA degrees from Fairleigh Dickinson University and has served on corporate and organizational boards including the Historic House Trust of New York City and the Ad Council. He is currently Chairman of a Performance Art company J Mandle Performance, on the boards of HNW Inc. and the Ocean Reef Club and a member of the New York Yacht Club. He and his wife Stacy and their King Charles Spaniels Rosa and Demi live in Key Largo Florida, Martha's Vineyard Massachusetts and on their boat Blue Moon.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting real life examples, but little more!, August 7, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Leap! A Revolution in Creative Business Strategy (Hardcover)

Trusting the positive comments of other reviewers I purchased Schmetterer's book. To start with a positive comment, the author digs deep into his great experience to share some very interesting real life stories with the reader; these stories earned him the 2 stars in my review. Other than that, the book turns out to be a big disappointment.

If you are already familiar with the concept of branding and brand management, many of the examples for Schmetterer's CBI concept sound extremely familiar and - from a conceptual point of view - not very innovative. Brand essence, brand experience and the like are - or should be - very familiar concepts for managers in almost any industry nowadays. Also, for people outside of the advertising industry it's not a big revelation that advertising alone doesn't constitute an integrated marketing concept and that marcom is only one part of a marketing strategy. Overall, in my opinion the CBI concept doesn't really add much to current marketing and/or strategic thinking.

In today's business environment, you can't blame an agency man for his attempt to expand his business beyond classical advertising into the fields of marketing and business strategy consulting. Also, you can't blame him for emphasizing the one asset that his industry can provide better than most others, namely creativity. However, as there is a difference between simple DATA and INFORMATION, there is also a difference between CREATIVITY in itself and true INNOVATION. What counts is not just the ability to come up with good ideas but the ability to turn these ideas into actual INNOVATIONS in the marketplace.

One reason why most advertising agencies to this day are NOT strategic business partners for their clients is because creativity is "only" a necessary, but not a sufficient condition for successful strategy development. And, unlike most agencies, managers, marketers, and strategy consultants are "in the business" of creating product, process, and strategy innovations and making them count in the marketplace. Being an expert for the creative execution of a communications strategy doesn't turn an account manager or copy writer into a business strategist.

You can only wish Schmetterer a lot of success in trying to familiarize his fellow ad industry professionals with the fact that marketing and business strategy require much more than developing an advertising campaign. So, if you work in advertising, get this book! If you work in marketing or consulting, don't expect more than some interesting real life stories.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended!, June 6, 2004

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Leap! A Revolution in Creative Business Strategy (Hardcover)

Every executive pays lip service to creativity, but truly unusual ideas are tough to find among the button-down set. When it comes to encouraging and developing groundbreaking ideas, most organizations are at a loss. Enter advertising exec Bob Schmetterer and his focus on creative business ideas. These strategies, such as Volvo's emphasis on safety, set a brand apart from its rivals. How do you get creative? It could be as simple as tearing out your office doors and walls, and hiring a few dyslexics. Schmetterer`s clear, crisp writing style, bold suggestions and liberal use of intriguing corporate case studies make this book a joy to read. We suggest it to any executive whose brand must cut through the clutter.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Could have been a great one, August 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Leap! A Revolution in Creative Business Strategy (Hardcover)

Apparently the juggernaut of Euro RSCG'ers have been rating Bob's book on Amazon. That is the only explanation I can find for so many stars.

For anyone who doesn't work for Bob, this book does not deserve more than an executive skimming.

And while you're at it, you might as well skip the parts about how top management need to encourage creative thinking, or being a renegade, or the need for trust and a good relationship for the client. And oh yeah, you get to hear a lot about what a great job Bob did for his clients. I mean really, didn't we read this stuff in Fast Company in 1998? And shouldn't a book about creative business ideas be a bit more creative?

I love creative ideas and look forward to the day that agencies step up to the plate and actually propose them to clients. Until then, if you're looking for a way to institutionalize creative ideas, I wouldn't recommend starting with Bob's book.

Perhaps a company-wide subscription to Fast Company...