The ultimate act of rebellion is leaving home and joining the circus.
But not just any circus – the world famous Cirque du Soleil. And that’s the story of Daniel Lamarre, now executive vice chairman of the place, and a former network TV executive.
Like a lot of us in media, Lamarre felt a bit hemmed in, and sought a new career path that would allow him to go international. He suggests that whenever you’re facing one of those “fork in the road opportunities,” you try to look five or so years down the path to measure your ambition.
For him, it was about joining this amazingly creative organization that epitomized the “Blue Ocean Strategy,” a concept spawned by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne where you find an underdeveloped market that’s unlike any other. That was Cirque du Soleil.
We’ve talked about the “BOS” in JacoBLOG before, and the importance of radio broadcasters seeking out blue waters.
I’m a fan of these CdS shows, especially the Beatles’-themed “Love” show that’s become a fixture at the Mirage in Las Vegas. Aside from portraying the most cherished
rock band of all time, Cirque even developed a new soundtrack for the Fab Four, beautifully architected by their producer George Martin’s son, Giles.
Not everyone appreciates the magic and beauty of these shows, but they are unique. But even the great CdS fell on the hardest of times when COVID hit, a crisis that threated to put the franchise out of business.
In a great interview in the Harvard Business Review with its editor-in-chief, Adi Ignatius, Lamarre recounts the challenge of reviving Cirque after the pandemic shutdown. Lamarre has a new book, “Balancing Act: Unleashing the Power of Creativity in Your Life and Work,” and I’ve boiled down his philosophies into a dozen lessons that help any of us in radio unleash our innovative powers.
It starts with his operating charge at Cirque, that “without creativity, there’s no company, there’s no organization.”
When COVID hit, Lamarre’s franchise for all and intents and purposes shut down. His may be a much bigger operation than yours, but in the middle of a global pandemic, we all found ourselves in the same boat:
“That was the toughest period in my life, and I know it was for a lot of people in different sectors. But in my case, within 48 hours, I came from 44 shows to zero shows, went from a billion dollars of revenues to zero revenue. And my purpose in life, I took great pride in creating jobs for artists, and then I end up in a situation where I had to let go, not only 2,000 artists, but all of our 5,000 employees. That was a disaster, and for 15 months, I was struggling to make sure that the company can remain alive.”
In radio, it worked pretty much the same way. 2020 and 2021 were about survival and resilience.
But few companies truly leverage their creative resources. Sure, they wish to grow, scale, monetize, and expand. But rarely is there that top down directive to push for more innovation. If you don’t come into work every day with the notion of “what’s next?” and topping yourself, any brand will stagnate.
So, here are my “Cliff’s Notes” on Lamarre’s incessant push to be more creative, and how any radio operation can reap the benefits:
1. Surround yourself with creative people – Lamarre has had the benefit of working with geniuses such as director James Cameron, Cirque’s founder, Guy
Laliberté, and the Beatles. But all of us know innovators in our companies and our local markets, the people who challenge norms and are always hatching ideas. You might personally not be the most creative person in your organization, but having them nearby (or reporting to you) can open a world of ideas.
There may not be a George Lucas living next door, but we all have creative, interesting, and savvy people in our circle. Engaging them as an informal board of directors can get your path to innovation on the right track.
2. Create an environment that nurtures creativity – As Lamarre explains, this one’s not an option because if you don’t set up an internal culture that values creative thought, you’ll wake up one day to watch your competitors eating your lunch – and dinner. During COVID, organizational culture took a back seat to so many working from home. This is as good a reason as any to encourage everyone – yes, even the salespeople – to get back inside the building/station. A radio station in 2022 needs all the great ideas it can generate.
3. Let your creatives create – In brainstorms, it is easy to get caught up in the “But we can’t” traps where barriers such as legal, HR, or budgets drain those creative juices. When a Cirque team is tasked with creating a new show, they are given isolation and space to come up with “the next big thing.” Some amazingly cool new ideas have never made it off the drawing board because naysayers never hesitate to tell you why it’ll never work. We all knows the trappings of “But we’ve always done it this way” thinking. So don’t let it pollute your innovative process.
