Three Innovators Adland Can Learn From: Mr Mumbles Creative Partner
With Cannes now upon us, there’s been much discussion around the creative festival’s innovation categories and the creation of ideas with the power to change the world. And as the industry seeks out game-changing opportunities for clients, Mr Mumbles creative partner Laurie Ingram takes cues from those who’ve turned such ideas into reality.
To fully appreciate the level of smarts we can be aiming for, I’ve long accepted that we here in adland are obviously not the sole agents of innovation and world change; lest we all become like the Prius owners of San Francisco from South Park!
At the same time, it’s empowering that we as an industry strive to create work that has a lasting influence on the world. With this in mind, I’ve hand picked a selection of brilliant young minds whose ideas have kept me up at night, wishing I’d thought of that…
Meet Taj Pabari, the 2014 winner of The Australian Young Innovator of the Year award. This teenage genius from Brisbane who’s still completing his final year of high school, made his entrepreneurial debut at the teeny age of eleven when he founded his first business, an electronic blogging site for children, by children.
Over 300 articles later, his site was sold and is an inspiration behind his next adventure.
In late 2014 Taj launched Fiftysix Creations, a built-it-yourself coding kit for kids. The company aims to ignite the creative spark in all children by allowing them to build and customise their very own tablet, along the way learning what makes it tick.
A quick visit to his site sums up his attitude towards innovation with a quote from an unlikely hero, Arnold Schwarzenegger, that reads: “Break the rules, not the law. It is impossible to be original if you are too well behaved. Think outside the box and break some of the rules”.
My next spur of inspiration comes in the form of another brilliant young Aussie, Dr Jordon Nguyen (pictured in featured image). A biomechanical engineer, his mission in life is to be a driving force behind positive human and technological evolution.
He was the subject of an ABC Catalyst double episode ‘Becoming Superhuman’ that examined how he built a technological bridge for Riley Saban, an amazing teenage boy with cerebral palsy, so he could control objects around him using technology.
Drawing on his own experience of having almost broken his neck, Dr Jordon developed a mind-controlled smart wheelchair for people with high-level physical disability. This wheelchair uses cameras to view its environment and provides autonomous navigation assistance to the operator whilst they control it purely by thought.
He has also applied this kind of thinking through founding Psykinetic, a social business that creates inclusive technologies to improve quality of life for people living with a disability.
While it’s clear both these innovators have a deep understanding of and background in technology, we don’t all have to be futurists or technologists to come up with inventive solutions that create change for good.
The final example I leave you with comes from the minds of two 20-year-old mates who recognised a widespread social problem and came up with a simple but effective solution.
Nic Marchesi and Lucas Patchett launched Orange Sky Laundry, the world’s first free mobile laundry service for the homeless. A crazy idea they shared back in 2014 saw the boys put two washing machines and two dryers inside a van, driving it around to do homeless peoples’ washing for free.
The idea sparked a catalyst for conversation and in the one-hour’s time it takes to wash and dry someone’s clothes was borne a genuine conversation between everyday volunteers and friends on the street.
Orange Sky Laundry received ground swell support in its hometown starting in the streets of Brisbane, and has now grown to nine services across Australia and over 5.8 tonnes of clean laundry per week for those who need it most. It also generates over 1,200 hours of positive and genuine weekly conversations between the public and the country’s homeless community doing it tough on the streets.
Even though I appreciate we’re all restricted by our client list, I still believe in the power of creating ideas that create conversations that create change.
To do this, we need to go out on a limb and trust the relationships we’ve built with savvy marketers interested in investing in ideas that test the boundaries or, as Schwarzenegger puts it, break the rules. By starting these conversations, we are allowing ourselves to be the agents of change we want to see.
There are some truly revolutionary ideas being developed by individuals in isolation everyday; thus moving the race for innovation outside agency walls. And some of those creating these ideas are becoming younger, like Anvitha Vijay, the youngest developer to win a scholarship to the recent Apple Worldwide Developer’s Conference.
She’s nine and already developing her second app GoalsHi, designed to help kids have more confidence in the classroom. At nine I think I was trying to work out how I could become the sixth Tracy son in the Thunderbirds.
So, as we grapple to decide whom best to partner with, determining those who are most capable of closing the divide between comms and tech, we are admitting the greatest improvements are usually borne from those who dare to think differently.
Let’s continue to cheer on the next Clever Buoys and Gals of advertising who continue to test the limits of agency thinking and award show category definitions, ultimately pioneering new ones as we go.
Please login with linkedin to comment
Latest News
Sydney Comedy Festival: Taking The City & Social Media By Storm
Sydney Comedy Festival 2024 is live and ready to rumble, showing the best of international and homegrown talent at a host of venues around town. As usual, it’s hot on the heels of its big sister, the giant that is the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, picking up some acts as they continue on their own […]
Global Marketers Descend For AANA’s RESET For Growth
The Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) has announced the final epic lineup of local and global marketing powerhouses for RESET for Growth 2024. Lead image: Josh Faulks, chief executive officer, AANA Back in 2000, a woman with no business experience opened her first juice bar in Adelaide. The idea was brilliantly simple: make healthy […]
Is Meta’s New AI Chatbot Too Left-Wing?
Meta's chatbot accused of being left-wing after being caught wearing a Che Guevara T-shirt & listening to Billy Bragg.
TV Ratings (23/04/2024): Why Did No One Tell Angela That Farmer Wants A Wife Is Set On A Farm?
As wonderful as this headline is, let's face it, we all know an 'Angela', don't we?
PubMatic Unveils New AI Partnership To Turn Social Posts Into Ads For Any Digital Channel
Here's some nifty tech for turning social posts into ads. Assuming said posts aren't one-star character assassinations.
