The Creative Circle has awarded its third Champion of Creativity to 'The Rainbow Maker', Sharon Keith, Marketing Director of Coca-Cola Southern Africa. This status is awarded to marketers who walk the creative talk, supporting creativity not only with their words but also through the campaigns that they push through bosses and boards and unbendable budgets.
"I know, let's make a rainbow!"
Most people we know would shake their heads and roll their eyes. However good we might be, or even think we are, we know that we cannot control the weather. However, there was one person who took the suggestion seriously and the result is the now world famous Cannes-award winning 'Rainbow' campaign for Coca-Cola Southern Africa.
Keith has spent most of her marketing career in the drinks business, working with brands from Lipton and Frisco, to Fanta and Fresca, before she graduated to Bells, J&B, Captain Morgan, Smirnoff Vodka, Guinness and Baileys and then back to Coca-Cola.
She might feel uncomfortable being called the Rainbow Maker, especially when she is the first person to give the credit to the creative team at FCB, but the reality is that without her support, the campaign would never have seen the light of day. Every creative team understands the importance of working with a client who not only appreciates creative thought, but also acknowledges that creativity is not linear and it often requires many iterations and do-overs and re-thinks to arrive at a workable solution.
"Our education system tends to train us to come up with 'the right answer', which is the answer that everyone expects. Creativity, however, is unexpected by definition. It requires people to think differently to how they have been trained and taught. As such, it is often incredibly difficult to support. It goes against the grain, against everything we 'know'. Therein, perhaps, lies the first step in what is takes to be a 'Rainbow Maker'."
For more information, go to www.creativecircle.co.za.
