25 ways to generate heaps of campaign ideas…fast.
Coming up with ideas is easy, good ones… not so much.
If you are struggling to come up with a campaign for your next brand campaign, try running through these quick creative techniques. Try doing rapid concepts. Don't dive too deep, just see how many you can come up with in 10 minutes for each one. I reckon you will surprise yourself how many you can think of.
Now start throwing out the bad ideas and see what you are left with. Warning: there will be some shockers in there so make sure you aren’t holding on to them!
Enjoy!
01 Make it a celebration
Everyone loves to celebrate something bigger than themselves, think about gods, TV stars and superheroes. We are drawn to dreaming big and having fun with the idea of a higher power. What can you celebrate as part of your business? A beer company might celebrate Summer, while a supplement company might celebrate health and freedom.
Think of the utopia your audience is looking for and celebrate it!
02 Show support
Show passionate support to a group of people that have something to do with your business. Maybe you sell fairtrade products, in this case, you might show what it’s like in their shoes and how your business improves their living conditions and communities. Showing support can also be your consumers themselves.
03 Create a drama around the problem
Every business offers a solution to a problem its audience has. One way to capture your audiences attention is to blow that problem into a big drama. The problem maybe simple but how far can you push it to a disaster?
04 Create a drama around your solution
Like the previous example this is taking something that might be simple and blowing it into something massive. Think about someone solving their problem with your product or service. How can you emphasise the aha moment?
05 Dramatise a new problem as a result
What if your product was almost too good? Maybe you are selling a window cleaner, but your product is so good people keep walking into your door. This one can be very fun.
06 Create an analogy as the problem
This ones great for those slightly more vanilla products or services. It lets you connect your offer with a story more exciting than the product itself. Be careful not to make it too removed, you need to bring it back just enough that it is a clever link rather than a confusing mess.
07 Create an analogy as the solution
This is kind of like… [add benefit analogy here]. An analogy to the solution can stretch the mind of imagination. It gives you a licence to explore the benefits of your product or service in ways never before seen. Don’t overpromise, and make it relatable.
08 Testimonials
These are often seen as a cop out for many creatives. But the ruth is they build credibility and trust when done in an authentic way. Think about who could give your business a testimonial and how much weight do they carry? This can be fun, if you sell socks, can you play with testimonials from the feets perspective.
09 Make it precious
Imagine Lord of the Rings but instead of a ring it is your product. Or Pulp Fiction and your product is in the briefcase. Positioning your product as something insanely rare and important can heighten your perceived value, but it can also make it fun and engaging.
10 The hero journey
Tell the story of your audience. What was their life before? What happened when they faced the problem? How did they find the solution (you)? What happened when they came out the other side. Write this story as many different times as you can.
11 Challenge the world we live in
Get crazy. Talking dogs, flying houses, whales in the sky. Creating a world that challenges all the possibilities of how we live can create interesting and captivating stories for brands. Show your audience using your product at the centre of it all.
12 Demonstrate your product
Give the people a demonstration. There’s a reason why those pots and pans demonstrations work in the malls. People sometimes just want to see how good your product or service is. Showing them might just be the most convincing way. Remember Napisan?
13 Pulling back the curtain
Give your audience a tour of your businesses behind the scenes. Who makes it, where do the materials come from, how does this all tie into your brand strategy. Transparency is powerful and it builds authenticity like nothing else. If you're in the food game a story from grower to plate is a good place to start.
Remember, it doesn’t have to be serious!
14 Remember Ronald?
Create a character for your brand which will act as your mascot and hype man for the brand. Consistent use of your mascot will help people remember your brand. Warning, this can often have high level of cheese.
15 Mac vs PC
Part of buying a product or service is to compare it with other available options. Instead of letting your audience do the research, make the comparison for them. The Mac vs PC ads in the early 2000s are a great reference.
16 Freaky friday
Swap the roles of people to emphasise your product or service. This will instantly create a relatable chunk of empathy within your audience.
17 Guiness book of world records
Create the biggest challenge you can think of and create a campaign around that journey. Imagine you have a pizza shop, you could challenge yourself to make the worlds biggest pizza, document it, make it your campaign and then maybe you feed the homeless in your city.
18 Challenge your audience
Can you set a challenge for your consumer? I remember whilst living in Melbourne a pressed juice company created a detox challenge. People would sign up and only buy their juices for a whole week. A challenge with a perceived benefit by buying our product.
19 Uniquely unique
What about your product is 100% unique? Maybe it’s an ingredient or some historic story connected with the brand. Find something unique around your business and put it on a pedestal.
20 Borrow an aesthetic
Categories more or less have an associated style, try and borrow a style from another category and use it for your campaign. This can mix things up enough to create an exciting point of difference to your business.
21 Humanise
If your product or service struggles to connect with people, give it a personality. Humans are drawn to human things, even when they are so obviously unhuman. When was the last time you looked at an object and thought… huh, that looks like a face. We subconsciously look for human qualities in everything.
22 Antagonise
If you have a humorous TOV for your brand, playing around and poking fun can be a great way to build a cult following of tribesmen. Make fun of authority, playfully mock those outside your circle. A quick tip, don’t be too offensive and keep it G rated. Look at Hells Pizza in New Zealand.
23 Know your enemy
Show your audience that you are on the same team by identifying your enemy. Often it is easier to connect with others by showing what you are against rather than what you stand for. It instantly creates comradery and a shared passion for succeeding in your mission. If you have a sustainable packaging company, create the war on climate change.
24 Be a positive force
Society has a fond relationship with the story of a winning underdog. We find it wholesome, honest and genuine. It reminds us that anyone can do anything and that’s inspiring. Tell a story of an underdog in your industry, how did your brand play a part in that story? Nike have done this time and time again.
25 Honesty policy
Tell the absolute truth. Don’t try and be clever, don’t try to steer your attention away from the elephant in the room. Admit you or your industry isn’t perfect, apologies for the wrongdoings of the past. This is authenticity at its purest. If you have the right industry for this approach it will stand out like dogs balls against your competitors.
Tom Lear is the Creative Director and founder of Society, a brand and marketing agency in Mount Maunganui. His ideas, thoughts and opinions come from over 12 years of design and art direction experience working with some of the world’s leading agencies including Allison Mitchell London, CHE Proximity, JWT and Saatchi & Saatchi Melbourne.
