Engineering Creativity: A Disciplined Approach to Organizational Innovation

The CMO Podcast · December 31, 2025 · Listen to Original Episode →

Original Title:

TL;DR

Treating creativity as a process, not just inspiration, enables organizations to engineer novel solutions by applying the same discipline used for operational excellence.
Defining problems with precision, by focusing on perceived issues rather than declarations of intent, unlocks innovative solutions by clarifying the true challenge.
Building trust, respect, and affection through consistent actions in clients' best interests allows for powerful relationships that extend beyond marketing to company-wide influence.
Leaders who "run toward the fire" by tackling difficult challenges and problems head-on create significant value and accelerate personal and organizational progress.
Identifying and codifying the behavioral qualities of top performers creates a shared language that shapes culture and drives consistent excellence across an organization.

Deep Dive

Andrew Robertson, former CEO of BBDO Worldwide, argues that creativity is not an innate talent but a cultivated way of operating that organizations can engineer into their processes. This "creative shift" is essential for sustained innovation and business growth, moving beyond operational excellence to harness the full potential of people. Robertson's decades of experience reveal that fostering this shift requires a deliberate, disciplined approach, treating creativity with the same strategic focus as any other business function.

The core implication of Robertson's philosophy is that organizations must actively create an environment where creativity can flourish, rather than expecting it to emerge spontaneously. He highlights that the very disciplines that make companies successful--operational efficiency, compliance, and execution--can paradoxically suppress individual creativity. The "shift" he advocates is not about transforming an organization's fundamental nature but about integrating creativity as a core process, much like any other operational function. This involves a conscious effort to redefine problems, encourage diverse perspectives, and build trust, respect, and affection within relationships. Robertson emphasizes that this approach moves beyond marketing and advertising to influence entire organizations by providing valuable external perspectives that even CEOs often lack. He demonstrates this through his leadership at BBDO, where he fostered a culture that valued unique, internally generated principles for behavior, leading to sustained success and impact.

Ultimately, the ability to implement and sustain a creative shift is critical for long-term organizational relevance and competitive advantage. Robertson’s work suggests that leaders who prioritize defining problems clearly and fostering an environment of trust and open dialogue will unlock innovative solutions and drive significant business growth. Organizations that fail to make this shift risk stagnation, as the inherent pressures of conformity and operational focus inadvertently stifle the very creativity needed to adapt and thrive in a dynamic marketplace.

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Key Quotes

"The job of a marketer is as challenging as ever and we get to do some interesting things to make their job easier... seeing ideas come to reality we ultimately are an enabler of great marketing so we don't do creative we don't do media planning we provide the data the identity insights the measurement tools that make great marketing possible so when we get to see the end product sometimes later it's really cool to see."

Matt Spiegel highlights that the satisfaction in his role comes from enabling others' success. TransUnion provides the foundational data and tools, allowing marketers to bring their creative visions to life, which Spiegel finds rewarding to witness.

"The shift that I wanted was to say treat creativity as another one of your processes treat it John Cleese said creativity isn't a talent it's a way of operating recognize that it's a way of operating and engineer it into your way of operating with the same discipline and focus that you do all the other things because that's the way you can unlock the creative potential of your people."

Andrew Robertson explains his core philosophy that creativity should be integrated into an organization's daily operations, not treated as an occasional event. He emphasizes that by treating creativity as a process, akin to other business functions, companies can systematically unlock the innovative potential within their teams.

"I think right at the heart of it, there is a trust that first and it goes earn the trust get the respect then comes the affection. Those are the three steps: trust, respect, affection. And when you get all three, you can have a really powerful relationship."

Andrew Robertson outlines a foundational framework for building strong relationships, whether with clients or colleagues. He posits that trust is the initial and most crucial element, which, when earned, naturally leads to respect and, ultimately, affection, creating a robust partnership.

"I think that the reason I dedicated the book to him is he always asked the question to put me straight in the moments where I was facing big choices... he just had this way of stopping me and making me think and coming out with the right thing to do in those moments and it was never he was never telling me what to do he was never, you know, judging any of my decisions but he made me think about things at the right moments."

Andrew Robertson reflects on his father's influence, explaining that his dedication of the book stems from his father's ability to guide him through critical decisions. His father's method involved posing thoughtful questions that prompted self-reflection, rather than dictating solutions, which proved invaluable for personal and professional development.

"I think that the absence of a really brilliant question or problem, the biggest problem in idea generation, it's usually the step that nobody goes through... it's such a big unlock and it's the step that nine times out of ten is completely overlooked when people are trying to generate ideas."

Andrew Robertson identifies a critical, often missed, step in the idea generation process: defining the problem or question effectively. He argues that the lack of a well-articulated problem is the primary barrier to generating truly brilliant ideas, and this foundational step is frequently overlooked.

