Okay, if I had $100 bucks for every time a client asked me, “How did you come up with that idea?” well, let’s just say I’d be retired by now. You see, when you’re in the ad biz “creative” is your product. It’s what sets you apart from the competition and most importantly, it’s what sets your clients apart from their competition. Good creative is what ad people live for, sort of our holy grail, if you will. Creative excellence is very important, even in this age of strategic market planning. Research and analysis mean little if no one remembers the campaign because it was deadly dull, bland or not original. So, how do we get to the good stuff? How do we day-in-and-day-out deliver the big ideas? Calm down Francis, I’ll tell you…but then I gotta kill you.
Before the creative process begins, a good agency has already done its homework gathering as much knowledge as possible about the client’s business and its product or service to be advertised. The target market has been identified. Benefits to the consumer have been outlined, and so on. Thus, when the creative team cracks open their first bottle of Jack Daniels, at least they’re fully educated. Joking, of course…about the Jack Daniels, that is.
There are a lot of methods to “brainstorming” an idea. Some people say they get their best ideas in the shower. Others wake up in the middle of the night and write an idea down on a notepad they keep next to the bed. Some like to “think” while they jog. All well and good, unless you’re an ad agency, clients tend to frown on waiting for us to find our muse. Rather, we’re expected to be creative on demand.
Here are some tactics we employ in order to get the creative juices flowing:
Free Thinking – We gather our entire team together to brainstorm. Creative isn’t just for creatives. Our philosophy is that everyone in the office should be in the creative department. We have all members involved in brainstorming sessions to get fresh ideas from different angles. Each of our people has a diverse background and varied strengths and weaknesses. We throw out words, phrases, sentences, random thoughts and ideas. Sometimes it gets pretty crazy, but that’s good. Most times you have to wade through a lot of muck to have a revelation. Generally within a couple of hours we’re on to several campaignable ideas. Keep in mind, if after an hour or so no cream has risen to the top, it’s best to call it a day and come back later.
An Individual Process – Understand that even when you’re sitting in a group dynamic, people have individual ways to develop ideas. Some are list makers and jot down row after row of words to trigger a thought. Some people think in pictures, others in words. Some people remain silent while others talk out their ideas. The creative process is unique to everyone. As creative director at a Chicago agency, I used to belt out my rendition of Streisand’s People before every brainstorming session. It was my way of giving everyone a good laugh and setting the mood for creative thinking. (Not recommended for those with fragile egos.)
Hit The Road – Taking your creative group off site will help everyone clear their minds. We’ve gone to the park, a pool, a co-workers backyard, etc. This method works well when you’re concentrating on a single project and have the majority of the day to work on it. However, the local pub is not on the recommended field trip list. Rarely do ideas scratched on the back of a napkin sound as good the next day.
Sugar, Sugar – Generating ideas takes a mentally fresh mind, so mornings are a good time to plan sessions. A box of donuts, a bag of Twizzlers and Mountain Dew don’t hurt either.
8-Ball In The Corner Pocket – Some ad agencies stock their offices with pool tables, video games, over-the-door basketball hoops, dartboards, and the like. Do they lend an atmosphere of fun? Yes. Do they generate a lot of great concepts? Not so much. But having fun at your job promotes a positive atmosphere which is good for creative.
Stay Tuned In – There are dozens of ways to generate “creative thinking.” But the best way to become a “creative thinker” comes from being an informed person. You have to be aware of the world around you. Read books, newspapers, magazines, billboards, the back of matchbooks, go to the movies, listen to the radio, watch TV, scan the Internet, eavesdrop at the grocery store – be a student of the world around you. Good ideas are ripe for the picking if you know where to look.
They say there are no new ideas, but there are always new ways to present an idea. And in the end, that’s what we get paid for.