How to find your creative edge post-COVID

Contractions, like Covid, force creativity and efficiency. They require us to rethink everything about how we live and work.

It has us reflecting on Inkhouse’s roots, which are firmly planted in the 2008 financial crisis. That contraction forced us to begin fresh. 

And it helped us see how data could build credibility and how social media could catapult new experts into awareness. 

Back then, it pushed us to integrate media relations with digital marketing, a novel idea at the time. And by doing so, we reinvented how we secured the reach and influence our clients needed to meet their business goals. 

Similarly, Covid is fueling new innovation (and thinking). 

We asked some of our #clients and team members for their advice on finding creativity during the pandemic. Here’s what they said:  

Connect with audiences in fun (and safe) ways

“Creativity is born out of constraints. With no option to film videos in person, we flipped the script and dove head first into writing and producing a cartoon for marketers, Gear Squad vs. Dr. Boring. We pushed ourselves to think of how marketers who were stuck at home could have a branded experience with us from their living rooms. We hosted a virtual watch party in our Gear Squad pajamas (think 90s Saturday morning cartoon vibes) and even produced 90s style commercials to give a real sense of nostalgia. Even though we were limited in what we could do in person, we still connected with our audience in a safe, fun, and unique way.” — Taylor Corrado, director of brand marketing, Wistia 

Take a break from the news feed

“In an era of always-on social media and the non-stop flow of news and what is falsely presented as such, it takes but a weak moment to fall into time-sucking and attention-grabbing ‘doomscrolling.’ It has frequently happened to me. As a former journalist, I’ve relished the ability to be ‘always on.’ It’s unhealthy now and I turn more and more to ‘always off’ mode.” — Jeff Hasen, vice president, content & communications at Sinch

Study the market

“For me, COVID presented an opportunity to separate noise from focus. I bought back five hours of commuting time, giving me more opportunity to study the market, the landscape and to see what other marketeers do outside of tech. They think differently. When you’re going against gorillas, you need to act differently. Look outside your traditional limitations and change the way people view your marketing." — Michael Welts, chief marketing officer at Wasabi

Play with your brand personality

“Creativity is imperative to standing out during the pandemic, particularly if you’re a young brand. Invest in your brand’s personality and find ways to bring it to life; video is a great medium. Be fun and bold and take some calculated risks developing your branded content. Our Datanova promotional video series included six short + funny videos and drove a huge boost to registrations. As we navigated to support Data Mesh, a new data architecture, our re:Invent swag included hot pink trucker hats that said ‘Hot Data Mesh’. People are looking to be entertained–give them what they want!” — Jess Iandiorio, chief marketing officer at Starburst 

Find two things that bring you joy outside of work

“Our Manager of Media Strategy, Elizabeth Dickerson, offered this wisdom on a call a few months ago when we were discussing work/life balance. And our former Vice President Danielle Vincent told everyone to make sure they met their own needs before taking care of others. No one told me these things in the workplace. I had to learn them by having a baby and losing my mind. It was early in the days of Inkhouse and I worried that motherhood would harm the business because I couldn’t work long hours anymore. But the opposite happened. I got better at my job because I stepped away and found new perspectives. I’m still working on taking care of my own needs first, but it helps to know that I’m a better CEO and mom when I do.” — Beth Monaghan, founder & CEO, Inkhouse.

"We’re more creative when the options are limited."

— Beth Monaghan, chief executive officer & founder, Inkhouse

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