The business playground

263 Pages·2010·9.029 MB·English

by  David A Stewart, Mark Simmons

DAVE STEWART is founder and chairman of ‘Dave’s knowledge and experience from all aspects of the music ‘In this thoroughly enjoyable and highly instructive
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Weapons of Mass Entertainment, an idea factory business is applied to the entire world of business – sheer brilliance.’ A DAVE STEWART & book, Dave Stewart and Mark Simmons tell you how
A
described by the LA Times as ‘a media company John Meglen, President and Co-Ceo, Concerts West/AEG Live RV we all can tap into our best creative selves, the way
for the new world’. A multimedia entrepreneur, his E MARK SIMMONS we could when we were children. Who knew having
K

career spans more than 25 years and over 100 S so much fun was the key to success!’
S
million album sales. As well as being one half of T
IE FOREWORD BY SIR RICHARD BRANSON Laura Ziskin, Motion Picture Producer (including Spider-Man 1, 2
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Eurythmics with Annie Lennox, Stewart has worked W and 3, Pretty Woman, To Die For and As Good as It Gets) and
with some of the best including Bono, Mick Jagger, M co-founder of Stand Up to Cancer
A
Gwen Stefani, Sinead O’Connor, Tom Petty and Bob OR
‘Commercial growth is driven by creativity. This book
Dylan, winning best songwriter and best producer NT
4 times as well as numerous Grammy and Life S & gives you the keys to the car.’
IN TODAY’S FLAT WORLD, Be inspired by creative conversations with Andrew Robertson, President and CEO, BBDO Worldwide
Time Achievement Awards. Described by Dylan as
business as usual no longer cuts it. Anyone the legendary Mick Jagger, Tony Award
‘a fearless innovator’, Stewart was recently named T ‘Brainstorming with Dave Stewart is a rare privilege.
can compete on quality, price and timing. winning director Matthew Warchus and
one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business by H He’s a genuine one-off in his creativity and his
So what’s the secret weapon that will Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. And learn
Fast Company Magazine. Stewart is an acclaimed
boost your business over and above the from innovative companies like Google, E willingness to disrupt the status quo. If you can’t work
public speaker and regularly advises businesses on
creativity and innovation. He is a key advisor to mobile competition? NASA and Nokia. B with Dave in person, this book is the next best thing
– an insight into another way of getting innovation to
phone giant Nokia, where he has the unique title of CREATIVITY! UNLEASH YOUR AMAZING U take root in your organisation. It’s all about attitude of
‘Change Agent’, and has created a number of game- CREATIVE POTENTIAL AND S mind. The Business Playground will help you raise the
changing ventures in the entertainment industry. Far too often creativity is sidelined and the GET READY TO PLAY!
I game with your team.’
Stewart is an accomplished photographer and energy and excitement that go alongside it N
Christopher Rodrigues CBE, Chair of Visit Britain, International
fi lmmaker, and also makes a mean vodka martini. are subdued.
E Personal Finance plc, The Almeida Theatre and The Windsor
THE BUSINESS PLAYGROUND S Leadership Trust. Past President and CEO, Visa International
MARK SIMMONS is a branding expert, WILL CHANGE ALL THAT. S
‘The Business Playground reminds us that instilling
innovator and co-author of Punk Marketing: Get Off