4. You cannot be afraid to fail – It seems like every chief executive preaches the truism that not every concept is a home run. Sadly, some are major stiffs. In Cirque’s world, Lamarre points to a Vaudeville concept that lacked acrobatics and the signature effects fans have come to expect. Failure goes with the creative territory, but it is also important to conduct that all important “postmortem” to understand why the concept failed (and how to avoid a similar debacle).
5. Don’t stretch your brand too far – In yesterday’s post, we talked about the power of great radio brands, like WMMR and KISW. But even those 50 year
juggernauts can’t just slap their iconic logos on products that don’t really make sense. As Lamarre reminds us, “Be very, very respectful of your brand.”
6. Listen all the time – This one is nothing new. In pretty much every AllAccess “10 Questions With _______________,” the interviewee is typically extolling the virtues of tuning into what your audience is saying. But Lamarre also advises listening to your employees. They are on the ground, in the air studio, at events, in the agencies. They’re going to hear things executives, researchers, and consultants will never get a whiff of. By listening to your staffers, you also “mobilize them behind the mission” and to new ideas the enterprise dreams up. Most employees feel like they’re not being heard, so listen to them. You’ll learn something you didn’t know.
7. Fight your habits – Repetition and routine are the enemies of creativity. A number of years ago, we were hired by a famous artist management company to vet promotional ideas for an upcoming major concert tour from radio stations all over the country. I can’t tell you how many PDs and promotion directors submitted “Win ’em before you can buy ’em,” “Be my 9th caller,” and the “5-4-3-2-front row” giveaways. It was embarrassing, and sadly confirmed the negative thoughts about radio these guys believe going in.
Lamarre points out that “we’re beasts of habit,” a condition we have to fight through. By doing things differently all the time – driving to work on a different route, not eating at the same restaurants or ordering those go-to entrees, or listening to the same music – we open ourselves up to be inspired. That’s where creativity comes from.
8. Show respect to potential partners – Collaboration is a fact of life. If you look at the media landscape in 2022, you can’t help but see the value of
partnerships. Doing business with people and organizations that can complement yours is a key to doing innovative things. But you have to win over their trust – and respect.
In his book, Lamarre walks readers through the process of winning over the living Beatles, as well as Yoko Ono to the Cirque way of entertainment. He notes that by positioning his organization “as true creative partners,” CdS’s team won their trust, and that led to “Love,” what he calls an “amazing adventure.” As he notes, the Beatles “understood that we were two creative power forces that could work together and make something fantastic.”
9. It takes time to create and produce great shows – Lamarre loves to use variations of the word “create.” Cirque’s ideas and productions have an organic feel. They never feel like a piece of “content.” It typically takes 18-24 months to produce a new Cirque show.
A new benchmark bit for the morning show or a fall contest shouldn’t take that much time. But it’s important management respects that the creative process requires a certain amount of gestation time. Greatness rarely just happens in a flash.
10. Challenge yourself to remain relevant – For radio broadcasters, this might be Lamarre’s best lesson. It requires more than just creativity. Research and development are key ingredients to winning out in the creative process. Cirque collaborates with smart organizations, like Microsoft, Samsung, universities, and others.
And any radio station could do the same thing. Working on collaborations with area schools, local business, and startups in the metro area could spark creative thought. And let’s not forget that one asset radio has is that megaphone – the key to amplifying and spreading great ideas.
11. Explore the role of new technology – Lamarre is exploring the metaverse. He has to. While he believes his audiences will always want to attend shows in person, he
must consider the virtual world that is unfolding before our very eyes: “We will expand on new technologies that are going to enhance the human performance.”
This is why we go to CES each and every year, dragging curious radio executives who want to experience “what’s next?” You never know when you’re going to stumble on “it,” that big idea. And by seeing where the hi-tech puck is headed, you give your organization a chance to remain innovative.
12. Measure yourself – In radio, we have the ratings, revenue measurements like Miller Kaplan, and of course, our P&Ls. But imagine my unbridled joy when I learned Lamarre depends on NPS – Net Promoter Scores. These are recommendation measures we’ve used in our Techsurveys and other research for more than two decades.
By establishing whether your audience (or advertisers!) would recommend your station to their friends, family members, or co-workers, you have a benchmark against which you can measure whether your product, your content, your marketing truly works. There’s nothing better than word-of-mouth, and NPS is a great statistical yardstick.
