Steven Johnson: ‘Eureka moments are very, very rare’

Just as I am increasingly suspicious of brain storming – so I am increasingly suspicious of marketers who rant about ‘outside of the box’ and ‘blue sky thinking’. Just as creativity is often over emphasised in marketing communications, so the wacky march to bleeding edge ideas that often seem like the dance of the desparate. This is the theme of a great piece by Steven Johnson where he points out the dangers of searching for that ‘eureka’ moment. Surely the most popular buzzword ever from the history of greek mathematics? The most successful marketers and entrepreneurs that I have met do not confuse random ideas and guesses and sudden insights – with being a smart operator. Sure, you need a spark and you need to do find ways of doing things better – but this is only part of the story.Equally, good marketing partnerships are less about schmoozing and wild promises and more about establishing the right foundations, clear direction, refining a prospect list and being clear about what you can offer that will benefit the other party.

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via Steven Johnson: ‘Eureka moments are very, very rare’.

Author: Andrew Armour

Andrew Armour is a marketing and media professional, a specialist in business partnerships and the Founder of the consulting business - Benchstone Limited. His career spans from the UK music industry to the America's Cup, from winning agency pitches to securing key digital content deals. He is married to Viv, lives in Hampshire and works in London. View all posts by Andrew Armour