Prodigious musician, producer and a good dose of humour and a bit of fun and games
Your Ass and Join the Revolution (HarperCollins, P
entrepreneur Dave Stewart, and advertising to the process is one of the most powerful creative
2007). Over the past 20 years he has been a senior L
and branding guru Mark Simmons show you tools an organisation has to drive performance,
global marketer at Coca-Cola, run advertising A
how to rediscover your creativity. Through a collaboration and shareholder value in a highly
agencies in the UK and US, been an advisor to Y
quirky selection of idea-inducing games and demanding environment.’
the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Al Gore’s G
stimulating stories, you’ll be able to bring
Alliance for Climate Protection, and is the co-founder R Stephen Davis, President, Hasbro Studios
your workplace back to life.
of useless.org, a social enterprise dedicated to
O ‘Innovation requires vision, intuition, courage and the
helping people use less and give more.
U ability to see what others don’t see. Dave has them
Mark frequently speaks at conferences about creativity, all.’
N
marketing and branding. He passionately believes Tero Ojanperä, Executive Vice President, Services and member of
£14.99 D
in the power of ideas to make a positive difference in the Nokia Group Executive Board
business and society, and works with organisations BUSINESS WHERE CREATIVITY AND COMMERCE COLLIDE
around the world to put this into practice. Visit our website at
www.pearson-books.com
Visit our website at
www.pearson-books.com Cover by Heat design
CVR_STEW6883_01_SE_CVR2.indd 1 23/4/10 11:09:55
What they say about Dave Stewart
‘wtakFIaf n holyskoauotiwuntnu dgy d eeoa etxnruoraet r ca Daantnalnneydv d xe ewtC n ,yh bEtyoaruoeOuts pu y ionlrroie sefmu nts1e eisn9nnu e d irEdet oawned nat iDetld lo sra s thyvdauoeooidn,uu dnm lidesmep enxmbenlty.ente D.hdda aa inIatvvfid mteeey coleicysru l e wa yaaraio ittctrhuyoer er Dlwa iakoa tielpfvilv ehAenb,im e legoyvleoesieeornurvi pi ceubwha seieinl’nfl or S kIryadinemonoo. udlowIfr ns yyee ooFxlufuua aclgalnterelydert,
‘dCealipctaatienl yD taravec tiasb ale d orena mtheer saunrdfa ac efe baurlte bsse ninenaothv atthoar,t ,a h veis’sio an asrlaym ofm hiinggh, othrduemr,p vinergy,
battering ram, very mystical but rational’ Bob Dylan
‘eDvaevrye disa wy hwoit hw eh iasl lg weanntlte t oin sbpei r–a tliivoinnagl hgiesn diuresa’ mJa annicde a Vcatunadlleyn cbhrainnkg,i nSge nthieo rw Voirclde
President of Global Systems at Visa International
‘Dave is a truly extraordinary blend of creative genius and businessperson with
flair’ Rita Clifton, Chairman of Interbrand
‘mRienadl sc rIe haativveit ye hvears mmeet ’i nA anwitea, Ranodd dDiacvke, FSoteuwnadret ris o ofn Teh oef tBhoed myo Ssht tohprilling creative
‘pwoWruaohtsd’e Mutnac ilIctk imhoinnaeg et a laDn Pbdahov diueliit sp h–tper i, nb tCaoulrthki oadenidird mo foafa rnm ny1 eo2adn nhiedao . uEe Alrxsssee aca. bu Obotiavuvente rkt Bhethero,e aiI m rnddepid xaMntc ’efitt mvokefnb doyeiwerg a oitwrafs hlC,i sawrate tetdiho iaentl lSh ofuenoli ulst hnhsedee
Europe, Middle East and Africa
‘nFoonr eo vceorm 3p0a yree awrsit hI hDaavvee .b eHeisn cwroeraktiivneg cwuitph ocvreearfltiovwe sp ewoitphl eo trhigei nwaolitryld, porvoefru;s biount
and, most importantly, generosity. He is undoubtedly a genius’
Andy Law, Worldwide Chairman, The Law Firm
‘Jack of All Trades, Master of All of Them’ Sunday Times
‘He’s a One Man Advertising Think Tank’ The Daily Telegraph
A01_STEW6883_01_SE_FM.indd 1 05/03/2010 11:26
What they say about Mark Simmons
and Punk Marketing
‘Blunt, fair, fearless and outrageous – just like the marketing style they espouse’
Publishers Weekly
‘Punk reads like the insider wisdom your tattooed brother gave during your
first nose-piercing session: “Don’t show Mom, but the girls at school will dig
it”’ Advertising Age
‘Taken together, their anecdotes show that truly original, engaging and – most
important – surprising ads will always prevail, whether they’re labelled punk or
not.’ Business Week

A01_STEW6883_01_SE_FM.indd 2 05/03/2010 11:26
T H E
B U S I N E S S
PLAYGROUND

A01_STEW6883_01_SE_FM.indd 3 05/03/2010 11:26
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and faster you can go.

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global market.

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To find oaubto muto trhee a bboooukt sP yeoaurs’do nli kEed tuoc fiantido,n y pouub cliacna tvioisnist ,u osr a tto tell us
www.pearsoned.co.uk

A01_STEW6883_01_SE_FM.indd 4 05/03/2010 11:26
DAVE STEWART &
MARK SIMMONS
T H E
B U S I N E S S
PLAYGROUND

WHERE CREATIVITY AND COMMERCE COLLIDE
A01_STEW6883_01_SE_FM.indd 5 05/03/2010 11:26
PEARSON EDUCATION LIMITED
Edinburgh Gate
Harlow CM20 2JE
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Website: www.pearsoned.co.uk
First published in Great Britain in 2010
© Dave Stewart and Mark Simmons 2010
The rights of Dave Stewart and Mark Simmons to be identifi ed as authors of this work have
been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Pearson Education is not responsible for the content of third party internet sites.
ISBN: 978-0-273-72688-3
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Stewart, David A. (David Allan), 1952-
The business playground : where creativity and commerce collide / Dave Stewart & Mark
Simmons.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-273-72688-3 (pbk.)
1. Creative ability in business. 2. Success in business. I. Simmons, Mark, 1963- II. Title.
HD53.S738 2010
658.4’094--dc22
2010010962
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without either the prior written permission of the
publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying in the United Kingdom issued by the
Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS.

