The best creative minds are adept at applying cross-cultural insights to navigate the challenging world of advertising. One of the most valuable skills I’ve learned from living and working in four distinct countries (India, Australia, the U.S. and U.K.) can be articulated by a term I call “Cultural MacGyverism.”
Much like the lead character of the series was stuck trying to solve seemingly impossible briefs with finite resources (sound familiar?) I've found that the best creative minds are adept at applying cross-cultural insights to navigate the challenging world of advertising.
During my time in London, my team worked on a campaign that involved The Great British Bake Off. Our mission was to invent and shoot a buzz-worthy recipe in response to a fudge-up that may happen in the show — within 45 minutes of the live episode — and post it before the end of the day. With those time constraints, there were understandable doubts that we could get this down. In response, I said, “Think like an Indian.” Most didn’t quite get what that meant, so I asked them to ask another Indian person on my team, because I was curious if they shared the same understanding. He explained that by way of our cultural upbringing, Indians are accustomed to thinking in a certain way: there will always be people waiting to say yes to the work, no matter how challenging the task, and if you don’t figure it out, you’ll lose the opportunity to someone else. I was born and raised in Mumbai, and that perspective was precisely what I was referencing.
Another project resulted in a similar skepticism from a team, to which I replied, “Think like a Brazilian.” Perplexed, they consulted with a native Brazilian who explained how they generally have a strong network of people to call on to troubleshoot almost any task.
I realized that thinking like an Indian, a Brazilian or any other culture was less about the sole dynamics of that specific culture, but about the ability to adopt the approach, mindset and values of various people to solve unique challenges.
In other words, being a Cultural MacGyver. It’s a mindset of adapting to a problem by transporting yourself to a different context, versus trying to solve it the same way you may have always done.
Build diversity to produce innovative thinking
Contrary to conventional wisdom, great minds don’t actually think alike. Many companies make diverse hires just to check a box. As a Cultural MacGyver, it’s important to bring more MacGyvers together from different backgrounds, including race, neurology and age, to get to the most innovative work. It’s less about one person than how and when we bring people together.
Putting a mix of people with different backgrounds on a brief leads to magic. Our Non-Fungible Testicles campaign, for example, was envisioned by a cultural anthropologist who did not grow up in advertising; a Taiwanese designer with a product background; a German Brazilian who’s lived on three continents and toured with his bandmates across South America; an American who has experienced life in more than five states; it goes on. Ultimately, that Cultural MacGyverism brought to market the first NFT that can save a man’s life by promoting monthly testicular self-exams. With a portion of the proceeds supporting testicular cancer research, we used blockchain technology for an innovative campaign.
Be humble enough to let an outsider crack the brief
“Outsiders” have an innate way of interrogating and researching creative briefs and challenges. Proactively assigning “foreigners” to work alongside teams native to the country often leads to uncovering invaluable insights that the “native” team simply couldn’t see. We often take things for granted that “outsiders” don’t, because they have to work five times harder to adapt to a new culture. That tenacity, trust in instinct and focus on the task at hand is invaluable. Don’t let your ego get in the way of embracing their impactful, creative ideas.
Learn from other’s lived experiences
One of my favorite examples of learning from others' lived experiences is Harley Davidson’s Tough Turban campaign, which solved a very real problem most of us wouldn’t be aware of. Many Sikh motorcycle riders must decide whether to wear their turban rather than a helmet to avoid compromising their religion. Thus, the “Tough Turban” was born — assembled by a group of experts across engineering and design. The idea for a turban made of impact-resistant materials was born in Canada, but open-source technology was made available to manufacturers across the world. By being open to addressing the challenges of a group that doesn’t fit the typical Harley Davidson rider stereotype, it met a need for an entirely new audience. A full win-win.
MacGyver was the ultimate problem solver, improvising on the fly to avoid a potentially fatal fate. While the challenges we face in advertising are less dire and often more complex, we can learn from how he uses everything around him to navigate obstacles.
The lived experiences, outlooks and approaches are our most formidable power, as different perspectives come together to tackle a challenge. By stepping outside of your comfort zone and getting curious about people, places and cultures nothing like your own, you’ll win. You’ll crack the case with a mix of curiosity and the ability to solve something no one thought about.