Getting Unstuck: Brainstorming Techniques for Resonant Communication

So you’re launching a new campaign to accomplish a specific marketing objective. You start by outlining strategic direction, communication mandatories and the key consumer target. But then you’re stuck. How do you get your agency the quality information they need to create brilliant work?

Here are some fun and easy brainstorming ideas to help you get unstuck:

Analogies

Sometimes it’s helpful to step out of our own categories to identify ways in.

Sometimes it’s helpful to step out of our own categories to identify ways in. Imagine your company is up against stiff competition and new entrants into the marketplace. Step outside of this situation and take a look at a business case such as Apple’s declining revenue with iPhone. If you were a marketer at Apple, what types of tactics might you employ to get the business back on track?

Get inside your target’s head

Create a story about your target. Who is he/she? What are their values and pain points, activities and habits, lifestyles, goals, attitudes, needs, etc.? Map out a day in the life of your target(s) on a timeline. Indicate where he/she goes, what they do, activities they enjoy, etc. Get granular!

Identify touchpoints

On that day-in-the-life timeline, indicate all media touchpoints the consumer interacts with over 24 hours. For instance, if he/she commutes to work on the bus in the morning, he/she will likely encounter bus shelter signage, bus wraps, billboards, ads inside the bus, etc.

It’s important to remember that you aren’t alone in this. Pull your agency in early to help you work through these exercises. Involving more brains from the beginning will not only help brainstorming for campaigns, but will cultivate true integration.