RETHINK: ANYTHING BUT BORING

Aaron Starkman Partner, Chief Creative Officer Rethink #1 CCO #1 Agency

How important is it to take creative risks?

The riskiest thing a brand can do is come off as boring. Brands that have partnered with us did so because they already believed that creativity is good for business. But there’s a considerable difference between simply asking clients to “be brave” versus following a repeatable process that yields the kind of work that stands out and is highly effective.

At Rethink we’ll never tell our clients to take on crazy risks. Any time breakthrough work for a brand goes to market, people incorrectly assume substantial risks were taken by the brand team. Frankly, the Rethink process was designed and refined to take much of the risk out of getting to exciting ideas that deliver results.

What is the Rethink creative process?

Well Chris, Tom and Ian wrote an entire book on this – available on Amazon and major book stores – but here it is in a nutshell: After ideas have been conceived and peer reviewed under the lens of C.R.A.F.T.S. (clear, relevant, achievable, fresh, true, shareable), we share five to seven ideas with the brand team called “shallow holes.” At this stage our client partners suggest one or two shallow holes to dig deeper on. Eventually, there is a familiar “ta da” presentation with blown-out work, but because the brand team is involved early in the creative process, there are never any surprises during that meeting.

As the agency’s creative leader, what’s the most important thing you can do to set your agency up to be successful?

Leaders are repeaters. Whether I’m meeting an intern, talking to our creative directors, having a coffee chat with future Rethinkers or talking to press outlets, I will repeat why I think this is a special place, highlighting our values and process until I’m basically blue in the face. Leaders are repeaters. Did I already say that?

Why so much consistent success in recent years?

We’re all singing from the same song sheet. Every office, every Rethinker, every role in the agency, including accounting. Frankly, I haven’t seen anything like it since I got into the business, and it’s the biggest reason for our success the last few years.

What creative work do you do in your own time?

I host a podcast called It’s Only Fucking Advertising where I chat with other creative leaders from around the world about their journey and provide advice for students, marketers and agency professionals. I love