Start by reading the following text of the attached creative brief for a record cover, addressed to Andy Warhol from Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones.

Photo Credit: Letter from Mick Jagger to Andy Warhol, April 21, 1969

Collection of The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh

Now think for a moment.

Apart from the somewhat impolite language used, have you ever given your team similar levels of freedom in their idea execution? Have you ever empowered a department – whether creatively focused like marketing or not – to produce whatever they wanted prior to the ‘design by committee’ excisions?

Out of respect for individuals currently working in the field, I’ve rewritten this music industry-centric letter using the names of two well-known figures in both the advertising and hospitality fields. David Ogilvy (1911-1999) was the incredible proprietor of Ogilvy & Mather and Ellsworth M. Statler (1863-1928) was one of the founders of the modern day hospitality industry.

Dear David,

I’m really pleased that you have agreed to create a new website for our hotel properties. Here are two flash drives of material you can use.

In my short sweet experience, the more complicated the format of a website, e.g. more complex than just a few pages, the more ****** up the user experience. But, having said that, I leave it in your capable hands to do what ever you want……….and please text back saying how much money you would like.

Our website, and ultimately our revenue, is taking an **** kicking from industry disruptors and inflation of the modern brandscape. Wall Street will probably look a little nervous and say ‘hurry up’ but take little notice.

With our best hospitality,

EM Statler

This new letter is pure fantasy, but it nonetheless shows what could be if we don’t hamper our creative spirits. There’s so much ‘noise’ in advertising these days that in order to break through, you need to be daring, loud, unconventional, catchy, racy, profound, emotionally charged and all in-between.

David Ogilvy stressed the importance of the big idea – that is, a simple concept that can be quickly conveyed and absorbed by an audience that also makes them pay attention and excited about your product. Big ideas can form the basic for a holistic months-long marketing campaign translated across broadcast, print, digital and social channels. Big ideas are what will drive brand awareness and positive sentiments towards your property. But you won’t discover these big ideas if you don’t foster a culture of creativity.

Think about Mick Jagger and Andy Warhol – two artistic geniuses who stuck a giant middle finger to common business practices and ‘the establishment’. Rather than imitate what others were doing at the time, they invented the future of music and art respectively. And this letter demonstrates how they communicated – by trusting in each other’s ability to create without any helicoptering or trepidatious oversight.

As for your ‘internal’ teams, how do you empower them to arrive at creative solutions to everyday problems? Do you trust them to craft effective plans in a similar manner to how Mick trusted Andy? And as for your ‘external’ contractors, what will it take to harness the great creative minds of advertising agencies and apply them to the needs of the hospitality industry? Set your teams free and find out!

(Article by Larry Mogelonsky, published by eHotelier on April 1, 2016).