One of my personal inspirations for ideation comes from the movies. An amazing Hollywood tentpole or unexpected indie can lead to a whole different way to invoke storytelling or kick off an integrated communications campaign.
Take the recent Hollywood thriller, A Quiet Place, for instance. It features a family battling a blind monster who reacts and kills only when he hears a sound. Moviegoing is such an intensely sensory experience, and the filmmakers removed one of our cherished guideposts. By muting major moments of dialogue, sound effects and score from the soundtrack during the movie’s first pivotal reel, the makers leveraged an act of omission to brilliant effect. The lack of sound gave way to clever innovations in characterization and pacing, with action sequences pulsating with primal intensity. The decision prompted the makers to dream bigger. It made the movie feel fresh and the stakes leviathan. It made my heart beat faster in the theatre and a friend blush when his stomach growled. The result: a monster hit, pun intended.
Instead of always adding to a campaign or program, see if you can strategically remove an element – and discover where that takes you. Creating withdrawal from McRib sandwiches, Unicorn Frappucino beverages, J.R. Ewing, Laura Palmer, Girl Scout Cookies and other pop cultural juggernauts have been the basis for entire campaigns.
Build mystery and intrigue on the way to your next creative success. In the meantime, here’s my review of the movie!
Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
As design director at Cookerly, Tim serves as the creative lead in the development of branding campaigns, print collateral and digital media for clients across a broad range of industries, including consumer, professional services, healthcare and technology.
As a senior vice president at Cookerly, Mike Rieman is a strategic communications leader specializing in media relations and reputation management. With a proven track record of securing high-profile placements in top-tier outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN and USA Today, he excels at crafting compelling narratives that resonate across print, broadcast and digital platforms.
Mike Touhill is vice president at Cookerly Public Relations, where he helps lead traditional, social and digital media programs for B2B and B2C clients in packaging, telecommunications and technology, among other industries. As a communication leader, he develops and executes public relations strategy, provides proactive and reactive counsel to C-level executives and secures earned media coverage for client initiatives and product.
Andrew Agan is a vice president at Cookerly Public Relations, overseeing the agency’s internship program and leading media relations, content strategy and social media initiatives. He provides counsel and executes campaigns for clients across various sectors, including finance, healthcare, hospitality, technology, automotive and many others. Andrew excels at crafting compelling stories and building media relationships, resulting in clients being featured in notable outlets such as CNBC, Associated Press, Business Insider, Fox Business, HBO, Inc. Magazine, Sirius XM, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today, among others.
As vice president of Cookerly, Sheryl Sellaway uses her extensive corporate communications background to lead consumer PR efforts, deliver strategy for marketing programs and share expertise about community initiatives.