Meet Scott Morrison, Founder and Bringer Of…the Boom!
Recently we caught up with Scott Morrison, Founder and Bringer of….The Boom! , a consultancy helping brands to unleash creative, commercial and cultural impact across the world. We spoke to Scott about standing out to Gen Z, how to support young people and the importance of always being creative.
Tell us a bit about yourself – who are you and what are your interests?
I’m a founder, non-exec, author and global public speaker and previously ran global advertising clients and brands like Levi’s, Activision and Diesel.
I used to be a signed music producer with Defected and studied photography at Central St Martins. I have been named one of the UK’s most influential Black men three times and sit on the Executive Board of the British Fashion Council.
I’m passionate about creativity and how people can create an impact. My business, the Boom! works with global clients to help Unblock, Unlock and Unleash their creative, commercial and cultural impact at pace.
In your opinion, what makes a brand stand out to Gen Z?
Brands that listen and solve puzzles that they have. Brands that are on a level. Ones that don’t try too hard and make sh*t that people want.
To be honest, I think that’s true for all brands!
Why is important for marketing teams to have creativity at the forefront of their strategies?
It’s important for the WHOLE business to have creativity at the forefront. It’s the one true superpower that will continually differentiate your company from someone else’s.
It enables you to be innovative, join dots in new and interesting ways, solve puzzles that others can’t and, most of all, a creative mind is a curious mind.
I say it’s time to stop waiting and start creating. The more you do, the faster you learn, the better you are. Read about it in my book ‘Creative Superpowers’.
How have you seen the industry change over the past 10 years?
Everything is so much more volatile. The danger of this is that the industry ends up playing safe. Same formats, same content, loads of it that is meaningless. The people in the industry become more of the same.
Safety never won anything – so I’d like to see the industry revel in the mavericks and big thinkers who enjoy creating in this mash-up world.
The only future worth fighting for is the one that you create – so, be the change. Make stuff happen. Enjoy the ride. Don’t be safe.
Tell us about one of your favourite projects that you’ve worked on
A few years ago, we rebooted the Diesel brand under the banner ‘Be Stupid’. It was great to be part of as it was the lifeblood and DNA of the business. It allowed people to do things they didn’t think were possible.
For example, we gave all of our marketing money back to our Diesel fans whilst other brands cut their spending and went quiet.
We staged a 24-hour party around the world in different timezones and streamed it live to millions.
We really lived the ‘Only the Brave’ ethos and I wish more brands did that kind of scale now.
How can businesses best support young people from disadvantaged backgrounds?
This is close to my heart as I came from a single-parent background and saw how hard my mum worked to give us the opportunities I now have today.
I’m a trustee for the Marketing Academy Foundation where we give young people from disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity, training and support to work at world-class, global brands like Amazon. We’d love to see more businesses take one or two of our apprentices as they are incredibly smart and hungry to succeed.
If you’re a leader, give time – many young people don’t realise that marketing or advertising is a career open to them. Help them join the dots – if they’re doing something you like on YouTube, don’t rip it – invite them to create with you. Respect creativity and those that make it and everyone wins.
How should businesses be approaching Gen Z post-pandemic?
With questions – lots of questions.
And now for the questions we ask everyone…
What are you most looking forward to at YMS22 LDN?
Hearing and learning from some incredible speakers.
Do you have a favourite app at the moment?
My all-time favourite is Citymapper – my new go-to is Endel sounds.
Is there anything we should have asked you but didn’t?
You’ll never know.
Ahead of YMS22 LDN, we’re chatting to some of the youth marketing experts who’ll be taking to the stage and sharing their passions and experiences. This discussion was a part of this series, and you can catch Scott at YMS this year.
Hear more from Scott, alongside speakers from Meta, The 93 Percent Foundation, Twitch and more. Click here for more details and to secure your passes to this unmissable industry event.
