Jordan Doucette has held Chief Creative Officer roles at TAXI, Leo Burnett Chicago and FCB West (San Francisco), as well as a recent stint as Partner and President at No Fixed Address. She is now CCO at Dentsu Creative in Canada.
How do you define creativity in the context of your industry, and how has that definition evolved over time?
I think the role of creativity has expanded, from applying it to ‘advertising’ to applying it to business. We know that creativity is an economic multiplier and we’re always looking to help brands solve their business problems instead of just their advertising ones. You can see the proof in this with the huge number of clients and brands showing up at Cannes, investing in creativity in a whole new way. This is what makes the most excited about our industry, partnering with clients to transform their business in a way that moves society forward.
How do you stay ahead of the curve when it comes to identifying emerging trends and innovative ideas in your field?
I guess it’s a gut thing – when something feels too right, especially for its category, or nobody has any sort of emotional reaction to the work you’re creating, it’s probably not fresh. When you have an idea and you’re all kind of wondering how you’re going to make it happen and what kind of different perspectives and skillsets you need at the table to figure it out, you know you’re innovating. And when you build all of that on a true human insight, need or tension, I think that’s when breakthrough ideas happen.
Can you share a specific example of a project or campaign where unconventional thinking led to remarkable creative outcomes?
We just launched an idea called Inflation Cookbook with Skip Express Lane that is a true piece of utility to help Canadians take inflation out of their cart. It started with a human and cultural insight and then required everyone from our legal, data, tech, UI, creative, strategy team to figure out how to bring it to life while keeping the user experience incredibly simple.
How do you balance the need for creativity with the practical considerations of budget, timelines, and client expectations?
For me, there’s nothing worse than the ‘blue sky’ brief where anything might be possible and nothing should limit creativity when in reality, you have three days, zero media and even fewer dollars. I love knowing the sandbox we’re playing in, that’s when true creativity to find the best idea for the parameters.
In your experience, what are some of the most effective strategies for fostering a culture of creativity within a team or organization?
Make everyone realize they contribute to the creative product, no matter the department. We all work for the work. And just off the heels of Cannes, there’s nothing better than the chance to talk about creative ideas being made around the world and what we love about it (or hate about it). And we should be doing that with different perspectives at the table to really understand what resonates with people and what doesn’t.
How do you measure the success of a creative campaign or project, and what metrics do you consider most important in evaluating its impact?
Real people see it, it resonates with them and it drives the brand and business forward.
The Globe is the official Canadian representative of Cannes Lions — the world’s most prestigious and coveted advertising and marketing awards. Since its first outing in 1954, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has been bringing the creative communications industry together every year at its one-of-a-kind event in Cannes to learn, network, and celebrate.
