Question, question, questions
Coming up with ideas is about asking the right questions...
What's the truth, product truth? human truth? life truth?
What makes it different?
What happens after you use the product?
What are you asking people to do?
What emotion does it trigger?
What can you hack? change or takeover? - superbowl, another product to get around the problem?
What are you trying to achieve, what's the actual goal?
Can you juxtapose scenes/ worlds/ people/ animals? - place something in another world?
Yeah, but why?
Where are your audience, what are they doing RIGHT NOW?
Is there a character, world, device, conceit?
How does the product affect you, someone?
What do you actually want to say?
What are all the visuals around the subject and journey?
What's the enemy?
Where's the tension?
What's the size of the type saying?
What did people have to do before this?
What highlights the issue? Vs what helps it/ affects change?
Who could/would you use?
What's the opposite?
What shows OR proves it?
Can you play wih colour, B/W, one colour?
With everything ask yourself why?
What happens if you take that thought to the extreme?
What are you replacing? what does it replace?
Can you zoom out or in, enlarge or shrink?
Is it like anything else? If so how can you twist it?
How PR'able is it?
How can it be better?
What's the headline, why is it shareable?
Who would need this? why would you need this?
What's simple. Positive. Emotional?
What can you compare it too?
If this... then what?
is it like anything else?
Is there a prize dynamic or money incentive? - what else would make people get involved?
Can you do it for real? prove it?
what are the stages, the journey of the consumer or product?
Can you f*#k with the packaging/ product. Where it's sold. How it's sold? by who?
What are you doing? What aren't you doing?
How can you push the thought further?
What will get it noticed and talked about, shared?
What are you telling me that's new, and if it's not new how can you tell me in an entertaining way?
How can you add your personality in?
How can you start from the proposition and walk from there?
How else or where else could you say it?
Can you tell it from another perspective?
Do you want to make it, if not what can you add to it, change?
What can you give the client that's unexpected?
What's the simple everyday line, how can you surprisingly execute it?
What craft can you bring to it?
What fact of life can you tell me? Something that's hard to argue with?
Is it too busy, What can you takeaway? Reduce?
Can you play with fast or slow, time, a character and animal?
What can you use or do to help your argument, character, animal, time, craft?
How can you say it like you would to someone in a pub? straight/ everyday/ to the point?
Why would you need it? what does it solve, stop from happening?
What are people already doing?
What's the most extreme effect of the product?
Have you seen it before, if so, how can you tweak/twist it?
Could you tell it in one visual, what visual encapsulates the feeling/ the thing?
What does it feel like?
Speak simple. Concepts are ideas. Insights are truths.
Can you hit me with a hard hitting fact or pov?
How can you solve it in 1 visual?
What can you use from the past / or brands past?
Who specifically are you helping?
How can you say idea in 3 or 4 words?
Can you play on something happening in culture?
Can you give me a reason why?
Who embodies the opposite? who could you use, a person, an animal?
What is the issue you're trying to solve/achieve? is there another issue?
Where else in the world could you tell the story?
There are four elements to most ads, headline/picture/copy/logo - how can you get it to 1 or 2 of these?
What's the after effect, what happens after?
What else can you create? range of products / gameshow / musical theatre / art installation / new sport?
Can you write a line you can't argue with?
How or what else helps you get around an issue or problem?
How can you create something positive, memorable, distinctive?
Can you write the benefit as one line, then visualise it?
Could you create a character, world or device to get the message or feeling across?
What happens if you exaggerate things?
What can get taked about in culture?
How do you get someone's attention / hold it / and leave them thinking about it?
Is it interesting? is it different? can I make my mark on it?
What is useful info vs interesting?
How can you really understand the problem?
What are the brand colours?
How can you make the complex, simpler?
Where do you want my eye?
What's the voiceover? a poem, a thought, who is saying it, where are they saying it?
Can you parody something, use something from something else?
How else can you get around the problem?
How can you tell the story in an interesting way?
Can you tell the story backwards?
What does it stop from happening?
Can you create a visual world, whether christmas lights, knitted, white or thermal etc?
Who else could tell the story? or where?
Can you play with age? / time? / history?
Can you tell the story in a completely different world?
What does this lead to in the future?
What else can you question?
How can you make it better?
What are all the visuals around the subject? can they be combined with anything everyday?
Can you say it without saying it?
How can you unstick something that's stuck?
Where's the tension?
How can you change what people think?
How can you juxtapose images & words?
Is there a loop hole you can exploit?
What's happening in the world, culture, what issues are there?
Can you play with time, past, future?
What is a bold visual? or statement?
Is there a visual that encapsulates the feeling?
What's the real benefit of it? long term / short term/ emotional / humourous?
How do you want people to feel?
How do you want people to react?
Visually how can you mix/merge two worlds?
Will people give a s*#t? why will people give a s*#t?
What can you add and what can you takeaway?
How can you set it in everyday life?
What language can you use from area/industry or world it lives in?
Can you make media specific ideas?
What is the product truth? How does someone use it?
What's the human truth/ story?
How can you tell it in one visual? can one thing visualise it?
What does success look like? what do you want people to do?
Can this only live, work on this brand?
Can you help humanity?
Is it interesting? is it relevant? is it engaging?
Is this like anything else, if so how can you change/tweak it?
How can you tell the truth in the most lateral mind blowing way?
What's the ONE thing you need to say?
What can only you say?
What happens if you take it away?, how would life be if it didn't exist?
Can you use music to help?
Can you bring it to life with type?
What can you compare it too? what's it like?
Where's the tension?
Can you ise celebrities in a fun way, and a reason for actually using them?
What would it be like if you just discovered it?
What does it taste/feel like?
What are you trying to achieve? what criteria are you judging this against
Visually, what can you use around it? combine? simplify What captures it in one image?
What do you want people to do?
Can you give a real opportunity?
Have you seen it before?
