Coming into MSBA 2016 I really had no idea what to expect. Of course through conducting my own research I had seen the blog posts, videos, etc. across all the social platforms that MSBA uses, but you really can’t understand something until you experience it for yourself.

“Sometimes the craziest ideas are the most successful.”

Safe to say, the first week of MSBA has reflected the hustle and bustle of Manhattan perfectly. On Wednesday my fellow classmates and I visited the offices of Taylor Strategy to hear from Bryan Harris, Taylor’s COO and Managing Partner. Prior to my arrival at the Empire State Building, where Taylor’s offices are located, I spent the day at my internship with Relevent Sports handling all of the company’s social media accounts and compiling all marketing data for the individual markets where International Champions Cup (ICC) games will be played. After doing so, the marketing team at Relevent (myself included) headed over to the offices of Vayner Media, a digital marketing firm that Relevent has hired to assist with their marketing efforts.

Whether it be at my internship with Relevent Sports aiding the marketing team in preparation of the ICC, meetings with Vayner Media, or through the office visits/speakers we have had the privilege of listening to, one idea has really stood out: the necessity of creativity for consumers.

At first marketing seemed like a simple idea: social media, billboards, etc. But over the past few days I’ve learned it is so much more. Bryan Harris said, “Customers want creativity, it doesn’t matter where it comes from.” To me this means thinking outside of the box and coming up with organic ideas no matter how crazy or outlandish they appear to be at first glance. Sometimes the craziest ideas are the most successful. How about that for a paradox!