Marketing Secrets
Marketing Secrets
The Lost Art of Brainstorming
Rule 2: Order in Chaos
Rule 3: Everything Goes on the Paper
If you’re tuning in here, make sure to catch the definition and Rule 1.
Rule 2: Order in Chaos
While there is no limitation on the ideas that come from a brainstorm, you must have an agenda, time limits (and stick to them), and clear goals for each question and step in the process. You are bringing together a group of diverse backgrounds, levels of seniority, tenure, and experience; now is the best time to have a rock-solid gameplan. Before you start, give people the lay of the land and let them know exactly what they can expect. Do a warmup exercise to show exactly what they will be doing in breakout groups (for large brainstorms). Give them the permission to say whatever they want without judgment. Which leads to…
Rule 3: Everything Goes on the Paper
I’m still pretty old school when it comes to brainstorms. I love paper. It seems so much more permanent. Which is why, when someone offers an idea, write it down. I don’t care if it’s a joke. Put it on the paper. It can serve as a cue for the imagination to dive deeper into the idea. I know that some of the best ad campaigns came from bad dad jokes. They make us all laugh. Make sure to keep the personality alive. Just write it down.
Real! Live! Example!
I was leading a brainstorm with 35 people. The question was: What do our carriers want from us? Someone says, jokingly, “Get paaaaaiiiidddd, son!” I wrote it just like that and then asked for him to tell me more…after everyone stopped giggling. We ended up having a good conversation about payments, accounting processes, and coming up with some ideas that we tabled for another time. So, if we look at the answer to “What do our carriers want from us?” as “To get paid, son!” How do we, as a company, do that? Just because it’s fun/funny, doesn’t mean it’s not a legit concern.
Next up Rules 4 + 5 that cover opinions and sharing>>
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