Manifesto for Responsible Innovation (repost)

I'm reposting this text that I started of on, in a previous post called: 'the Moral Duty Of Creation'
As this text will now be published in a book from the University of Brussels - working title: "WE CAN CHANGE THE WEATHER. 100 Effective Cases to Start Doing So.


Manifesto for responsible innovation.

You can not change the weather with your head in the clouds.

Almost two decades ago, I was trying to write up a business plan for Addictlab, that was based on the belief that there would be a severe need for creativity. Creativity will become the ‘oil of the 21st century’ I wrote back then. Defining creativity would take us too far here, yet we can consider creative thinkers people who are able to apply some form of chemistry, so that new things arise. In that perspective, creativity is in no means to be confused with art.
More than ever, I believe that out of the box thinkers have a huge potential in view of the desired changes for the planet, the way we live together. In that sense, creative minds also have a huge responsibility. It’s what I’ve called ‘the moral duty of creation’.
Looking back at the different projects we have been doing with Addictlab, be it on our own or for third parties, there is something that is popping up. When you ask people to take part in a session of group thinking, there is a clear wish to come up with the wildest ideas, to change paradigm shifting, all of that. But there is something else: the actual ideas are been assessed by the invited group, based on their sustainability and importance for the social environment too.

What if this comes naturally with the process of sourcing and the methodology behind concepts such as Addictlab? What if bringing people together in collaborative processes results in interaction, in surprising or out-of-the-box ideas, but also brings forward a clear wish to create 'for the community'?

Group thinking sparks responsible solutions. Change R.O.I. from Return On investment to Responsibility Of Innovation.

Could social awareness be one of the outcomes of any creative project? Then maybe that is the most remarkable thing to be studied. Because that would mean that we play less 'individually' when creating in and as a group. So the methodology itself steers the result in a certain direction. We’re adding an extra 'social' layer to the filters we use to generate our concepts. And with this, our creative thinkers need to be responsible in what they create.
Am I making sense? Let’s make a quick diagram.


1. conventional creative process:




There will normally be a reason of creation. I will limit my example here to that of a consultant creating for a client. Yet the thoughts remain the same for all creation, art included.
A client, a company, a possible sales outlet, there is an economical reason and budget to start a creative process. This process should therefore create changes for that receiver or whoever ordered the process to start. Think of new products, a communication strategy, a brand reflection, a new building, and more. It depends on the creative discipline commissioned.
In the process, there are a number of changes to be looked into. What if we could quantify those 'changes', be it economical, brand-related, personal or more.

• The blue part then shows the 'amount of changes' that are the result for the receiver. Less money but received ‘added created value.’
• The red part shows the other party that will be involved in this process: the agency/designer/consultant/artist. He who creates, he who transmits. In consultancy, changes as a result of this process for the agency will be primarily income, but one could also add field experience and added value. (We did THIS for THAT client)
• Next to that, we can/should expect more income (or added value) for external or internal creative resources. That's the yellow part.
• The Green part, is the social part: the PR value, the story to tell. It’s what ‘other’ people will say or do, when coming in contact with the creation. In an economical creation, this means stories can be picked up by journalists & media. Yet, probably, and most of the time in a consultancy relation, this will be limited to the peer group of both agency/ & client.

2. The holistic creative process.



Now. Let's look at what I believe should be an ideal Addictlab project, and a model for all creative processes tout court.

