Your half-assed marketing won’t fucking sell...
In the epic game of business, mediocre marketing won’t save you.
If you’re not connecting with your audience, change your strategy. If your ads suck, make them better. If your message isn’t landing, rewrite it until it does.
Yes, marketing is tough. Yes, it’s frustrating as hell. But good marketing isn’t optional; it’s the lifeblood of success. Stop whining about algorithms, stop blaming the market, and start owning your brand. No one is coming to fix your campaigns. Get it right or get out of the game.
Do the work, or get left behind.
Brainstorming Techniques
Let's Start your discovery
At first, it may seem like a daunting task and you may not fully comprehend the benefits that await you. However, I can guarantee that if you stick to the set of this brainstorming techniques that we have carefully curated for you, your mind will be blown away by the revelations and insights you will gain from them. By the end of it, you will have unlocked the full potential of your creativity and imagination, allowing you to come up with the best ideas that align with your desires and aspirations. So, don’t be discouraged by the initial challenge, instead, embrace the opportunity to expand your horizons and unleash the full power of your intellect. I promise you won’t regret it!
Mind Maps
Mind maps are a graphic visualization tool that represent ideas and concepts in a hierarchical and connected way, allowing you to organize, structure, and generate new ideas in a creative and efficient way. Emerging from a central point, the main ideas are connected to this core by branches, from which sub-branches with secondary ideas emerge, creating a structure similar to that of a tree or a neural network.
Practical example:
Let’s imagine you want to create a new digital marketing plan for your company. You could start by placing the phrase “Digital Marketing Plan” in the centre of the map. From this central point, you draw branches for each main category such as “SEO”, “Social Media”, “Email Marketing”, and “Online Advertising”.
For each of these categories, you generate sub-branches. For example, under “SEO”, you might have “On-Page Optimisation”, “Link Building”, “Keyword Research”, and “Quality Content”. Then, for each of these subtopics, you can go on to detail strategies, tactics, tools, or any other relevant elements.
Scramper
SCAMPER is a creative thinking technique that uses the formulation of questions to help think innovatively and improve or transform products, services or processes. The acronym SCAMPER stands for: Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify/Maximise/Minimise, Propose other uses, Eliminate and Reorganise.
Practical Example:
Let’s say you have a product, for instance, a reusable water bottle, and you wish to innovate its design and functionality. You could apply SCAMPER as follows:
- Substitute: What components of the bottle could be replaced to improve it? (e.g., change the material to make it lighter).
- Combine: Could you combine the bottle with another product or feature to add value? (e.g., incorporate a water filter).
- Adapt: How could you adapt or adjust the bottle to better meet users’ needs? (e.g., add a measurement mark to monitor water intake).
- Modify/Maximize/Minimize: Is there something you could enlarge, reduce, or alter in the bottle to make it more appealing? (e.g., minimize its size for portability).
- Put to other uses: Could the bottle have uses other than holding water? (e.g., serve as a snack container).
- Eliminate: Is there something you could eliminate from the bottle to enhance it? (e.g., remove unnecessary parts making it heavier).
- Rearrange: Can you change the order or arrangement of any element of the bottle to improve it? (e.g., relocate the cap for easier refilling).
Lateral Thinking
Lateral Thinking is a problem-solving technique that involves addressing problems in an innovative and unconventional way, as opposed to logical and linear thinking. Developed by Edward de Bono, it seeks to generate original and unique ideas by exploring new perspectives, making unexpected connections, and breaking established patterns of thought.
Practical Example:
Imagine you are developing a marketing campaign for a common product, like a pen. Instead of following traditional marketing routes, you apply Lateral Thinking. You ask yourself: “How can I present this pen in a way that no one has seen before?”. Perhaps you could focus on how the ink flows in zero gravity conditions and relate it to space exploration, or maybe you could create a story around how this pen is different because it is 100% biodegradable and grows on a tree.
