Applying change: the risks and rewards

This evening during the X Factor John Lewis will release their annual Christmas advert. Their creative this year looks at how some things never change, whatever the era.

This got me thinking about the idea of change in general.

Is change good or bad? In particularly in our sector with developing creativity, enhancing new thinking and trying new things?

The future new sound of Radio 1 breakfasts has attracted a lot of comment this week with Nick Grimshaw taking over the early morning reigns from Chris Moyles.

This is change, but what will it bring to the sound of the station and what change will it require of its breakfast show competitors? One thing’s certain – the BBC Trust sure hope that the change will bring the average age of BBC Radio 1 down within its service remit.

The John Lewis advert is a conceptual look at how things never change.  I argue that change is good. I argue that if you keep doing the same thing forever then you can become trapped in a safety net. Being afraid to try something new in a creative or entertainment based environment is key to being at the top of your game.

Every day in my day job I try and think of a way that I can approach, deliver, present or sell something in an alternative way. I’m not talking massive changes – but small simple things that I can do to try an alternative method or delivery technique.

Sometimes changing the one thing that would otherwise always stay the same can bring amazing results as Australian frozen drinks brand Slurpee found out in a PR stunt. This stunt brought them a competitive edge against their rivals.

So next time you’re sitting back in your chair and thinking – “yep, that production sounds great” or “let’s roll out the same liners, the audience love them” why not change it up a bit. You never know the results you end up with could be pretty damn good.