Leap! A Revolution in Creative Business Strategy (Hardcover)

by Bob Schmetterer (Author) "Ideas are only the beginning," adults like to tell precocious youngsters..." (more)
Key Phrases: company for creative thinking, great creative thinking, creative business idea, New York, Buenos Aires, Frank Perdue (more...)

Editorial Reviews

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

Product Description
"The only sustainable form of business leadership is thought leadership–generating more great ideas faster than the competition. Bob Schmetterer, one of the truly creative minds in advertising, teaches leaders in every industry how to win big by thinking different. So make the leap . . . Read and learn from this genuinely important book."
–William C. Taylor, Founding Editor, Fast Company

"So what happens to advertising (and advertising agencies) when mass media totally falls apart? Here, in the middle of a smart ad man’s autobiography, may lie the answer: Smart companies will use brilliant ad agencies to reinvent their products and the way they work. Big ideas still matter!"
–Seth Godin, author, Survival Is Not Enough and Permission Marketing

"This book contains great insight, great integrity, and clarity about the important part that values linked to understanding play in creative work. A very impressive work that is both inspiring and useful in today’s competitive world."
–Edwin Schlossberg, Designer, ESI Design

"True business creativity is powerful and inspiring . . . and Bob’s passion for it makes you want to be a part of it. Leap is a journey from Intel to Guggenheim’s vision, passing from a ‘branded’ Argentinian bridge on the way to Perdue’s chicken—making history . . . All four are creative business ideas made of both vision and actions, and Bob captures their essence masterfully."
–Elio Leoni Sceti, EVP, Category Development, Reckitt Benckiser

"Bob Schmetterer has always been an innovator in our business, and this book offers proof of why that is the case. His ‘Creative Business Ideas’ concept represents out-of- the-box thinking at its best. Anyone interested in the future of marketing communications and the critical role of creativity should read it."
–O. Burtch Drake, President and CEO, American Association of Advertising Agencies

"A key management challenge is how to enable an organization to grow, see new opportunities, and lead the market. Bob Schmetterer answers this important question and shares his insights in this highly readable book. I recommend it to all senior executives who are concerned with creativity and business growth."
–Peter Lorange, President, International Institute for Management Development

"Information to share and lessons to learn from a great mind. Leap makes fascinating reading. No wonder Bob Schmetterer was instrumental in launching our Revolvolution. The man is creativity embodied."
–Hans-Olov Olsson, President and CEO, Volvo Car Corporation

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 6.1 x 1 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.com Sales Rank: #906,842 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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

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.com" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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 7 people found the following review helpful:

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

By A Customer

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...