Episode 017 - The Big Idea - Part 2

Published by: David Garfinkel on 08-14-2017

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How do you create a Big Idea?


Remember what Steve Jobs said about saying no to 100 good ideas before you say yes to the thing you've got to focus on?

That means you've got to come up with some good ideas first- You don't necessarily need 100, but "you've got to turn over a lot of rocks" to find what you're looking for. - The key thing is going through the process of coming up with great ideas, not skipping steps, not rushing. And not stopping just because you've come up with one. Or two. Or three.

This involves research. A lot of it. First, within your field – about the product, competitor's products and marketing, customer comments on Amazon and other online review sites. Napoleon Hill – synthetic creativity vs. original creativity. Synthetic OK.

Then there's research outside of your field. Sometimes related, sometimes totally off the wall.- For example, these factoids from July-August 2017 Playboy magazine:

According to a survey, 28% of Millennials say having sex with a new person is a good way to figure out if you're in love with them. The same survey found that 57% of Millennials say they're lonely. Playboy asks – could the second statistic have anything to do with the first one? – Idea: could you use these stats to create a Big Idea to sell relationship counseling?

More tidbits from Playboy: The following are from TSA's list of Top 10 strangest items found at security checkpoints at the airport:

A baseball hat wrapped in barbed wire

Dead sea horses

A life-size zombie (actually, a movie prop)

-- Idea: could you use this to sell seats on private jets?

And finally, this factoid from Playboy: 8% of Americans think it's OK to take a selfie at a funeral!

-- I don't know what you could use that to sell. Maybe some of our more creative listeners will have an idea!

But on a less bizarre note, you can research sales letters and other marketing materials in markets different than yours… you can read books that have nothing to do with your market, maybe even nothing to do directly with business… you can really get ideas from anywhere, once you know what you're looking for. (reticular activating system)

a diffuse network of nerve pathways in the brainstem connecting the spinal cord, cerebrum, and cerebellum, and mediating the overall level of consciousness. (like a search engine for your awareness) -- example – My own reticular activating system was tuned to explanations about creativity when I was putting together this podcast – Jordan Peterson island example – otherwise, would have slipped right on by…

- Finally, a resource that can get you on the path to developing unique creative advertising ideas:

"A Technique for Producing Ideas" by James Webb Young



Keywords: big idea golden thread copywriting

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