• The blue part stays pretty important: a client - any client - should get the changes they are paying for, and more.
• The red part then, is about quantifying the beneficial changes and/or income (but not necessarily only money) for the organization, as facilitator & methodology to create. The transmitter. This can be remuneration for the ‘production’.
• The yellow part here, shows you the income/added value for the creative resources involved. These, in my perspective, are labmembers, registered on Addictlab. Mark: the sizes of client/addictlab/labmembers are equal. Important, as we want to do anything but abuse the creative resources. This sometimes is completely opposed to how creative minds are treated/neglected by agencies in the ordinary process..
• The green part is added value generated for the lab's partners & sponsors. Addictlab's labpartners should be benefiting too. Labpartners can step in & tap into certain research fields. Addictlab's proactive way of working & global research fields demand research partners. The partners/sponsors should receive added value for any process done by the lab.
• Next to that, the purple part, we are looking at changes for society. Why? I believe we shouldn't only create to earn money, or a company shouldn't pay us just to get added value for its board of directors. We have a moral duty when creating. This section is quantifying the social implication of the creative process. The result for our society, the people. Changes here could be heritage, regional branding, respect for social groups & more. the list is long. Our sessions proof that this part comes natural in group thinking.
• The orange field - I've called it 'Credibility of the Independent Lab' - is the authenticity factor. It’s what the organization needs to build – proactively – to create reactively based on a briefing. It's what changes we are creating to remain true to the lab's independency and authenticity. If the lab is not authentic, the previous parts are simply just not possible. (This is why some political decisions to sustain the creative industries simply don't work. Politics is all from top down. Creative process is from bottom up.) The orange part are to be considered the engine of this holistic creative process.
• If all those last elements are ok, we have come to the last part, the brown part on the chart, being the story value of the project. The size is the same as the ones in the beginning. As important, because the story we now can tell, is a story that is authentic and very credible in view of sustainable changes. A broad selection of media should be interested in bringing the results of the process, generating PR for the company, the labmembers, and the regional hub it was created in.

The way forward: All creative processes should be assessed.
I believe this model should be implemented throughout the different fields of expertise. All processes could have an assessment based on the changes they evoke and realise.

Such a model, emphasising on the social implication of the creative process, will result in a growing awareness for all aspects involved, and could re-arrange the way we as a society look at art, fashion, design & more.
How can the fashion scene, for instance, have come to a point in which it needs to reinvent itself every 6 months, throwing away whatever they had in a previous season, still knowing that a huge percentage of people need clothes on a daily basis? The whole fashion industry would score badly in our holistic creation diagram, and the market approach needs to be rethought.

The way to do this: mapping of creative thinkers
The mapping of creative thinking should be done with an utter respect and completely unbiased. Prima donna’s in the different industries will not score high in a holistic creation process. Let me take the example of Solomons radio.
Personally I believe his art and creation tells a genuine and authentic story. He creates his radios because of the needs – people in Soweto want a radio to listen to local news and soccer games. But what he creates, the way he creates, and the final result, are showing a huge potential in view of the previous chart.
In one such a radio, we can find craftsmanship, vision, heritage, communication, recycling and pride. I believe it’s art and much more than that. I believe Solomon deserves to be mapped as a creative thinker. And if by any chance I can sell one of his radios from Soweto in a European art fair for a price that would fit the concept and the object’s meaning , he will have a couple of year’s income for his family.
Am I living with my head in the clouds or on ideatopia? Or will we really be able to change the weather?


Jan Van Mol, Geneva 2010

On Zuma, Kermit, MacDonalds and radioactive avocados.

I have always believed in a holistic approach towards branding. Communication, R&D, product development, sales & retail, it all helps to create your brands 'point of gravity'.

In talks & seminars on branding, I then talk about examples of this holistic vision and brand 'coherence'. That the CEO's assistants wardrobe is as important as the decisions made in the boardroom, and more.
Now, having lived in South Africa, I realise that the rest of the world not always knows what's going on there. Believe you me, the country has a whole lot more to offer to the rest of us than just crime statistics.
I would even say that some of the young country's characteristics should be adopted in other countries. And it's not just the weather or the wildlife, I'm thinking consumer services, people friendliness, retail concepts and kids birthday venue concepts.
Of course, the country has had its issues to overcome, and Nelson Mandela 's ANC played an important role in getting the country where it is today.
There is a bit of a downside to that, as not everyone at the ANC has the same vision or knowledge on corporate governance. And that's a bit of a understatement.

Now getting back to the wardrobe example. Have a look at the newest ANC..heu... casual wear. They took the holistic brand approach to new heights. Walter Van Beirendonck must have gotten an Antwerp-Joburg ticket to come in and design these.
I could live with a female leather jacket wearing ANC powerwoman. It's the male ones that are only perfect when your name is Michael Jackson. Pity you have died.

The choice of green opts out some colours that were strongly united in Mandela's great brand payoff: the 'rainbow nation'. The ubuntu greenishness now unites Kermit, The new MacDonalds logo, Zuma and radioactive avocados.


