Speaking about creativity on BBC Radio 4’s The Media Show, BBH founder Sir John Hegarty said the sought after skill can be taught, and emphasised its crucial role in business.
“Fundamentally we are all creative, that’s what separates us from the animal kingdom,” he said.
Hegarty, who teaches a course called The Business of Creativity and runs early stage investor and brand builder the Garage Soho, was speaking alongside the Sunday Times chief interviewer Decca Aitkenhead, and Shine TV executive Matt Bennett about generating ideas.
“Ultimately with all the technology out there AI etc, the differentiator is going to be your application of technology,” Hegarty added, pointing out the danger of businesses only seeing “creativity as something you occasionally engage in, but it’s driving everything”.
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The advertising veteran has also said in a Times interview that a downside of tech is that it puts us in siloed worlds, and dampens collective cultural references.
In the interview he also warned that some businesses are becoming too reliant on data, “We’ve become obsessed with data. Data is really important, but data informs creativity,” he said.
Asked on the Media Show about the important role of questions, Hegarty said: “The greatest advertising, the greatest communications seeks the truth. It is the truth that is motivating. It is the truth that drives people, because ultimately what we all want is power,” Sir John Hegarty said.
“Processes can be very informative and can be very productive,” he added, and highlighted that everyone works in different ways.
“Processes are good but they mustn’t override creativity, they must be the servants of creativity,” he cautioned.