Intuit Mailchimp Makes A Splash With Its First Australian Brand Campaign
Ever laugh along at a gag you didn't get so as not to appear dumb? Get ready for more feigning with this new work.
GumGum’s Rob Hall: Advertisers Can No Longer “Rely On Binary Descriptions” Of Consumers
If anyone's got their finger on adtech's pulse, it's Rob Hall. He also avoids using the good paper in the office printer
Mastercard Nabs Florencia Aimo From Marriott International
Marriott International's Florencia Aimo jumps from the hotel business to the exploitative credit card one.
Bastion Agency Appoints Cheuk Chiang As New ANZ CEO
Cheuk Chiang takes the reins over at Bastion Agency. But not the rains down in Africa.
Spotlight On Sponsors: Major Sponsorship Wins After A Disappointing Week In Sport
B&T continuing our deep dive into local sport sponsorships & that's despite not a single offer of a free ticket as yet.
Macca’s Marketing Director, Samantha McLeod On Big Mac Chant: “What Was Once Old Is Now Cool Again”
Macca's using the power of nostalgia in latest Big Mac campaign. Well, only for those who've ever eaten one sober.
World Premiere Of Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line To Open Sydney Film Festival 2024
Oil's biopic to open Sydney Film Festival. Here's hoping Molly Meldrum will take his pants down at the premiere.
Entries Are Now Open For The 2024 Brandies, IntelligenceBank’s Annual Brand Marketing Awards
The Brandies are, of course, a prestigious marketing gong and not the mystery tipple favoured by nannas everywhere.
The Fred Hollows Foundation Appoints Ardent For PR
Yes, we all like to have a joke at PR's expense. But sometimes it does important work, like this.
AI, eCommerce & Marketing Specialists Are In Increased Demand By Businesses, New Data From Fiverr Shows
Has your philosophy & anthropology degree left you with nothing but a huge HECS debt? Here's what you should've studied.
Perth’s First 3D Anamorphic Billboard Arrives Courtesy Of oOh!media
Do you love a buzzword? Now you can add anamorphic to the list as it relates to billboards, not a colleague's ears.
MasterChef Australia & Crown Resorts Launch Unique Dining Experience With ALUMNI
A pop-up restaurant staffed by MasterChef contestants! That's fine dining prices for first-year apprentice chef cuisine!
Amanda Laing Announces Resignation From Foxtel Group
Foxtel's chief commercial & content officer heads for the exits. Read nice things the bosses said about her right here.
The Lost Letters From Our Diggers: News Corp Unveils ANZAC Day Special
It's nice when brands respectfully acknowledge ANZAC Day.
Howatson+Company Acquires Akkomplice
Large indie acquires a slightly smaller indie. Much like a shark eating a tuna, just with less thrashing and blood.
Google Delays Third-Party Cookie Deprecation Again
In good news for the sale of picture library biscuit photos, Google continues to tease over the end of cookies.
Education A Low Priority For Aussies More Concerned With Cost Of Living Forethought Study Reveals
Study finds Aussies cutting back on education due to cost of living. Booze & Uber Eats sales remain largely unaffected.
“I’m Still The Same Person That I Was”: Rikki Stern Says “Fucc It” To Cancer Stereotypes
B&T always happy to promote the anti-cancer cause. Even brands that massively overdo it with the hot pink.
The Unapproved Climate Certification Allegedly Causing Mass Greenwashing
Are you left flummoxed in the canned tuna & free range eggs aisle? Just wait till this green certification gets up.
TV Ratings (22/04/2024): Fans Mock “Over The Top” Reaction To New MasterChef Judges
MasterChef returns for its 2024 season. B&T stands by putting peppercorns in Gravox & no one will be any the wiser.
Dentsu Restructure: Muddle, Harvey & Johnston Take Leadership Baton As Bass & Yurisich Exit
A large broom has swept through Dentsu's local ops this morning, taking with it some big names & the air con's cobwebs.
Industry Shares Trends Shaping The Industry This International Creators Day
B&T's asking adland creators to reveal their top trends. And it's not good news for your Jenny Kee cardigan collection.
Mable Extends HOYTS Sensory Screenings Partnership
Mable has extended its HOYTS sensory screening partnership. Vigorously defends its two-star Oppenheimer review.
Orphan Launches ‘They Need Our Help. We Need Yours’ For Children’s Cancer Institute
Anything to do with childhood cancers has B&T's 110% support. That said, we do ignore the red meat & alcohol warnings.
Smile Team Orthodontics & Keep Left Collaborate On Smile-Inducing Campaign
As parents would attest, given the cost of orthodontics you'd expect this campaign to be a lavish production indeed.
Opinion: How Video Calls Neglect Learning Diversity
Need an excuse to duck out of a video call this arvo? Show this to your boss.
DoubleVerify Achieves First-Of-Its-Kind Responsible AI Certification From TrustArc
DoubleVerify receives responsible AI certification. However, not its robotic vacuum that's been seen menacing the cat.
Smile For A Good Cause: The Social Media Campaign Giving Back To The Community
Are you known as the office Austin Powers? More for you teeth than shagability? Get snappy new fangs with this news.
Elon Musk Mocks Albo After ESafety Wins Court Injunction Against X
Albo's 2024 from hell continues - Rabbitohs in crisis, down in the polls and now feuding with world's richest man.
Real Estate Developer In Hot Water Over “Sexually Exploitative” OOH Campaign
Real estate agents again tops in the 'least trusted profession' polls, nudging used car salesmen & ad creatives.
Epsilon’s Shane Hanby: Post-Cookie Era Relies On “Teamwork” Between Brands, Marketers & Tech
This pro predicts more "teamwork" in a post-cookie era. Which spells bad news for the uncooperative or plain stubborn.