This book may not be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise disposed of by way of trade in
any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published, without the prior
consent of the publishers.
All trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. The use of any
trademark in this text does not vest in the author or publisher any trademark ownership
rights in such trademarks, nor does the use of such trademarks imply any affi liation with
or endorsement of this book by such owners.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
14 13 12 11 10
Text design by Design Deluxe Limited
Typeset in 10/14 pt Swiss 721 BT roman by Design Deluxe Limited
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Ashford Colour Press Ltd, Gosport
A01_STEW6883_01_SE_FM.indd 6 22/04/2010 10:33
CONTENTS

CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE
THE IDEA
BRAIN FLASH FAR OUT SHOE SWAPPER
COMMUNE
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER TEN
LEFT BRAIN,
CONNECTED
MEET MR RIGHT
Life is a game and so is this
book, so let’s play!
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER ELEVEN
There are twelve chapters which
THE ANSWER IS
KILL THE IDEA
IN THE QUESTION can be read in order, or not,
as the mood strikes you.
Try rolling a pair of dice to tell you
CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER TWELVE
which chapter to read next.
SCAVENGERS BLAST OFF!
HAVE FUN!

CHAPTER TWO CONCLUSI0N
IDEA SPAGHETTI FINISH
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
HOW TO PLAY START
vii
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ix Foreword – Sir Richard Branson 123 CHAPTER 7: THE
xi Acknowledgements IDEA COMMUNE
xii Publisher’s acknowledgements Working (and playing) with
others to come up with ideas.
xiii INTRODUCTION
Why business needs creativity. 137 CHAPTER 8: FAR OUT
Think BIG and don’t let the truth
1 CHAPTER 1: HOW TO PLAY get in the way of a good story.
When we unleash our natural
creative potential, anything is 153 CHAPTER 9: SHOE SWAPPER
possible. Looking at problems from
different perspectives.
21 CHAPTER 2: IDEA SPAGHETTI
Having lots and lots of ideas 167 CHAPTER 10: CONNECTED
increases the chance of having The art of putting unconnected
some really great ones. things together to create
something completely new.
37 CHAPTER 3: SCAVENGERS
Always on the hunt for 187 CHAPTER 11: KILL THE IDEA
things to innovate. Choosing which ideas to focus
our time, money and energy on.
63 CHAPTER 4: THE ANSWER
IS IN THE QUESTION 203 CHAPTER 12: BLAST OFF!
Why getting the best answer Creating environments that
means asking the right put creativity into orbit.
questions in the first place.
229 CONCLUSION
79 CHAPTER 5: LEFT BRAIN,

MEET MR RIGHT 237 INDEX
Helping the two halves of
our brains work together.
103 CHAPTER 6: BRAIN FLASH
Using visualisation to come
up with creative solutions.
viii THE BUSINESS PLAYGROUND
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FOREWORD
Catching the cow
I am by nature an adventurer and am continually energised by
whatever challenges I can find to throw myself into (sometimes
almost literally), whether that’s shaking up an industry or trying to
circumnavigate the world in a hot air balloon. It’s the same
enthusiasm and openness to new things that
young children have.
When I was growing up, my family
and I would often talk about business ideas at the dinner table and,
because my parents made it so much fun for me and my sisters, that
wonderful memory has stayed with me.
I set up my first business when I was 16, publishing a magazine. I
really had no idea what I was doing when I started that venture, or
my next one selling discounted records … hence the name ‘Virgin’.
I had what I thought was a good idea, but with little in the way
of a business plan, and just went for it. Since then I’ve launched
countless other businesses, some very successful (and a few that
are best forgotten) and the Virgin name is now on everything from
spas to spacecrafts.
I’m no longer a business virgin but the spirit with which I entered into
my first few ventures remains. ‘Catch the cow, Ricky’, my mum used
to say. ‘If you want some milk you can’t just sit in the middle of a field
waiting for a cow to come to you, you’ve got to go and catch it and
milk it yourself.’ And that’s what I’ve been doing ever since.
ix
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