When developing new strategies or products, coming up with unique ideas is often a struggle. It is one of
reasons why, in any industry, there is so much repetition. One way to generate new ideas and "get creative juices flowing" is by brainstorming using props. There are several ways to incorporate props into a session. Two of my favorites are Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and goodie bags.~~~~~~~~ What is Brainstorming? ~~~~~~~~
According to dictionary.com, brainstorming is: 1) A method of shared problem solving in which all members of a group spontaneously contribute ideas or 2) A similar process undertaken by a person to solve a problem by rapidly generating a variety of possible solutions.
In action, brainstorming should be uncensored - no idea is dumb or impossible. In an organization, throw titles out window. The janitor's ideas have same validity as CEO's. When brainstorming, try to pretend you know nothing about what can and cannot be done. Write down ideas as they come up, no matter how outlandish. The task at hand is to free-associate, generating as many ideas as possible.
~~~~~~~~ Brainstorming with "Goodie Bags" ~~~~~~~~
There's nothing more boring than a sterile conference room. Yet, this is where many group sessions take place. To liven atmosphere, you need a springboard...stimuli to get ideas flowing.
One way to provide stimuli is to gather miscellaneous items into "goodie bags" and have group members sort through them, writing down ideas as they come up. When I worked as seasonal Marketing Manager for Nestlé's Sunmark Division, I used this technique to hold a very productive Easter brainstorm session. I filled bags with small items I thought may stimulate ideas because of their texture, taste, appearance, ingredients, sound, or smell.
In meeting, I divided team into sub-groups of three to four people and gave each a bag. After going through bags, discussing, and writing down ideas, each group gave a small presentation. We came out of meeting with many more great ideas than we could implement that year - and it was fun!
Goodie bags can also be used to generate ideas for new online product and services as well as for new marketing strategies.
~~~~~~~~ Brainstorming with The WSJ ~~~~~~~~
If you do not have a group to work with, try using a business newspaper as a springboard for generating ideas. The Wall Street Journal (Both WSJ Online and offline newspaper.) is great for brainstorming for several reasons:
- It always contains articles about several industries (Good for coming up with ways to apply new approaches to your own industry.). - The paper has a regular e-commerce section. - There is a daily marketing section. - The editors include a mix of short articles (Good for generating ideas based on what others are doing.) and in- depth reports (Good for ideas that grow from trends.). - All articles relate in some way to business, but are not strictly news reporting. There are human interest and analytical pieces as well.