Whether these greenish blingbling vests are proof of good governance, however, is to be seen. But these jackets will surely light up in the dark, when there is a power cut somewhere. It will then be easy to spot the one who is to blame.





In case you're interested, place your order here

The Moral Duty of Creation.

I'm trying to get my thoughts together, on this particular issue. I'm asked to do a talk on eco-design. Green design. Sustainability. You name it, it's that hip subject and my talk obviously comes as a result of our Ad!dict #28
on Eco-Research: World 2.0.
In that issue we talked about re-design, re-cycle, re-act & more.
We have 10 ways to create a better world, as I posted here.

I' m trying to think beyond the plain eco-message. Looking back at the different projects we have been doing with Addictlab, be it on our own, or for third parties, there is something that is popping up: there is a clear wish to create sustainable concepts. Sometimes, this is even an extra to the requested or commissioned deliverables. An extra filter and task we give ourselves, adding to the client's briefing.

I know that this might be a personal thing, a result of my personal drive. But what if this comes naturally with the process of sourcing and the methodology behind Addictlab? What if bringing people together in collaborative processes results in interaction, in surprising or out-of-the-box ideas, but also brings forward a clear wish to create 'for the community'?

Could social awareness be one of the outcomes of an addictlab-sourced project? Then maybe that is the most remarkable thing to be studied. Because that would mean that we play less 'individually' when creating in and as a group. So the methodology itself steers the result in a certain direction. We create differently in a group, and we add an extra 'social' layer to the filters we use to generate our concepts. Am I making sense? Let me make a quick sketch here.

1. a conventional creative process.



There will normally be a client, a company, most probably, that is spending some of its budget to start a creative process. This process should create changes for that company. That can be new products, a communication strategy, brand reflection, revenue, a new building, and more. What if we could quantify those 'changes', be it economical, brand-related or more.

• The blue part then shows the 'amount of changes' that are the result for the client.

• The red part shows the other party that will be involved in this process: the agency/designer/consultant. Changes as a result of this process for the agency will be primarily income, but one could also add field experience, for instance, or added value. (We did THIS for THAT client)

• Next to that, we can/should expect more income (or added value) for external and even internal creative resources. That's the yellow part.

• The Green part, is the social part: the PR value, the story to tell that can be picked up by journalists & media. Probably, and most of the time, this will be limited to the peer group of both agency & client. Both agency as client will probably get press in BTB media.





2. Addictlab process.





Now. Let's look at what I believe should be an ideal Addictlab project.

• The blue part stays pretty important: a client - any client - should get the changes they are paying for, and more.

• The red part then, is about quantifying the beneficial changes and/or income (but not necessarily only money) for Addictlab, as facilitator & methodology to create.

• The yellow part here, shows you the income/added value for Labmembers involved. These are how I call the creative resources, registered on Addictlab. Mark: the sizes of client/addictlab/labmembers are equal. Important, as we want to do anything but abuse the creative resources. This sometimes is completely opposed to how creative minds are treated/neglected by the agencies.

• The green part is for the lab's partners & sponsors. Addictlab's labpartners should be benefiting too. Labpartners can step in & tap into certain research fields. Addictlab's proactive way of working & global research fields demand research partners. The partners/sponsors should receive added value for any process done by the lab.

• Next to that, we are looking at changes for society. Why? I believe we shouldn't only create to earn money, or a company shouldn't pay us just to get added value for its board of directors. We have a moral duty when creating. This section is quantifying the social implication of the creative process. The result for our society, the people. Changes here could be heritage, regional branding, respect for social groups & more. the list is long.

• The orange field - I've called it 'Credibility Independent Lab' - is the authenticity factor. It's as important as the benefits for society, and it's what changes we are creating to remain true to the lab's independency and authenticity. If the lab is not authentic, the previous parts are simply just not possible. (This is why some political decisions to sustain the creative industries simply don't work. Politics is all from top down. Creative process is from bottom up.)

• If all those last elements are ok, we have come to the last part, the brown part on the chart, being the PR value of the project. The size is the same as the ones in the beginning. As important, because the story we now can tell, is a story that is authentic and very credible in view of sustainable changes. A broad selection of media should be interested in bringing the results of the process, generating PR for the company and the labmembers.

