The first step in achieving the impossible is believing that the impossible can be achieved. You don’t play it safe—you do something that scares you, that’s at the edge of your capabilities, where you might fail. That’s what gets you up in the morning.
- Brad Bird, Pixar
Early reports from Cannes indicate that Pixar’s ‘Up’ is going to be another massive success, which makes it 10 out of 10. This is a remarkable, unprecedented streak. It’s not a fluke, it’s a formula.
If you haven’t seen it, or even if you have, I’d recommend marking the occasion by reading this great interview with Brad Bird on Fostering Innovation. Or if you want to get a great summary without registering at McKinsey Quarterly, GigaOm has a great nine point version of the interview.
Brad was the guy brought in by Steve Jobs to help shake things up and ensure Pixar stayed on the creative edge after the success of Toy Story. He has since won Academy Awards for his direction on The Incredibles and Ratatouille and been one of the keys to keeping the amazing winning streak going.
For my money this gives him one of the most valuable and credible views on how to foster continue success in a creative industry you could find anywhere in the world, and every agency and brand can take valuable lessons from this interview.
This quote is one of my favourites:
Walt Disney’s mantra was, “I don’t make movies to make money—I make money to make movies.” That’s a good way to sum up the difference between Disney at its height and Disney when it was lost. It’s also true of Pixar and a lot of other companies. It seems counterintuitive, but for imagination-based companies to succeed in the long run, making money can’t be the focus.
This quote may seem like heresy on first glance to the people balancing the books. But when you think about it, it makes sense. Put creativity, innovation and craft first, and the money will not only follow, it will chase you. Sacrifice any of those in the name of a couple quarters of profit, and ultimately you will destroy your long-term value.
It’s a tough but important thing to keep in mind, especially at a time of such economic pressure. But those brands and agencies that can manage balance the books while keeping the fires of creativity and innovation burning will ultimately come out of the recession in the strongest position of all.
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Interesting stuff! Funnily enough I was discussing Pixar’s success with my housemates the other day. What I like about them is that they keep innovating and coming up with new ideas, rather than milking the powerhouses they have created.
It also reminds me of a quote I read on Neil Perkin’s blog the other day:
“What ideals force us to do is to confront the issue of outcomes. Business is very good at focusing on incomes…terrible at producing good outcomes…We need to build our organisations to consider outcomes in the first place.”
http://neilperkin.typepad.com/only_dead_fish/2009/05/the-economics-of-ideals.html
It’s also similar to something I believe to be true for social media. Where there are many discussions that focus on understanding how to measure social media initiatives and how they effect the bottom line - they seem to forget the most important thing. It’s not about making money, it’s about connecting with your consumers. If you are just in it for the money you will get found out. The transparancy of the web requires brands moving into the space to be honest and authentic. Any attempts to take short cuts to feed the bottom line are more likely to hurt your brand, than help it.
Be there because you want to be there and feel you can add something. Not because you want to make money.