14 April 2026
Creative Thinking: How ideas create impact
"Creativity is no coincidence. It is a craft." Lück opened the first of eight business events organized by the ZRH Community in cooperation with FRZ Flughafenregion Zürich at The Circle this year with this clear stance. Together with Pascal Sollberger, co-founder of the start-up hypt, and Niklas Etzel, innovation consultant at 45°Nord, it became clear over the course of the evening how differently ideas are created - and why they often fail in reality.
Impact instead of beautiful ideas
The starting point of Lück's keynote was a simple but consistent question: "When does an idea actually achieve something? His answer: "It only has an impact if it triggers a reaction."
For him, impact always arises where attention and relevance come together. Many campaigns only achieve one of the two, if at all. Either they attract attention but say nothing. Or they are strong in terms of content, but are not noticed. Successful ideas combine both.
That's why Lück tests ideas as early as the development stage. "I always measure an idea in advance by the expected reaction." This way of thinking helps to recognize early on whether something really has potential or whether it just sounds good.
"Ideas don't come about by chance"
A key learning from the evening: creativity is not a talent, but a process. Lück works with clear techniques. These include consciously breaking expectations or transforming problems into solutions. Meanwhile, the search for a "human truth" behind a product is particularly effective.
He used examples to show what this looks like in concrete terms. For Samsung, large TV screens were integrated directly into the football match as part of the VAR. And for Graubünden Tourism, a photo ban in Bergün arose from the simple realization that people react enviously to idyllic vacation photos. Neither of these ideas is complicated, but they are logical. And that is precisely why both ideas attracted a great deal of attention worldwide.
From idea to business
In the panel discussion that followed, Lück, together with a start-up founder and an innovation consultant, delved deeper into how ideas are actually turned into business.
Pascal Sollberger contributed the founder's perspective. With hypt, he has built a platform that translates customer feedback into concrete growth impulses for companies. For him, it is not the idea that determines success, but its implementation: "Having ideas is easy. The key is to test them as quickly as possible." Instead of lengthy discussions, he relies on early market validation. "An idea only shows its potential when customers are prepared to pay for it. Everything else remains theory," says Sollberger.
This is precisely why established companies in particular often struggle with creativity, innovation consultant Niklas Etzel is convinced "Structures, hierarchies and a focus on efficiency are necessary in everyday life, but often stand in the way of creative processes. Ideas are evaluated too early or talked about in large groups. Ideas are a delicate seedling at the beginning," says Etzel. A particularly common mistake is to expose creative approaches to the entire company immediately after a workshop. Without a protection phase, they quickly disappear into day-to-day business again.
Creativity under pressure
A particularly lively discussion arose around the question of whether creativity needs time and freedom.
While Lück emphasized that he is often particularly productive under time pressure, moderator Lukas Herzog referred to studies that show a decline in creativity under pressure.
The panel participants agreed that the truth probably lies somewhere in between: Ideas are not born in constant stress, but neither are they born in endless waiting. It is crucial that there is room for development, but also that there is a clear focus.
Understanding, courage and speed are key
The evening clearly showed that creative ideas are not an end in themselves. They are a tool for solving problems and achieving impact.
This requires three things: a clear understanding of relevant problems, the courage to take unusual approaches and the ability to test ideas quickly. Companies that master these skills gain a competitive advantage.
Dennis Lück in particular captivated the audience with his energetic manner and was also a popular discussion partner at the subsequent networking aperitif. The discussions continued there in numerous conversations - a sign that the topic directly affects many of the participants.