Ansoff Matrix
The Ansoff Matrix, also known as the product/market grid, is a strategic tool used to explore and develop growth options for businesses. Developed by Igor Ansoff, the matrix outlines four strategies: Market Penetration, Product Development, Market Development, and Diversification, each representing different combinations of new and existing products and markets.
Practical Example:
Suppose you own a company that sells sports sneakers in Spain. Using the Ansoff Matrix, you could explore the following strategies:
- Market Penetration: Increase sales of your existing sports sneakers in the Spanish market through promotions, advertising, or price reductions.
- Product Development: Launch new models or styles of sports sneakers in the Spanish market.
- Market Development: Introduce your existing sports sneakers to new markets, for instance, Italy or France.
- Diversification: Create and sell a new product, such as sportswear, in a new market, like Italy.
Design Thinking
Design Thinking is a user-centered approach for solving problems and generating innovative solutions. This method promotes empathy, collaboration, and experimentation to creatively address challenges. The Design Thinking process consists of five stages: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test.
Practical Example:
Imagine your company wants to create a digital marketing application. Applying Design Thinking, you would follow these steps:
- Empathize: Research and understand the needs, desires, and problems of your potential users.
- Define: Synthesize the findings from the empathy stage and clearly define the problem to be solved.
- Ideate: Generate a wide variety of possible ideas and solutions.
- Prototype: Develop prototypes of the best ideas to explore how they will work in practice.
- Test: Test the prototypes with users, gather feedback, and adjust the design accordingly.
Six Thinking Hats
The Six Thinking Hats technique, developed by Edward de Bono, is a parallel thinking method that aids individuals in analyzing problems from different perspectives and improving decision-making. Each “hat” represents a distinct way of thinking: White (facts), Red (emotions), Black (critical judgment), Yellow (optimism), Green (creativity), and Blue (control).
Practical Example:
Imagine your company aims to launch a new eco-friendly product line, and you decide to apply the Six Thinking Hats technique for devising a marketing strategy. Here’s how you might proceed:
- White Hat: Gather all available data on eco-friendly products’ market demand, competition, consumer behavior, and trends.
- Red Hat: Reflect on consumers’ emotions and values regarding sustainability and how these could influence their purchasing decisions.
- Black Hat: Assess potential challenges such as higher production costs, market skepticism, or stringent regulations and how these could impact the campaign’s success.
- Yellow Hat: Explore the potential benefits and positive impacts, such as enhancing brand image, attracting environmentally-conscious consumers, and contributing to sustainability.
- Green Hat: Brainstorm creative marketing ideas, such as partnering with environmental NGOs, utilizing green packaging, or launching educational campaigns to differentiate the product line.
- Blue Hat: Oversee and manage the overall thinking process, ensuring a balanced approach and that each perspective is adequately considered.
Success Metrics
In any brainstorming session or decision-making process, measuring success and efficacy is crucial. Success metrics allow you to assess the productivity of the session, the quality of the ideas generated, and the level of participation and satisfaction of the attendees.
Practical Example:
Suppose your marketing team conducts a brainstorming session to devise strategies for a new product. At the end of the session, you would evaluate the following success metrics:
- Number of Ideas Generated: Count all the proposed ideas to assess the productivity of the session.
- Quality and Viability of Ideas: Analyze each idea in terms of its originality, applicability, and potential impact on the market.
- Participation and Engagement of Attendees: Measure the level of active participation and commitment from each team member during the session.
- Satisfaction and Learning of Participants: Conduct surveys or gather feedback to determine participants’ satisfaction and what they have learned or gained from the session.
Begin Your Solo Symphony
Having journeyed through this brainstorming techniques and creative thinking, you’ve unlocked a world of possibilities. Each step has enhanced your creativity, leading to innovative ideas. Now equipped with new tools and knowledge, you’re ready to turn challenges into realities. This isn’t the end, but a milestone in your continuous journey of discovery and innovation. Keep exploring and dreaming; your potential is limitless. And remember, for more insights and inspiration, subscribe to our newsletter!