"I got tired of sitting in meetings where people would say, you know, our people are the most important asset we have... and then when I said, what are the right people? I'd either get no answer or worse than that, I would get, you know, the description that you get from the unsolicited emails from somebody who's off to a job... I thought, well, that has to be a better way than this."

Andrew Robertson explains his motivation for codifying the core behavioral qualities of successful people within his organization. He was dissatisfied with generic descriptions of ideal employees and sought a more authentic and specific articulation of what truly made individuals thrive at BBDO.

Resources

External Resources

Books

"The Creative Shift: How to Power Up Your Organization by Making Space for New Ideas" by Andrew Robertson - Mentioned as a practical playbook for leaders distilling decades of experience running a top creative organization.
"Ogilvy on Advertising" by David Ogilvy - Referenced as a foundational text for advertising, described as a "bible" at PNG and reread multiple times.
"Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter" by Liz Wiseman - Mentioned as the source for the concept of multipliers and diminishers, which is discussed in relation to leadership qualities.
"The Hot Seat" by Jeff Immelt - Referenced for its quote "truth equals facts plus context," highlighting the importance of context in understanding truth.

Articles & Papers

George Land's work with NASA in the 60s - Discussed as a data point for the innate creativity of individuals, specifically a methodology used to measure the creativity of engineers.

People

Andrew Robertson - Author of "The Creative Shift," long-time leader of BBDO Worldwide, and former president and CEO.
Matt Spiegel - EVP of True Audience Growth Strategy at TransUnion, guest on the podcast discussing how marketers solve problems at scale.
Jim Stengel - Host of the CMO podcast, author, and former Global Marketing Officer at PNG.
Jeff Immelt - Former CEO of GE, highlighted for reinventing the company and focusing on imagination and new product development.
Liz Wiseman - Author of "Multipliers," whose concepts of multipliers and diminishers are discussed.
David Ogilvy - Founder of Ogilvy, author of "Ogilvy on Advertising."
David Abbott - Former Chairman of AMV BBDO, described as a remarkable and inspiring person with significant talent.
Josie Paul - Leader of BBDO India, credited with building a unique and effective subculture within the organization.
Robin White - Principal of an advertising agency where Andrew Robertson worked early in his career.
Alan Tilby - Chief Creative Officer at an advertising agency where Andrew Robertson worked early in his career.
John Stankey - Mentioned in relation to an apology Andrew Robertson made early in their relationship.
Antonio Lucio - Identified as a multiplier.

Organizations & Institutions

BBDO Worldwide - One of the largest, most awarded, and effective creative advertising networks.
Deloitte CMO Program - A resource for CMOs to gain fresh perspective and connect with leaders.
TransUnion - Company where Matt Spiegel works, providing data, identity insights, and measurement tools for marketers.
AT&T - Client of BBDO, highlighted for their engagement with Andrew Robertson and his book.
PNG (Procter & Gamble) - Former employer of Jim Stengel, mentioned in relation to "Ogilvy on Advertising" and leadership development.
GE (General Electric) - Company led by Jeff Immelt, discussed for its transformation and focus on imagination.
WCRS - Advertising agency where Andrew Robertson worked early in his career.
AMV BBDO - Advertising agency where David Abbott was Chairman.
BBDO India - A remarkable and effective sub-organization within BBDO, led by Josie Paul.
NASA - Mentioned in relation to George Land's study on creativity.
Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) - Organization hosting the IAB Annual Leadership Meeting.

Websites & Online Resources

cmo.deloitte.com - Website to learn more about the Deloitte CMO Program.
transunion.com/clarity - Website mentioned for TransUnion's solutions.
iab.com/alm - Website to learn more about the IAB Annual Leadership Meeting.

Other Resources

The "You're not you when you're hungry" campaign (Snickers) - Described as BBDO's most significant contribution to advertising in the last 20 years, having a global reach and impact.
"Run toward fire" - A personal mantra of Andrew Robertson, encouraging tackling difficult challenges.
"Pick great bosses" - A personal mantra of Andrew Robertson, emphasizing the importance of choosing supportive leaders.
"Multipliers" and "Diminishers" - Concepts from Liz Wiseman's book, used to describe leadership behaviors.
"Fruits and Roots" - A phrase used in relation to identifying core principles.
"Radiators not drains" - A characteristic of effective people identified by BBDO.
"Hand raisers not finger pointers" - A characteristic of effective people identified by BBDO.
"We not me" - A characteristic of effective people identified by BBDO.
"Closers" - A characteristic of effective people identified by BBDO.
"Healthy paranoia" - A characteristic of effective people identified by BBDO.
"The corner table coffee" - A proposed book concept by Jim Stengel and Andrew Robertson about profiling CEO offices.
"The ashram" - The name given to the BBDO India office, symbolizing a place of learning.