Challenge: The right balance between creativity and technology

“Future generations will no longer organize themselves according to political systems in regionally limited states in the future, but rather form themselves to global communities according to their communicative ability.”

Kenneth Joseph Arrow, around 1970
(Born August 23rd 1921, Economist and Nobel Prize winner in 1972)

Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Twitter and others show: Communication innovations based on truly good, new ideas are the engine of commercial success, especially if there are crises and structural changes to be mastered. The innovators model how the right balance between creativity and technology is created.

As already approved, the Internet does not pose to be a difficult, elaborate or expensive to distribute medium, but an area-comprehensive and inexpensively usable information and communication infrastructure based on digital technologies. This way the function and the usage of the media as we know it becomes less important. Reaching creative, intermedia communication systems and solutions based on new technologies that no longer cause breaks between information, advertisement, communication, and transaction becomes more important.

Doing the right thing to find what you are looking for

In order to regain balance between creativity and technology, the so-called creative heads from the business with advertisement in media must accept and understand the new role of digital communication technologies, which must always follow the principle of being “smart”, in order to be perceived as creative. In single cases, this already works: Apple has become a leading company that has mastered the transition from computer manufacturer to entertainment technology enterprise, and in addition possesses an incredible medial and emotionalising radiating power. However, Apple has never published its general philosophy in a White Paper, but by all means embodied and cleverly advertised the Digital Lifestyle through the person of Steve Jobs (and his followers).

In spite of all creativity and unbroken innovation drive, Apple stays true to itself and is still a high-tech company. However, mainly consumers are addressed and advantaged, meaning one acts on the levels of B2C. Whereas the boundaries are no longer clear, because many Apple-private-users do not want to forego Apple products at work. At least, it was possible to change our business lifestyle as well, driven by iPhone and iPad.

Definitions of terms

Creativity is an artificial word that appeared in England in the 14th Century, but has been in general use only since two generations. “Creativity” became popular as a term in order to form a counterpart to “intelligence” that had great influence over the intelligence tests invented in the USA since the beginning of the 20th Century. The Sputnik shock triggered a new way of thinking in the USA and Western Europe in 1957, as one could not believe that the Soviets were the first ones in space. The term intelligence is divided into two areas in science:

• Crystalline intelligence, which includes everything the human is able to learn through fact knowledge and the experience knowledge that is built up;
• Fluid intelligence that helps us, basically instinctively, to do the right thing for us without much contemplation.

Simply said: Both areas are coupled to the neuronal network in humans; crystalline intelligence promotes cultural development, fluid intelligence secures survival.

Contrary to intelligence, creativity is not obligatorily connected to the neuronal network. Our immune system is extremely creative, as it can develop millions of defence strategies in split seconds to fight intruders and make them harmless in the best case. In the Ancient Greek philosophy one spoke of the creative, that can give and take, and that was embodied by the figure of Eros. The Socratics see the origin of creative thinking in dialectics: Utter a thought, experience criticism, and this criticism leads you to re-think your original thought or opinion. The creative originates this process of critical reflection that profits from the power and effect of the dialogue.

In this respect, mass media (as they are not in dialogue) and also advertisement in these media is not creative, but an outflow of crystalline intelligence, whose effect is based on campaign ideas. Campaign ideas for advertisement in media use the principle of fluid intelligence; they must be driven by new ideas, to achieve effects especially in case of a poor to medium communication infrastructure in a team with mass media. As digitalisation, the Internet, W LAN, and the broadband networks that have perfected the information and communication technologies we have available, the value of the campaign ideas for advertisement in media is reduced, just like the traditional direct marketing campaigns characterised by push mechanisms, whose direct mailing are only still read by a single digit percentage of the target audience.

Technology appears as a term in the German-speaking region in the late 18th Century, and has its origin in the Ancient Greek (téchne and lógos, the production or processing teaching). Technology first describes the teaching or science of a technique. In today’s use of language, the term is frequently used as a synonym for technology. The term technology describes a method that is used to achieve a certain result. The term technology describes the knowledge in order to use these techniques (“How does it work? What experiences are there with it, what risks, and what possibilities?”).

Our communication — business as well as private, verbal or non-verbal — is determined through technologies in the shape of “Smart Technologies” that have their origin in highly developed information technologies. Smart technologies are not only limited to the invention and the construction of products or devices, they also always include the design, the aesthetics, points of interaction with the user, the operating menu, and convenience. Smart Technology-development is a highly creative process. And if you talk with top developers in Silicon Valley you are able to understand this and learn, that Smart Technologies always include all relevant communication and interaction aspects.