Improvisation can lead to innovation.
Research shows teams that utilize improvisation skills and embrace the possibility of failure trust each other more, increase their collective creativity, and experiment fearlessly.
After studying, performing, and facilitating improv comedy for over 6 years, the values and techniques gleaned from this exciting art form are now a formative part of my professional as well as personal life.
I work with clients to generate a creative, supportive, collaborative culture, which results in a ton of fun along the way. The “Whose Line Is It, Anyway?”-style teachings and tactics help break the mold, developing and discovering brands that invigorate and create value for my clients.
“Oh, I could never do that. I’m not (creative, brave, funny) enough to do improv! WRONG. Improv theory and framework is universal and accessible.
Below are both examples of improv in action and techniques that you can start using in YOUR professional and personal life. Internalizing and experimenting with these concepts will increase your confidence as a creative and a leader.
Coca-Cola: the world’s greatest improviser?
For more than 100 years, Coca-Cola’s embraced and embodied improv tactics in memorable ways. The world’s favorite carbonated sugar water enforces one simple idea: “Drinking Coke makes you happy.” Happiness is directly and subliminally conveyed through the brand’s visuals, voice, touch-points, and messaging.
Coca-cola advertisement
The results include “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke,” Santa Claus, and the effervescent family fun at The World of Coke museum in Atlanta. Everything is red. Everything is the same font. The taste hits just right. All of it makes us feel good.
Intentionally or not, Coke utilizes the following classic improv techniques to great success:
Game of the Scene
Effective brands elicit emotion and inspire action by consistently communicating one core idea across all their touch points.
Brand architecture creates a framework for everyone and everything in the company to follow. This spans visual identity (colors, logo, fonts), organizational messaging (mission, vision, values), and creative outputs (campaigns, social media, advertising).
The big belief, emotion, or idea that defines how the brand makes consumers feel—is traditionally referred to as the Brand Essence. In improv, it’s called “The Game of the Scene.”
When our “scene partners”—the combination of clients, creative, and strategy— understand and align on this core belief, every deliverable follows the through line, eliminating personal preference and bias in favor of strategic consistency.
Receive, React, Respond
Every quality interaction or conversation breaks down into three parts. Skip one, and we miss an opportunity to develop a great idea, together. Here’s how to do it:
Receive the information. Give yourself permission to ignore any assumptions and stay fully engaged with your “scene partner” by actively absorbing incoming data without judgment.
React. Take a moment to reflect on what you’ve heard, then physically acknowledge that you’ve connected with what was said.
THEN Respond and add to the conversation.
This informs every part of my process, from conducting research and developing audience personas to presenting creative concepts to clients.
Don’t Think
It’s easy to overthink and “get in your head” on stage and in real life. Sometimes it’s better to follow intuition and rely on emotional knowledge instead of technical information.
Making decisions that don’t align with the holistic nature of the brand—no matter how data driven or deeply analyzed—introduces an opportunity to miss the forest for the trees.
Every marketer worth their salt knows about "New Coke"’s disastrous campaign. The company attempted to compete with Pepsi by creating an updated, modern soda pop. The new formula’s taste was backed by significant consumer research—in a blind taste test, New Coke won!
Both scientists and marketers concluded that consumers would like to try something new from the old company. New Coke was intended to energize the U.S. market, but instead ignited an incredible uproar of consumer fury.
Americans naturally trend towards nostalgia. Whether it’s 1953 or 1993, remembering “The Good Old Days" harkens to a simpler (albeit sometimes inaccurate) time, “Classic” Coke—a familiar, friendly treat—built generations of contented, devoted brand advocates.
By changing the formula—one of history’s greatest mysteries—Coca-Cola turned its back on The Game of the Scene. We know how that turned out.
A to C
Out-of-the-box results require out-of-the-box thinking. It’s easy to create connotations between ideas that are only one step removed from each other. “Sunshine” makes us think of “Summer” - that’s an “(idea) A to (idea) B” connection.
Summery sunshine campaigns are a dime a dozen. What does it take to discover a unique idea? Dig deeper and connect the second idea to something new- a more indirect expansive concept that still lives in the world of the brand.
Idea “C” opens a wider variety of creative avenues to explore. “Summer” could be associated with freedom, childhood play, travel, relaxation, and family. Now there are dozens of ways to creatively convey sunshine.
Going from A to C opens more opportunities to expand and play in ways that are more fun and compelling.
Santa + Coke = an A to B correlation. It’s a classic, successful combination that can be a challenge to present in a refreshing light after being around for so long. Decades later, the company made a less direct connection with a campaign that’s just as delightful and memorable.
Where does jolly old Saint Nick live? The North Pole. (A) If he lives at the North Pole, it must be a happy place. (B) What else lives at the North Pole that might be happy? A polar bear! (C) Coke’s A to C thinking resulted in a fresh campaign that fit into the pre-established association between the brand and Christmas.
Those adorable little cubs rolling around with classic Coke bottles probably live right next door to the Claus family. Without the campaign, would you associate them with the brand? No. But… does it work? Absolutely.
Yes… AND
The number one rule in improv is “Yes...And”. This concept promises positive support throughout the creative process. I host two day workshops for my clients to kick off our projects, collect stories, and start brainstorming together. Building on each other to discover parts of YOUR brand is the special sauce that sets Meráki Creative Solutions apart.
The phrases “Yes... BUT” (that idea won’t work because... etc.) and “NO” instead of “And” blunt new voices, kill exciting ideas, and stop the conversation in its tracks. “Yes... AND" cultivates an environment where every voice is heard, everyone feels free to fail, and every new idea is accepted—not because it’s perfect, but because it is a potential launchpad for great work.
It's human nature to find fault with innovative ideas. If a suggestion feels silly, unrealistic, or potentially fallible, defenses come up, and the idea gets shot down. The results seem safer, but they are always small. The Power of “Yes &” intentionally reverses this psychosomatic thought process.
The method is two pronged:
YES—acknowledge and validate the information
AND—actively contribute something new.
The team - my clients and I - trust each other. No matter what comes out during this process, there will be supportive feedback. Initial ideas don’t always (or ever) make sense - and that’s okay. Practicing the process is challenging! Choosing the best idea out of many instead of accepting the last idea standing produces striking results.
Calling back to New Coke: changing the fundamentals of the brand was a risky move. The decision seemed solid. Everyone agreed it was a smart business choice. Ignoring The Game of the Scene resulted in an expensive, embarrassing moment that’s reviewed and made an example of almost 40 years later.
As time created distance from the disaster, making this bold, chaotic choice paid off by irrevocably transforming Coke’s internal culture. According to one CEO, “the most significant result of 'New Coke' was that it sent an incredibly powerful signal ... that we really were ready to do whatever was necessary to build value for the owners of our business."
As the world’s most spectacular flop illustrates… there are no mess-ups in improv. “Mistakes” are opportunities to pivot and explore unexpected pathways leading to connection and innovation. If the world’s biggest brand can fall on its face and get back up again, so can we. What could we create together if we weren’t afraid to fail?
Let’s find out.