Comments on: Is it ok to steal ideas?

By: nguyen duong

nguyen duong — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:20:10 +0000

I’d like to introduce a line from Jeremy Abbett’s post awhile back: “…look to the artists, academics and makers for innovation and wait a few years for it to go commercial. Great ideas don’t go away, they spread.”
This was in quote was in reference to the Nike/Livestrong Chalkbot idea. Did the idea come from somewhere else? More here: http://www.suture.com/2009/07/bikes-chalk-and-graffiti/
I’d love to think that all the fine people i work with holds to a grand ideal of thinking, creating, producing ideas never before seen. Realistically though, [perhaps call it an excuse], budgets, and timelines are the most likely culprits of turning us into just “efficient idea recyclers.”
or are we “spreaders of great ideas”?
great discussion you have started, Leon!

By: silk_cut

silk_cut — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:44:08 +0000

Few dilemmas on this issue:
1. From the “moral” point of view: you’re saying the stolen ads “will win awards”. Does it mean the industry values stealing ?
2. From the business point of view: is creativity (in its purest sense) the only way to deliver results?… is creativity the only strategy to reach effectiveness?
3. From the consumer point of view: how much do consumers care if the idea has been done before? spending countless hours on youtube is the advertising people’s hobby , not theirs…
4. From the creativity point of view: French people say “les grands esprits se rencontrent” / in other words “great spirits might reach the same solution to a similar problem”. It might happen (:D). Or it might not?…

By: Eric Lindesvärd

Eric Lindesvärd — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:03:52 +0000

Yes, success is fine, but branding is also about who the success belongs to. As marketing experts, I don’t think we should forget that.

By: Johan Ronnestam

Johan Ronnestam — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:43:13 +0000

Hollywood keeps on relaunching concepts over and over again. The success isn’t measured in originality – it’s measured in success.
I can definitely agree that we should strive to innovative but we cant ignore a great opportunity for an idea to resurface.
Honda Cog by weiden. Great TVC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_qUjrMtMec
The way things go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U82eWptFxSs
Not very different yet great ideas…
We shouldn’t turn advertising into something it isn’t – it’s just sales.

By: Leon

Leon — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:56:56 +0000

Great discussion!
The issue of originality vs fake will be more apparent in coming advertising awards, I think.

By: Per T

Per T — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:11:05 +0000

In that case, what’s stealing? When do you borrow in a creative way, and when do you steal? And if you reuse an idea you’ve come across sometime but isn’t aware of it, is it still stealing?
I completely sympathize with your standpoint in that you should always try to find great, original ideas. I obviously don’t realize how big a problem it is with “stealing”, re-using, transferral of ideas or methods or whatever, in advertising.

By: Leon

Leon — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:30:48 +0000

@Per: everyone who has worked in a creative agency knows that creatively you always have a choice between stealing ideas or being original.
@Anton: sorry for being unclear. But main point of argument began out of pure self interest and consequently from an agency perspective. And from that perspective there are no proofs that stealing ideas is sustainable.

By: Eric Lindesvärd

Eric Lindesvärd — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:52:48 +0000

The car market is mature and it’s hard to stand out. I celebrate the ambition to do new things. Volkswagen have been brave enough to try, and they have succeded in terms of communication effects. Love that.
I’m not sure they have succeded strategically when it comes to brand ownership. Having fun is a great promise. The problem is, it’s an open area for many brands to operate in. If you want to own “having fun”, I think you have to show the meaning of “having fun” in a more specific way. Our own way of having fun. I’m not saying it is easy.
This might lead to a situation where other brands get inspired by the Volkswagen campaign and imitate their general way of having fun. Ownership is lost. A nightmare, at least for marketing managers. Because in the end it means lost business.

By: Per T

Per T — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:24:53 +0000

Okay, my first comment was in Swedish, apologies for that, but:
@Leon, do you really believe that any agency can have as an idea to only use original ideas?
If so, start proving it, because today, you don’t.

By: Anton

Anton — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:16:08 +0000

@Leon:
I don’t quite understand your reply, however if I return to one of the issues – can stealing ideas be a long term strategy, isn’t creating ideas the only strategy possible in the long run?
It depends on whether you limit your sphere to avertising or not. Re-using advertising ideas will probably not be good, but using phenomena in your surrounding, is that also stealing?
New frame of reference:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyYy1VMB_Cg
And then:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wAjpMP5eyo