brainstorming techniques and how to get creative

“Relax.It’s just a little brainstorm”

This is not the X Factor.

If you can come up with a Cannes winning idea on the first go, well good for you. But for the rest of us mere mortals it’s a process. Bad idea, bad idea, better idea. This isn’t your one shot at impressing someone. Don’t hate the process, it’s the only way we’re going to get anywhere.

This is not the X Factor.

an idea is a HALF-FORMED thing

This is not the X Factor.It’s ok to not have every angle figured out. Start with “Wouldn’t to be cool if…” and see where it goes.

THIS IS not HIS FIRST TIME.

Creativity isn’t a finite resource. The more you use the more of it you’ll have.

Sometimes you’re THEM.Sometimes you’re HIM.

Not every idea is going to be a good one. Sometimes they’re gold and sometimes they’re not. And it’s ok. Don’t beat yourself up too much, the highs are worth the lows.

THIS WAS A BADIDEA

“THE PERSON WHO DOESN’T

MAKE MISTEAKS IS UNLIKELY TO

MAKE ANYTHING.”

THE WORK BEFORE THE WORK

*this is an obvious iceberg metaphor

When in doubt.WWMD?

YOU DO YOU

When in doubt.WWMD?An advertising-only diet makes Jack a very dull boy. Get a hobby or interest outside of advertising that stimulates you. What you put it is what you get out, so if you’re only looking at other ads you’re going to make ads that look like other ads.

STEAL.

Anything. Everything. If it seems cool or made you look twice, steal it. Get a folder on your laptop, smartphone or some scribbles in a notebook. Ideas are different combinations of all the things we’ve seen.

KEEP YOUR EYES PEALED

Our brains think they’re super smart. “We’ve seen this a hundred times so there’s nothing new here.” Train your brain to notice things for the first time again. Change your route to work. Break your habits. Pick a color every day and notice every time you spot it.

YOU CAN’T DO ANYTHING UNTIL YOU KNOW EVERYTHING.

The brief is a good place to start. Don’t assume anything. Find out everything. What’s special? What’s not? What don’t people know? What does everybody know?

DO OK. THEN DO GOOD.

THEN DO GREAT.

Get down a basic version of an idea that works. You can do that. It shifts your thinking from, “Oh sh!t, we’ve got nothing!” to “How can we make it better?” Stressing yourself out isn’t going to help.

Think hard.

Grab some post its and write down everything you know about the product and the brief for 5 min. The goal is move past the obvious assumptions first, then get into the interesting insights.

THENDON’TTHINK

For 2 minutes write down every idea you can think of, one after the other. Quantity over quality. You’ll be surprised of what you think of when you’re not trying hard to think.

10 QUESTIONS TO GET OFF THE GROUND

(paired with unrelated pictures off the internet)

1. Is there

an idea in the name or logo?

2. Is there an idea in the

packaging?

3. Is there an idea in how it’s made?

4. Is there an

idea where it’s

made?

5. Is there an idea in the

history?

6. What’s

#current?

7. What

happens with it?

8. What happens

without it?

And 9 + 10

(bonus points)

Is the idea in

the media?

When in doubt.WWMD?

Pick celebs or characters from your fav shows – if they were solving the problem, how would they do it? Stop thinking like you would and blow it out the water.

Thanks everybody!

Drive safe meow