The elevation of creativity

Since I'm not a speedy aggregator, you've probably already seen these ads for Michaels by The Richards Group. Nonetheless, there are two advertising trends here that I'm really excited about:

• The personalization of demographics: Increasingly, I get the sense that agencies are investing in creating identities for niche audiences - building out the story of one person - her wants and dreams and fears - to best create advertising that really speaks to emotional drivers.
• The elevation of creativity: Whether it started in advertising or advertising is merely following, I appreciate the increased value placed on personal creativity - on the validation of that fundamental emotional desire to create and share...

Comments

[Kennedy]

I like where they're heading. For the first time I feel like a store is getting what I've been wanting. Michaels is evolving. I can't wait to see what they're going to do next.

[Robi]

Wow, these are super cool, thanks for sharing them out. One comment: I don't think that these are just advertising trends, I think they're business trends. We're seeing U.S. businesses on the leading edge understand these phenomenons in meaningful ways. Whether it's Starbucks enabling every customer to customize/personalize their own drinks (can't you easily envision an Ode to your Triple Grande Light Soy Extra Hot 2 pump Vanilla Latte?) or Beck releasing a cd with stickers included, people are beginning to really embrace these two trends. What I actually find frustrating/fascinating is how few of them really believe it at the moment however - keep up the good work evangelizing it :).