Creativity is often defined as developing something that is "new" (novel or original) and "useful" (meaningful or relevant). In the Communication Model presented in the text, this means that a message must be encoded by the sender in a novel enough way so that it will break through the noise enough to be noticed by the receiver, and then decoded as the sender intended. In other words, marketers must develop messages that are original enough to get attention (i.e., new), but not so original that they are misunderstood (i.e., useful).

You read about Nike's unparalleled success with its ubiquitous Swoosh logo and iconic "Just Do It" tagline. They have achieved this success through communication tools like advertising and sales promotion, endorsements and sponsorships and partnerships, that all support Nike's core brand values and mission to "bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world" and "If you have a body, you are an athlete." You are going to develop a new message for Nike, one that will support these central messages. Remember the communications model: you must "encode" your message in such a way that it will break through the clutter, and then be decoded by the receiver in the way you intended.

To get you started on a novel idea, go to this websiteLinks to an external site., and generate a random quote. Use the first quote that you are given, no matter how irrelevant it might appear. In fact, irrelevant looking starting points are often the best ones.

Initial Post: Using a random starting point can help you get out of your usual way of thinking and look at a problem with a different perspective. Use your quote as a starting point and be inspired by it to develop your event. Develop many different options, and then you can narrow them down to the one or two that you think will most successfully coney the "nothing is impossible" message.