Now tell me. Addictlab has been a start-up company for the last 10-12 years (Or so it seems). It seems difficult to control, set up, steer in the direction wanted. Maybe it's just to naive an approach?


Jan Van Mol

Message to & on South Africa.

openlab4 speech

Message to & on South Africa.

(this speech was exhibited at the last OpenLab4.0 in Johannesburg)



I don’t do speeches. Not that I’ m afraid of facing a crowd: only this weekend I went for an interesting game drive to Lofters in Pretoria, where I witnessed a live kill and about 50.000 extraordinary blue-ish species.

It’s just that I learned that setting a time for a speech at an event like this is just not possible. Or you’re here and might not be interested in what I have to say. Or you’re not here, then you’ll miss out to what I would say anyway.
Hence this poster: it gives you the power to neglect it, or to dive into my mindset whenever it pleases you.

My journey here in South-Africa was planned for about 3 years. And those 3 years are coming to an end. I will be moving out, to a place where there’s more white snow and less black diamonds.

I am still amazed by the beauty and richness of both your country & culture. Of course, I’ve had some interesting downsides, anything from companies not being visionary, people not living up to their word, getting run over by a truck, your every day card fraud or gun against your head.

But I need to thank all believers in Addictlab. Marike, Dan, Haldane, Jabu, Sean, Niik, Snowy, Linel, Craig, Michaella, Joanna, Leila, Clive, Tim, Amor, Katrin, Waldo, Hildegarde, and the list actually keeps on growing every day.


These and other creative minds from South Africa & beyond are constantly inspiring me and giving me the drive to take on a naive project like Addictlab,
where we are discovering creative talent, accelerating it, generating innovation and, yes, some times, I actually think we are making some progress in creating sustainable changes for the community involved.

I need to call on all of you to help me in our next projects.
• The set up of a lab in Soweto to help discover and accelerate creative talent. ‘Sowetolab.com’ would be the most important project to proof me right.
• I want to create a new publication of a book on
South-Africa and 2010 : we definitely need more sponsors.
• The offering of creative processes for companies looking for innovative ideas and concepts. We need companies, but they definitely need us too.
• And above all, a clear open mind to set up collaborations.. To create what you might not have created.
This 4th OpenLab is an example and opportunity. Sit next to Kasi Custom Rides making their car , or Solomon designing a radio using ewaste... Chat to Clive Rundle or listen to one of the bands playing for you tonight.
It’s not just about what they create. It’s about their life, vision and dreams.

It goes without saying that this isn’t a farewell. I simple haven’t finished here. What am I saying.
Addictlab South Africa has barely started.


Jan@addictlab.com

When your agency wins in Cannes, please fire them.

I've tried to convince my friends and fellow colleagues of the advertising industry about how the business was changing and how one could react on that.
Well, I'm sorry to say... I failed.

At least, it's that what I was thinking when running around at the Salone del Mobile in Milan this year, where I obviously ran into a crowd of friends and people from the design industry, but apparently none from the advertising scene.

Has Milan turned into the center of branding? No, of course not. There are too many buyers and sellers and salesmen around that try to convince you of a new leather sofa.
But when you look beyond the dead cow covered sitting objects, you can see a parallel inspirational branding universe.

I admit: the abundance of chairs, tables and whatnot's is painful for the eye and the eco-friendly heart. Since who needs a new chair anyway? But when that chair comes with an added value, a story to tell, a function to add...

I realise I'm wandering through design heaven (or hell) with branded eyes, discovering gems of parasite branding and guerilla marketing tactics. Seeing inspiration for brands to get experiences across. That's why I can not understand that agencies are still choosing the Cannes beach in stead of the Zona Tortona.

Next time when your agency wins in Cannes, please fire them.
Don't get me wrong. They have proven their added value and we should honour them for that. On the advertising industry's funeral, we should speak with respect. The skills of the industry should be passed on by parent on child, and occasionally exhibited in museums over the world.

But a brand needs all senses to become a brand. In view of sustainable change, brand innovation and a holistic brand approach, you, dear marketer and/or CEO of a company, should look at other resources.

