The Creative Genius Formula

The Miami Ad School planning boot camp had a lot of helpful information, tips, and tricks on how to be a successful, inspiring, and organized planner. What I felt inspired me most is a simple trick that helps get to the unexpected insight for the creative brief.

Two R/GA planners from New York showed us how they arrive at the unexpected insight. Every agency has their own way of arriving to the insight, but I felt that their process is very unique. By using meetings called 2X4’s (2 hour meetings with 4 people maximum, i.e. the planner, creative, and two other people that are important to the particular project) they are able to uncover truths by using research and looking for patterns and “collisions.” They start out by conducting research–primary and/or secondary–using social listening tools and directly talking to the target consumer in order to ultimately find out how the target is interacting with the brand. They use 1-4 to guide them in their process.

1. Think/Feel
2. See
3. Do
4. Say

Number one is how the consumer thinks/feels in her life in relation to the product category or service. It is something that is not necessary at face value, but could be uncovered by analyzing the consumer and their environment. Number two is how the consumer sees the brand. Number three is how the consumer uses the product or service and number four is what the consumer is saying about the product or service.

After the research is conducted prior to the meeting, everyone comes in with post-it notes to put on the wall filling up each category (at least 15-20 post-its per category). After analyzing all the research everyone has done, those in the meeting begin discussing the collisions they found or the things they found interesting. They are searching for the “buts” and “ands,” to find the “cans.” They are also searching for paradoxes, i.e. people are saying one thing but doing another. This process eventually leads them to an unexpected insight that is based on very powerful truths and motivations from the target consumer.

I feel that this process will be helpful in finding the unexpected insight and it also showed us how crucial it is for the lead creative to also be involved in the process. It’s a useful collaboration tool that helps you, “get it right most of the time.”