There may be no better place to discuss the impact of creativity on business than the Eden Project, where the Anthropy 2025 conference ran in early spring.  

The debate was convened and moderated by Dave Allen from Brandpie, who asked “Is creativity the key that unlocks growth?”.  John Rudaizky, Global Chief Brand and Marketing Officer/ CMO EY gave an insightful argument about ensuring that every aspect of creation is covered, it isn’t merely about ideas it is also about the execution and delivery of those ideas.  Lucy Frazer, former secretary of state for culture, media and sport revealed the intricacies of navigating government policy and the importance of crossing boundaries.  Martin Allen Morales, ceo of the Institute of Imagination, spoke about the importance of teaching and encouraging creativity in education.  I was delighted to speak about the importance of diverse thinking for creativity and the crucial need to practice creativity regularly in order for it to have a positive impact at work.  

Between sessions delegates had the opportunity to wander around the Eden Project, and in fact there was a lot of brisk walking between sessions because the park is huge.  Spring was at its early finest.  Many of the sessions were held in the Biodomes, where different climates and plants surrounded us.  Very tame wild birds who had found their way into the giant greenhouses sat and watched presenters together with the audience, and the song of the blackbird joined the voices of the debaters.

There could be no better place to think about the analogy between growing plants and growing brands, than sitting in some giant green houses . 

Let’s start with the basics.  Sometimes the soil for a plant needs compost, and sometimes it will do better with a layer of manure.  Compost is made up of decomposed organic materials, and it releases nutrients slowly and gradually improving the structure of the soil.  Manure, obviously animal waste, works fast, delivering immediate gains.  Slow outcomes versus immediate returns.  The long and the short of it.  

Some plants need severe cutting back at some points in their cycle, just as some brands which have been over extended in terms of product extension launches or over pompous claims about purpose need severe culling.

Does the plant need bright sun or partial shade?  A big word of mouth driving stunt, a spike on TikTok, a huge audio visual campaign, or a gentle consistent presence in search.

Does the brand need more oxygen or more rain?  Is it starved of the attention needed to grow?

Weeding out unwelcome distractions is crucial for brand guardianship.  Sometimes though these apparent weeds are wild flowers that can add glory to the garden. 

Attracting buyers to the brand is like nurturing a plant into bloom to attract bees.  Growing flowers is not a science.  I have a jasmine in fantastic health that has not flowered for 3 years, despite all the advice and wisdom of gardening friends and youtube vidoes.  Whereas my wisteria is unstoppable.  Creating a stand out brand involves more than nifty application of Gen AI.  It is not an absolute science.

How can you protect the plant from winter chill?  Are the current VUCA times going to destroy years of nurturing?  (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous). Perhaps most imperatively at the moment If a surprising weather event occurs are the roots of the brand strong enough to survive, to regrow, even to thrive despite the conditions out there?

Unexpected weather is nothing new.  In 1876 the iconic author Mark Twain commented about the spring weather in New England saying: “There is a sumptuous variety about the New England weather that compels the stranger’s admiration—and regret. …In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours. There is only one thing certain about it, you are certain there is going to be plenty of weather—a perfect grand review; but you never can tell which end of the procession is going to move first.”.  In the North of England people often remark, all year round, “If you don’t like the weather, wait 10 minutes because it will change.”  Arguably the Brits obsession with discussing weather constantly (it is one of our top 10 small talk topics) is because it is so unpredictable.

Well the weather for brands is now more unpredictable.  There is no cookie cutter approach that will stand the test of the current implications from geopolitics.  Times are complex and strategies for brand growth need to be as considered and adaptable as the techniques for nurturing a garden.