This is part of a monthly meeting series with Stone Ward brand management to talk about integrating digital to overall communications planning. In this March meeting we talked about brainstorming technology first, based on a session that Emily Reeves listened to at SXSW 2013

1. DIGITAL TALKS WITH
BRAND MANAGEMENT
3.2013

2. Today’s Topic:
BRAINSTORMING TECH FIRST
(a SXSW 2013 learning)
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3. BACKGROUND
• SXSW session presented by agency R/GA.
• Created process to avoid ideas getting to the technologist with the
question: “is this possible?”
• Just because something is possible, doesn’t mean that it will lead to a
good user experience.
• Trying to execute digital ideas from a traditional brainstorm can dilute
the idea and experience that digital can provide.
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4. IDEA
• Get very specific. Then take a big step back. Is an idea executable?
Switching back and forth between different types of thinking is a great
way to improve the quality of the ideas. Doing things in smaller chunks
allows your subconscious is still working it. It is why you have aha
moments in the shower.
• Embrace constraints. It can stimulate your creativity. It is the MacGyver
effect. And can be likened to prison inventions.
• Encourage practice. Find something that has small chunks that can be
repeated over and over again. Try and try and try again.
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5. IDEA
• Still start with creative brief. But choose a technology that is relevant to
the audience and hardcode it into the brief. It should be a technology
that is specific to your audience. The more granular you can be, the
better. For example, not "mobile apps," but “Passbook for iOS.”
• Timebox brainstorm session at one hour. Get everyone on the team at
the same time in the room. Present the brief. Then give them 5-8
minutes to silently write their own answers to the questions in the
brief. It is really important.
• Spend next 45 minutes sharing their ideas and creative riffing.
• Then the senior leadership team should take the ideas and distill them
and craft them into something presentable.
• This is an efficient process because 90% of ideas that come out are
feasible because we have embraced the constraints on the front end
and we don't have to ask if this is possible.
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6. EXECUTION TYPES
• Let's say the new iPad can tell the difference between a baby touch, a kid
touch and an adult touch. Name 10 features you could create based on this
technology.
• Fill in the blanks. Asked to think about an Internet enabled vehicle. Decided
to just focus on Instagram because Internet enabled car is pretty wide. My
truck's name is ________. And the first Instagram picture it took was
________. Give people a grammar and a framework to tell stories.
• Facebook Fun. J&J wanted to do something around social media for teens
and contacts. Facebook had built into Timeline a preset form for "I got
contacts." It was already there. So the creative assignment was to look at
that form and think about what you could do with that form. Result: I Got
Accuvue.
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7. EXECUTION TYPES
• Magnetic Poetry. Based on the idea of giving people a list of words
and creating an elevator pitch in ten minutes using those words.
Provide a list of descriptors and a list of technology.
• Branded Magnetic Poetry. Example client-specific categories:
- Tone
- Occasion
- Functionality
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8. @stoneward

9. @stoneward

10. EXECUTION TYPES
• Social Media API Roulette. Requires you to look at the developer
API. Pick two very specific points from different networks and ask
yourself what you can do with that. What is the most popular
Instagram filter by location on Foursquare. "This place has lo-fi BBQ."
• Ideas that come out of these sessions were interesting and feasible. It
saved time. Made creative process more accessible. This is not for
everyone though; 20% of traditional creatives will say this doesn't
work for them. It's an awesome tool in our tool belt; not the only
way we do things.
@stoneward

11. TIPS
• Developing tech first briefs take time.You can't do it last minute.
Quality of output is related to the quality of the input.
• Limit the brainstorm to one technology, one business need, one use
case. Don't try to do more than one of each of these in a session.
• Adjectives plus technology equals something new. Sometimes you can
just put a word in front of technology and it takes on a whole new
meaning. What does a sarcastic car alarm sound like?
• The question should be: can this be done WELL? Not can this be
done.
• Everyone is creative.
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12. DISCUSSION/
QUESTIONS
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13. THANK YOU.
Emily Reeves
ereeves@stoneward.com
@reeves501
@stoneward
www.waitingfortheelevator.com