A Book Review

The Only Creative Process That Matters (and boy, does it ever)

Saul Colt.
Yes, THE Saul Colt.
You know, the same Saul who once mailed me a LEATHER JACKET. In the mail. After commenting on a post on his social media. Who does that? Legends. Legends do that.

His new book, The Only Creative Process That Matters, is like a shot of espresso for anyone trying to make marketing a little less boring and a lot more human. SO MANY GREAT STORIES!

This book gets it. It’s not about just “communicating”, because let’s be honest, most communication gets lost in the noise faster than a whisper at a rock concert. Saul’s philosophy? Do something so different that people have no choice but to remember you.

And here’s the thing, it wasn’t random chaos. Behind the madness was a method. A framework for finding those weird, wonderful ways to make people care about your brand, your product, your story.

Some of my favourite moments:

• Selling accounting software with an Evel Knievel stunt.
• Taking FreshBooks on a thank-you tour across North America, earning fans for life in MANY small town diners! Ha!
• Realizing that sometimes the boldest “stunt” is just showing up in person.
• Understanding that humour isn’t fluff, it’s neuroscience. Laughter literally wakes up your brain.

And this literally made me approach projects differently….

WoMBAT: What Might Be All The…

• What might be all the ways to launch this?
• What might be all the ways to make people care?
• What might be all the ways to make this unforgettable?

It’s a creative starting place that forces you to be more creative on any project. Before you jump to Chat and farm out your creativity, you can actually use WoMBAT to come up with WAY more ideas that’ll lead you to better ideas in the end.

He talks about it a lot in the book, but for some reason, it really clicked for me.

And then there are the Saul-isms that make you stop, smile, and think, “Yep… that should be on a sticker.”

“Dare to do something worth talking about.”

“I’d rather calm a wild stallion than try to ride a dead horse.”

“If you don’t cross the line, you’re not making memories.”

“If no one’s a little nervous about what we’re doing, we’re playing it too safe.”

This book reminded me why I fell in love with marketing in the first place: it’s about moments, not metrics. It’s about being brave enough to do something worth remembering.

If you need a creative spark, or just permission to go a little rogue, pick up Saul’s book:
The Only Creative Process That Matters