senckađ
Group745
Group745
Group745
Group745
Group745
Group745
Creativity Squared in association withPeople on LBB
Group745

Creativity Squared: Why Jason Hill Loves an Unexpected Approach

24/10/2022
Advertising Agency
Toronto, Canada
207
Share
The Cossette ECD on his need for organisation, the value of a non-linear approach, and why life experiences make the best reference material

According to creativity researchers, there are four sides to creativity. Person (personality, habits, thoughts), product (the thing that results from creative activity), process (how you work), and press (environment factors, education and other external factors) all play a part. So, we figured, let’s follow the science to understand your art. Creativity Squared is a feature that aims to build a more well-rounded profile of creative people. 

Up Today is Jason Hill. who recently joined Cossette as an executive creative director. 

With over 25 years of experience, Jason is a multiple award-winning creative who spent the last few years freelancing at John St., Zulu Alpha Kilo and Edelman, where he leveraged his marketing expertise to create highly innovative campaigns for major brands, including IKEA, adidas, Newfoundland & Labrador Tourism, Virgin, Molson, Nissan/Infiniti, and Axe. In this role, Jason will oversee the creative team on the McDonald’s Canada account, and bring his sense of inventive strategy and non-linear creativity to the agency. 


Person


I’d love to say that I’m one of those Dalí-esque, mad genius types who thrives on chaos and can pluck brilliant ideas out of thin air, but sadly, I’m the exact opposite of that. I like everything to be orderly and neat and tidy and well-thought-out and well-reasoned and rational - before I can get to the good stuff. You can tell a lot by the way creatives dress, and I’m definitely not the type to show up in a tie dye tee, yellow Crocs and mad hair. If I had to plan a campaign like Frank Gehry planned a house, it would scare the shit out of me. 

In terms of whether I’m an introvert or an extrovert, I’m definitely not an extrovert. I think I’ve only posted once on social media, and that was to sell a leaf blower and a ‘Spider-Man’ bike.


Product


First and foremost, it has to be creatively exciting and just somehow feel different. I like work that tries to solve a problem in a way you weren’t expecting. Some kind of non-linear approach. It’s a great feeling when you’re going through a bunch of ideas and you eventually get to one that really solves the problem in an unexpected way. When it surprises and excites me and I can instantly see the potential in it, that’s when I feel like we’re onto a winner.

I really try to judge work from the point of view of a consumer, and put myself in their position. Would the work excite them too? Is it meaningful to them somehow? Would it really make them want to interact with whatever it is we’re putting in front of them? Or is this one of those ideas that’s just going to just pick up a ton of awards and really do nothing for the brand or the product?


Process


For me, the most important thing to get right - before we put pen to paper - is the strategy and brief. I like a very clear, inventive and inspirational jumping-off point before starting to think up ideas. Getting it right at the start just makes the middle more productive, and the end more satisfying! The actual creative process, for me, is probably similar to the process for most people. Here’s how it goes:

  1. Scribble a ton of ideas/doodles/words/observations in a notebook (that will most likely only make sense to me).
  2. Make a list of the ideas that instinctively feel like they have the most potential.
  3. Knock those ideas around a bit to see which ones are proving to be the most fruitful.
  4. Craft the hell out of the ones that rise to the top.

Press


We’re all products of our experiences, so whether you’ve had some really shitty experiences, or some truly fantastic ones, they are all tools in your arsenal to draw on when producing creative work. The place where you grew up, the teacher you hated, the uncle who swears all the time, the girlfriend who dumped you, the mod haircut you couldn’t quite perfect in the ’80s - all those experiences and observations shape the way we approach creative work and add colour to it. It’s all great reference material and usable content.

I love it when you see a piece of creative where the execution has that little bit of something real in it. An observation or turn of phrase or an action that’s so unscripted that it’s obvious it wasn’t just made up. It doesn’t feel plastic and it surprises us. It was based on someone’s reality, which makes it way more believable and interesting - and to me, real life is always way more interesting than the scripted version.


Credits
Work from Cossette
Heal the Future (extended)
SickKids Foundation
01/03/2024
25
0
Open Ceremony
McDonald’s Canada
28/02/2024
18
0
Mm
McDonald's
20/02/2024
38
0
ALL THEIR WORK