Workers yearn for creativity… Win a free (virtual) car!… Whinge about insurance companies…

Workers yearn for creativity

Almost 90% said they consider themselves creative, but only 63% said they are putting their creative abilities to use on the job, according to an Ipsos study of 674 full- and part-time workers reported by Inc.com.

The survey illustrates that creativity is something employees value in both themselves and their employers. One in five respondents said they would shift to a workplace where they could be more creative, even if it meant earning less money, while another 29% said they would move their place of residence to be part of a more creative community. That number was even higher, at 37%, for younger workers aged 18-34.

While most employees consider themselves creative, 39% said they do not think of their company as a creative entity. In skills shortage conditions, there is a clearly a gap there for companies to give themselves a recruiting edge by presenting a creative face to potential candidates.

Win a free (virtual) car!

Car company Acura has come up with a cost effective marketing strategy – giving away virtual cars to the denizens of Second Life.

Advertising Age reports that Acura is giving away a virtual 4WD, which it says Second Lifers can get hold of by clicking on any one of the 50,000 Reuters news and information screens dotted around the virtual world.

More than 1,000 virtual cars have already been given away in the first month of the program, and Acura hopes to give away several thousand of the SUVs before scheme ends later this month.

Whinge about insurance companies

A new website, UK-based Zuzzid, is providing a vital service – giving people a forum to vent their frustration at their insurance company.

Springwise reports that that site is run by UK insurance company Norwich Union, so you can judge for yourself how much trust you put in the veracity of the comments posted and the product price comparisons found on the site.

But even if you discount the even-handedness of the site, it’s worth visiting just for the sheer pleasure of having an angry rant at the depreciations of the insurance industry. And if it makes Norwich Union a little more sensitive to what its customers want, then so much the better.