Herding Cats (And Creativity): Why Limitations Are A Gift.
Back in the 1970s, Moroccan forces invaded the Western Sahara, starting years of resistance by the ethnic Sahrawis.
The Moroccan government met them with suppression and violence, and outlawed flying the colors of the Sahrawi Independence movement.
Protestors were determined not to give up, but they knew they were facing limitations: They needed to make their point without subjecting themselves to arrest & beatings, or resorting to violence themselves.
So they got creative:
They spread the word that there would be a flag-flying protest to honor the outlawed flag, with enough advance notice that the authorities would be sure to hear about it.
Moroccan forces arrived, ready to arrest anyone waving the flag of the Independence movement.
Who showed up at the rally?
Cats.
Rather than rallying themselves, the protesters rounded up a bunch of stray kitties, tied flags to their tails, and released them into a crowded area.
The riot police ended up having to chase dozens of cats through the crowd, and up and down narrow alleys, while everyone watched and laughed.
The protesters had successfully promoted the flag, avoided arrest, and made fools of their oppressors in the process.
What does this have to do with your business?
(Well, besides the obvious analogy that running all parts of a business can feel like herding cats…).
There's a saying that “Creativity is born in limitation.”
What if you applied some creative limitation to your marketing?
Get curious. For starters, play with what you would do if:
You only had a $500 budget. Or a $150 budget. Or a $5 budget.
You couldn't use a website.
You could only describe your business in 10 words or less. Or 5 words or less. Or 3.
You could only use emojis to communicate.
You could only market to 10 people, and had to depend on them to spread the word.
You could only do 20% of the activities you currently do.
You only had a month to do all your marketing for the year. Or a week. Or a day.
You had to infuse humor into everything you did.
What other creative limitations can you play with? You never know what your creative brain will come up with.
Don't wait; start meow. (Sorry, couldn't help myself).