In fact, when using any creative resource for any project for your company, it should always be used with the bigger picture in view. This turns the advertising industry into craftsmanship and skills, and leaves a big space for true strategic and holistic brand consultancy, using a model of genuine collaboration, out of the box thinking and respect for the brand's surrounding environment.

I can be wrong and all the intelligent people in the advertising industry can still be right. In fact, I received yet another email from a big budget brand just now 'that we might be looking at a test project in 2010'. So when looking at what I earn today as compared to what I did when in advertising, I'm completely wrong.

Apparently it's waiting for the recession and it's fall-out to have companies realising the need for change. And if that doesn't do the trick, consumer behaviour will.

I hope I won't be painting sunsets in Namibia, by then.




Milan - some pics & thoughts.
-------------------------------


A female stand-up urinal. I'm not sure if this will make it to the market. What do you think? For me it 's a proof that tangible ideas can generate change.
In it's best, these concepts have a brand - and- social potential that can be enormous.




Ok, I was in Milan and I thought of recession when I saw this badly printed A4. (Chances are it's not the Mr Ferrari, but for the sake of my story, I need to believe it's the real one :-)




Our friends of .MGX / Materialise who will produce our Pine Cone light, had a collaboration with Renault. By far the most impressive work, tucked away in a small room at the Zona Tortona. Obviously deliberately anonymous, but with a potential to fill a complete hall.






A Retro-vintage ifoon.
For me this has brand relevance: dive into your heritage and past. It might need some tweeting and adjusting, but you'll have a unique story to tell and have a commercially successful project that goes with it.



The People Parking. Now here I saw a solution for the earth's global warming and a witty lounge concept, all in one. I also ran into a friend 'parked' there :-)



Diesel and Moroso. Combining fashion and design, and succeeding big time.



When looking at the following concepts, try looking beyond the physical object, but grasp the creative twist that makes up the story.








For more brand thoughts and help, a Creative X-ray or Brand Inspiration Shower, visit and/or contact www.addictlab.com

#recession? Addictlab takes over high value but empty shopspace.

As you may know, I have been working on the further development of Addictlab, here in South Africa. An interesting experiment, as it allows me to test certain processes, learn from mistakes and implement maybe later the best findings in other countries and creative regions.

Have a look at the OpenLab3.0, a physical yet guerilla style evidence of Addictlab in a public & popular shop environment. (pictures on facebook)

In short, this is doing the following:
• Select, discover and accelerate local creative talent (What we call LABINPUT)
• Collect stories & people for journalists in the different creative scenes.
• Educate a large audience about design, innovation and other cultures.
• Interact and marshal a large crowd for ideageneration, via interactive tools. (The difference with 'crowdsourcing' being that I think it's important to know everybody in the process - preferably personally. I'll do a blog one day on crowdsourcing and the difference with addictlab.)
• Create a physical space, as an inspiring lab environment, for companies that need to tap into our lab when looking for new ideas, coherent brand consultancy and innovation. (LABOUTPUT)

It's an amazing space and it has a pretty important commercial value. Yet it was empty. One of the evidences of economical change is the rise and fall of shop concepts, shopping malls etc. Consumers have an abundancy of choice. But when you're shop/product/brand falls out of their Top of Mind, you better hang on. In tough times as these, it immediately results in empty venues. Causing less people to come, causing even more shops to close down. Empty spaces are the symptoms of economic downturn.

Resurrection thanks to recession?
So these OpenLabs must be seen as a solution, turning those proofs of recession into a positive story, with PR, brand, marketing & inspirational value for everybody involved. The addictlab methodology could work, yet it requires a lot of collaborative power, energy, and dynamics. We need people, artists, brands, to really WANT. (I'm not mentioning budget. Money should not be an issue when everybody shares a vision.)
A physical space as a metaphysical definition of innovation and hope. I can be very lyric on it all.

There will always be incomprehensible things in collaborative processes. I offered a - free - space to Danone, to name but one. I need to calculate the value of my gift: the PR value of collaborating, the brand value in the space, the number of people who would be in contact with their brand & product. We're talking about an A location space, so lot's of traffic. We already had national radio doing an interview.
It didn't happen. Timing? Vision? Budget? Lack of Respect? Ignorance? - It's in those moments that I like to take over the company, and force it in the right direction. But it's ok. I'm over it. I understand you need two to tango. And I have other things to do then to win someone else's battle. Certainly when I offer it for free.

