What's the Big Idea?

A new book out, "The Idea Writers", is based on the new challenges copywriters face in interactive advertising.

A key project management concept is being able to turn a problem into an opportunity. The author mentions a similar and relevant process for creatives:

Nancy Vonk, co-chief creative officer of Ogilvy Toronto, says her message to her agency's creatives is "to think of themselves as problem solvers, not ad makers. Ideally, begin every assignment looking directly at the business problem (or opportunity) and push up against that with media-neutral thinking. If a client has asked for a print ad or banner ad or whatever specific medium, ignore that and look for a big idea. A great idea that truly solves the problem will be able to channel into that print ad, etc. The client will see the specific medium they requested, but in the context of a holistic solution that can potentially inform many spaces.

This excerpt, posted on Ad Age, goes on to mention every consumer is a media producer, nowadays. So if consumers are more and more often content or media producers, where does that leave an interactive producer? Is he or she just a consumer, like everyone else? Every interactive producer is bound to manage the creative process, to a certain extent, but it's a matter of balance. Too much involvement (or too little) can leave the final outcome of a project lopsided.