by Bobette Kyle
When developing new strategies or products, coming up with ~~~~~~~~ According to dictionary.com, brainstorming is: In action, brainstorming should be uncensored - no idea is ~~~~~~~~ There's nothing more boring than a sterile conference room. One way to provide stimuli is to gather miscellaneous items In the meeting, I divided the team into sub-groups of three Goodie bags can also be used to generate ideas for new ~~~~~~~~ If you do not have a group to work with, try using a - It always contains articles about several industries (Good Additionally, The Wall Street Journal has done an excellent OK, let us do some quick exercises using The Wall Street * Here's one (9/17/02, newspaper front page and WSJ online) What about your company?...advertising in white pages...give Remember, *do not* censor - just play one idea off another * Here's another one (9/16/02 newspaper front page) - Snoop It seems he has a new sound, new album, etc., etc. I also
unique ideas is often a struggle. It is one of the reasons
why, in any industry, there is so much repetition. One way
to generate new ideas and "get the creative juices flowing"
is by brainstorming using props. There are several ways to
incorporate props into a session. Two of my favorites are
the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and goodie bags.
What is Brainstorming?
~~~~~~~~
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.
dumb or impossible. In an organization, throw titles out the
window. The janitor's ideas have the same validity as the
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"
~~~~~~~~
Yet, this is where many group sessions take place. To liven
the atmosphere, you need a springboard...stimuli to get the
ideas flowing.
into "goodie bags" and have group members sort through them,
writing down ideas as they come up. When I worked as the
seasonal Marketing Manager for Nestlé's Sunmark Division, I
used this technique to hold a very productive Easter
brainstorm session. I filled the bags with small items I
thought may stimulate ideas because of their texture, taste,
appearance, ingredients, sound, or smell.
to four people and gave each a bag. After going through the
bags, discussing, and writing down ideas, each group gave a
small presentation. We came out of the meeting with many
more great ideas than we could implement that year - and it
was fun!
online product and services as well as for new marketing
strategies.
Brainstorming with The WSJ
~~~~~~~~
business newspaper as a springboard for generating ideas.
The Wall Street Journal (Both WSJ Online and the offline
newspaper.) is great for brainstorming for several reasons:
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 the articles relate in some way to business, but are
not strictly news reporting. There are human interest and
analytical pieces as well.
job of integrating the Internet into a traditional business
model. Besides offering both online and offline newspaper
versions, there are several email alert services. Because
they have successfully integrated online marketing into
their own business, WSJ writers and editors are able to
intelligently address both online and offline activities.
Journal. I have both an online subscription (with access to
30-day archives) and a print newspaper subscription, so I
will skim some articles...
- WorldCom Lawyers are advertising in the white pages.
your products their own phone numbers...advertise the
numbers elsewhere...personalities for your
brands/services...mascots...root beer...separate sites for
each...etc.
and write down *everything* that comes to mind. It doesn't
matter if it is sensible or even relevant - just make sure
you write down enough clues so later you know what you were
thinking.
Doggy Dog is reinventing himself.
think I remember he has done some acting in the past. In
order to keep the "Snoop Doggy Dog" brand fresh, he expands
into other categories. But notice he is still in the
"entertainment" industry - not venturing into industries
that are not a fit with his image. You can use this approach
as a springboard for your own business. Think of ways to
expand into other categories - to reinvent - while staying
in your same general area of expertise.
* Here's a third (9/23/02 WSJ online special report): For the first time in five years, Florida is *not* #1. More potential springboards from the 9/23/02 Website Whether brainstorming alone or in a group, remember two ~~~~~~~~ The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) at times offers subscription Copyright 2002 Bobette Kyle. All rights reserved. About the Author
Bobette Kyle is author of the marketing plan guide "How Much for Just the Spider? Strategic Web Site Marketing". Table of contents and excerpt here:
According to a Harris Interactive Poll, more Americans want
to live in California than any other state.
Hmmm...a changing American mind set? The springboard here is
to think of ways to apply this "California Dreamin'" to your
strategies and/or products.
homepage: Salomon Smith Barney gets fined $5 million for
issuing misleading research...Pepsi's looking at healthy
snacks...customers distrust e-commerce sites...you get the
idea.
rules - 1) no censoring and 2) use props as springboards for
new ideas. Do this and your brainstorming session is sure to
be a success.
Resource
~~~~~~~~
discounts. Check for current offers at:
here
http://WebSiteMarketingPlan.com/BookExcerpt.htm