The best peoples do not work for you, best people are people that just solve the problem'Alex Jaspers

Maxus along with Metalworks, (the global R&D division Maxus Global) were an integral part of Melt 2015, a festival of creativity, advertising, media, digital and marketing industry. Alex Jaspers- Strategist, Metalworks by Maxus was one of the speakers at the sessioin; which talked about bringing  creativity and technology together. Excerpts of the discussion.

Metalworks was founded in 2012, based in Singapore and led by Nico Abbruzzese and Tom Kelshaw. Metalwork’s is a global R&D division of Maxus, the world’s fastest growing media agency. It has a team of creative and technologist which empowers Maxus and the agency’s ‘client to lean into change’ through creative technology research and development by bridging the gap between digital and physical world.

Alex is a firm believer of science being the factor behind driving innovations. He is also researching the motivations of open-source hardware developers in the Arduino community and the implication it has on open innovations.

Advertising is the basis for any product, it should be innovative, progressive and out of the box for it not only plays a role in communicating but the technological development should form an experience for consumers. As Alex believes “Advertising is the solution to everything”

In today’s time of overexposure there is a need to cut through those ads and to zoom on only those which form a connection with the viewers and consumers. Alex focuses on how product can only be best if ‘creativity and technology is merged together’. His own line up of work includes working on innovative campaigns for clients like L’Oreal, NBC Universal, Fiat and many more.

He gave an example of Hong Kong where Bio Technology came to the rescue. A littering issue was resolved by collecting the littered samples and conducting a DNA test. The end results, the identity of the culprits were revealed in public which led to curbing of littering.

He focused on how “technology enables people to engage, to have fun, being social and in bringing everyone together. People need creative side for human experience and technology can help experience it. It narrows down the problem by innovative thinking and focus on not broadcasting but on experience”.

He further adds on how tech has now become a second screen experience, on idea being the base for generating creativity and on how everyone can make idea happen. He also focuses on the importance of bringing different sector of people together, to think outside of the box and unconventional ideas by giving an example of in his own organisation “Everywhere and in all organisations we ask people to work with us with various backgrounds from dentist to mechanic, for it leads to free flow of idea of different field and ultimately creating a final product”.

As he adds “One needs to start thinking like a child, for start to believe that what one can do if they have magic and free flow of ideas will start from there, for creativity and technology can make you think like a child again”.

While focusing on the market he highlights that other than creativity and technology of an advertisement or a product there is also the business side of the product.
While talking about the needs of the client he advises on always creating prototype of the product, it is not significant for the product to be technological feasible the idea should be that it can be felt for ‘it will only become a physical prototype which shows a form of connection and imagination’. As he quotes “As a picture is worth a thousand words, a Prototype is worth a thousand meetings”.

While talking about on how is it possible for in a country like India to adapt to technology, he emphasises one needs to reach to the basic grassroots of the problem. Technology should be adapted from a young age like laptops should be given to children, on educating the children about the importance of codes and to experiment with ideas as much as possible.

On talking about what potential does he see in the Indian market, he believes that it is going to play a very important role in the future and there is a growth in the market and it is ready to adapt to changes and innovation happening around the world.
While talking about the new innovative ads where brands ask suggestion of people, he beliefs that it is not only a good initiative for connecting brand to the consumer but it helps in finding the problem of the solution from an outside perspective.

He sums up by saying “the best peoples do not work for you, best people are people that just solve the problem”.