Below is the graph showing the trended scores for all commercial radio in Techsurvey going back 18 years. Individual stations that purchase their data can track their discreet local audiences just like Cirque du Soleil does.
The good news is that you don’t need to run away from radio to join the circus. You can apply many of Lamarre’s great concepts with ideas you’ve made work from your own experiences. A key is to always keep in mind that great radio thrives on constant creativity. It’s how brands – and ultimately, the medium – remain relevant, vibrant, and connective with people’s lives.
When radio does these things, it earns its way into a consumer’s time and heart. When it mails it in, it just brings obsolescence that much closer to today.
It’s about brining that Cirque du Soleil mindset to everything we do, not the easiest of tasks, but something to aspire to.
With apologies to the originator of this quote, Frances Ford Coppola:
“”A (program) director is the ringmaster of a circus that’s inventing (and reinventing) itself.”
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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Ugh! You hit it right on the head with Program Director’s coming up with the same old regurgitated ideas. I just read about a station stunting for 30 days with construction sounds and then launched with “The New WXXX, Today’s Best Music.” Wow, that must have created a huge buzz in the market. YAWN! I wrote a blog about injecting our industry with more creativity. https://stationdomination.com/creative-thinkers
Thanks for including your post, Jeff. I can’t describe how disheartening it was to read those lame, generic promotional proposals. A little creativity would’ve helped.
Cirque, Disney, McDonald’s (yeah, the fast food company), Savannah Bananas. In the midst of another major radio company layoff project, we look at how some people turned those Cirque lemons into Margaritas. The road map to success has a lot of arrows pointing in the right direction. Why can’t radio operators see this? I know, it’s a rhetorical question, asked time and time again in these blogs. It does create a glimmer of hope that broadcast radio can turn its future around, but it’s going to take the perseverance of people like Fred (and Jeff Sanders and Lee Abrams and Doug Erickson) to get the most important investors on board. The listeners. We know it takes capital to make all of the things we talk about happen-the right way, and smart investors can see that the current tactics radio uses are pretty weak. Can you name Cirque’s competition? I mean successful competition?
Dave, the beauty of Cirque’s position is that “Blue Ocean” mindset. To their credit, they created they own space and then they work their butts off to put distance between them and a potential competitor. Their shows are so well done and executed that consumers would clearly choose the real deal. To make sure, no one challenges them, you keep raising the bar on their own work.
I am a little late commenting on this topic, but you reminded me of a company I worked for a few years ago. It is a large radio network, with more than 120 stations throughout the country (Colombia) in many differente formats.
The company had (and continues to have) serious audience problems. Its Talk and News radio format lost all credibility and was shattered by a new Talk Radio station that, in a single survey, surpassed it and entered the Top 10.
And the music stations had no direction. They didn’t know what to do with them. They had dedicated themselves to copying successful formats from other stations without achieving results of any kind.
The CEO suggested to all top managers that we read “The Blue Ocean Strategy.” The idea was to create something new.
I fulfilled my task. I really liked the book, I liked the ideas, I liked the concept of not looking at the competition but looking for your own space.
Unfortunately, none of the other members of the staff read the book. They kept the title and gave it their own interpretation, without even realizing that, in order to develop this methodology, a series of steps and recommendations must be followed that can only be found in the book.
Based in that methodology, I presented at least 25 ideas of how the company could make a real difference in the market, but just reading my first point, which was about forgetting about the company’s competitor for more than 60 years, my ideas were dismissed.
When someone thinks they need to make a change, the first thing they have to do is want that change, detach from their old ideas and look forward.
Unfortunately, very few dare…
Your last point says it all, Tito. You have to really want it – not wait for it to hit you over the head. “Blue Ocean Strategy” is one of the few marketing books that holds up well. We could use that thinking in broadcast radio today. Thanks for the comment.
Instinctively I have always thought in terms of the blue ocean strategy. I have never copied anything from any company. When building a new station I have never listened to any competitor. (I go to the mall……..) My entire career has been sitting with my feet over the edge. Here’s what’s missing. In Australia, their annual CBA has award categories for BEST NEW FORMAT, BEST NEW GENERAL MANAGER, BEST NEW PROGRAM DIRECTOR. Our organizations and our culture only embraces what’s old. Whenever I hear somebody try ANYTHING new I call them and congratulate them!! I wish I had gotten one of those calls.