Then again, during last week's opening, I was touched by a whole bus of visiting Soweto based artists coming to the design mall. Read: rich environment. I need to be thankful to everybody helping out, like Marike, Jaylily, Sean, Dan, Joanna, Haldane, Clive, Michaella, Open. There was an interesting mix at the opening, yet I will be looking with the help of those great labmembers here to see if we can organise a specific brand/innovation related workshop.


Having this space now, opens up even more possibilities. From a content point of view, we could do this all the time. We have the great talents to showcase. And companies need now more then ever innovation to get out of the dangerzone.

Business Opportunity / we have extra lab-capacity for brainstorming sessions, workshops & innovation idea generation.

We have this space only temporary. If your company or others you know are in need for new ideas, we can bring in creative talent almost immediately to start thinking completely out of the box. This gives us a unique opportunity for our brainstorming sessions.

As far as the selection we made for this OpenLab, I believe all are very talented, and useful in most creative processes, but more specifically there are labmembers that can be very valuable for your company when you're active in :
- Automotive
- green-eco design
- womenslab
- branding & marketing
- business travel
- SouthAfrica 2010
- kids

When interested, do not hesitate to get in contact.

[Would an OpenLab in your region be a good idea too? Have a place? A network? An Empty space?]

Why big agencies need to be afraid of 3 guys in a township.

When you receive an email, stating that you would have 'a valuable input in clearing the path to our destiny in terms of developing the work we doing' then you most probably think it's spam. In this particular case, it was genuine.



Every now and then, I get completely blown away by human ability to create.
It's a rare yet strong emotion, that brings me happiness, since I realise the addictlab concept of discovering great creative thinkers from any culture or discipline is actually working. It makes me proud, and it makes me frustrated, all at the same time. Frustrated since I see the restrictions of what it is I can only do.
Even when it's my eternal Addictlab pledge that we need to do all - and preferably more - that is in our powers to push their talent.

Meet Sibusiso Justice Dhladhla, living in a township called Thokoza in Ekurhuleni, working in a group called Kasi Custom Rides, made out of three members namely Sibusiso Dhladhla, Jabulani Ngwenya and Enerst Sibeko.

They use paper and cardboard to build cars. The models are about 7Ocm, with perfect curves. The windows go up and down, the rooftop window slides in the roof, the seats can go out, the wheels turn when using the steering wheel. All out of cardboard in a perfect physical visualisation of autocad computer wireframes. Made by hand, not by processor.


When they arrive by taxi and humbly present me their concept, my brain activity is at its highest, my mind is in a thousand places. This is why I do what I do. If only they could benefit from the projects that I have been doing in the car industry. Visiting the design center from Rover and looking at the CAD and the clay models, when doing all campaigns for Daewoo in Belgium. Working on idea generation for BMW or Lexus, setting up projects with Chrysler or Renault.
They should have been involved. They need to be involved in the future. Any car company that is not busy getting broke and/or looking for innovation (I guess this covers them all) should call me now. PR or AD agencies working for car companies looking for innovative ideas, should see me tomorrow. Car manufacturers, call me now and invite them to come.


Because I don't see just a car. I see living proof of a much needed serious reshuffle of how companies should use their creative resources. It's time to stop showing creative respect to agencies who do not respect creativity.

It's time to have respect for authentic creative skills and use creativity in a much needed win-win system for all: client, brand, environment and thinkers.

Let this be yet another call to companies to use creativity for all the good purposes. For their own benefit, sure, but also for the benefit of the people and society that surrounds them.


As for now, I will do whatever I can to accelerate their talent. In case you wonder, no, no one is paying me to do this. And I'm not even sure what I will get in return. I will exhibit them in our Open Lab. I will post them on blogs, put them on our homepage and I will get frustrated when I don't get a call from car or design companies wanting to see how we could get that talent in for design, communication, PR or other projects.

I want them to be in Milan next year. I want journalists to write about them. I want companies to pay them the right amount of money for their skills. Christmas should come early this year.


You can see the cars at the OpenLab3.0 event in Johannesburg. Check www.Addictlab.com for more.