Duncan Wardle

You’ve got the power!

The ability to think creatively is the one core human truth that will remain relevant in the brave new world of Artificial Intelligence. Everyone has the power to be creative!

But wait, do you believe that you are not the “creative type”? That we should leave the creativity to the “Creatives”? For most, this has happened so many times that we end up actually believing it. For adults, not being creative is an accepted fate.

With an education and corporate structure that encourages finding the single “right answer” to every question, we are trained to fall in line, and shut down that creative portion of our brain.

But weren’t we kids once? Turning boxes into spaceships and pillows and blankets into forts and castles? What happened to that creativity?

Fortunately, that childhood creativity did not dissipate – it’s just lying dormant, waiting to be brought back to life!

During the Theory of Creativity™ Keynote, Duncan will share innovation tools developed from experience with thousands of global Fortune 500 companies and 30 years of experience with the Walt Disney Company, most recently as Head of Innovation & Creativity.

By the end, your audience will walk away with a series of unique Creative Behaviors and Innovation Tools to leverage their creative minds, deliver revolutionary thinking and drive substantial results in all areas of your business.

Give your customers exactly what they need.

The best brands in the world may have great products and service, but they thrive because of an unrelenting passion and focus on customer experience.

Through this engaging and interactive Keynote, Duncan will share how to transform your business from product-centric to customer-centric and reap the rewards that come when customers believe the work you do is truly magic.

Duncan will share with your team famous real-world examples from behind the scenes from his time as the Head of Innovation and Creativity at The Walt Disney Company.

Showcasing challenges brought on by direct and indirect competitors, Duncan will share real-life and timely examples of how ever-evolving organizations drastically changed consumer behaviors.

As he shares the exact steps Disney and other companies have taken to turn problems into massive opportunities, he will dig into the new revenue opportunities and enhanced customer experiences.

By the end of this interactive presentation, your audience will have developed a whole new understanding of customer experience, and you will be empowered with tools to reframe any challenges facing your organization, finding those unique opportunities to create some customer experience magic of your own!

KEYNOTE TAKEAWAYS:

• How to turn a product centric culture into a consumer centric one
• How to leverage “high-tech” to enable “high-touch”, delivering record guest satisfaction
• How to address the biggest consumer pain points and what that can mean for revenue

Leading A.I. expert Kai Fu Lee has suggested that upwards of 40% of current jobs could be replaced by Artificial Intelligence within the next 15 years. 40%!

So, how we will compete in the next decade? What skills will we need to survive in a decade of total disruption and rise in A.I.? Simple. Businesses that will win will be those that leverage the most impactful human traits that A.I. won’t be able to replicate (at least not for the foreseeable future): Creativity, Intuition, Curiosity, & Imagination.

As Head of Innovation and Creativity at Disney for the last decade I learned that there is a huge gap in the market. CEO’s everywhere would look to us – The World’s Most Creative Company – for guidance on how to create a culture of innovation, and provide their organization with the tools needed to leverage their most important asset: their people.

But here’s the challenge: until now, no one has made innovation tangible. Many companies hire an Innovation consultancy or build an “Innovation Department,’ only to find that they have not truly driven cultural change and embedded innovation across the entire enterprise.

What if, instead, there was a Design Thinking Innovation Toolkit? One that everyone could use that makes creativity tangible, innovation easy, and the process enjoyable? That’s exactly what I have built leaning on my years of experience at Disney, and exactly what I’ll share with you as part of Embedding a Culture of Innovation into Everyone’s DNA presentation.

Every single day, millions upon millions of influential Millennial and Generation Z consumers begin their day in the exact same place: Instagram Stories.

This habitual use of Instagram is not just to catch up with friends either. An astounding 80% of these users engage with brands just as often as they do friends. But why? What is it about this digital storytelling platform that draws in Millennials and Gen Z in, and has them connecting with brands at record-shattering rates?

Simple: these young consumers – above all else – care about purpose. And purpose can only be shared through the magic of storytelling.

Why is storytelling so important? Because it’s in our DNA. Storytelling is a tool as old as mankind itself, having been used by humans for ages to share our biggest, brightest, and most important ideas. As such, we naturally respond to the power of story.

And for brands that tell the right story to the right group of consumers – a story that clearly identifies their purpose – it’s a way to build an incredible bond. One that, if nurtured correctly, can last for life.

These stories – and the purpose behind them – are what resonate with consumers, and are what catapulted these brands into some of the most valuable in the world. Think about the world’s most powerful brands and the stories they tell.

Steve Jobs did not tell a story about a computer company with better features. He told a story about a brand feverishly dedicated to “those who think outside the box”. Walt Disney did not tell a story about building a profitable movie house; he told a story about innovating all forms of entertainment to bring families closer together.

And Richard Branson didn’t start his journey with a story about cost-cutting and quarterly profits.

Instead, Virgin told a story about massively disrupting long-established industry status quos.

Leaning on his experience as the Head of Innovation and Creativity for the World’s #1 Storyteller – The Walt Disney Company – Duncan will empower your audience the tools they need to leverage the magic of storytelling, and lead with purpose. Tools that will not only help your brand resonate with new, hard-to-reach generations of consumers, but with employees as well. Because purpose isn’t just important for consumers, it’s important for all stakeholders of your business.

To succeed in this fast-paced, ultra-competitive market, your business must become a storyteller.

Because the brands that choose to tell a great story about a great purpose are the brands that win.
What story is your business going to tell?

Do you ever wonder why most of your best ideas come to you in the shower, during your commute, while falling asleep, or some other unexpected place? Have you ever pitched a new idea, only to watch it get diluted or killed as it moves through the processes?

Ever wanted to know how Walt Disney came up with the idea for a Disneyland or how Netflix completely revolutionized the movie rental industry?

In his over 25-year career at the world’s most innovative organization – The Walt Disney Company – Duncan Wardle learned many important things about building a profitable business and winning creative culture. The most important? If you want to be different, you have to Think Different!

Leaning on his experience as the Head of Innovation & Creativity at Disney, Duncan’s Think Different keynote takes audiences on a journey.

Throughout this journey, they’ll be given a unique set of Innovation Tools and Techniques . These include the breakthrough “What If” creative thinking tool, made famous by Walt Disney himself, who used it to pivot his company from simply an animation house to an entertainment and theme park pioneer.

After this immersive crash course from Duncan, your organization’s ability to mine for creativity and innovation will be drastically improved. In the end, your audience will leave with an actionable set of Creative Behaviours and Innovation Tools that will immediately foster a culture of innovation and creativity in your company.