1. “Relax.
It’s just
a little
brainstorm
”

2. This is not
the X Factor.

3. If you can come up with a Cannes winning idea on the first go, well good for
you. But for the rest of us mere mortals it’s a process. Bad idea, bad idea,
better idea.
This isn’t your one shot at impressing someone. Don’t hate the process, it’s the
only way we’re going to get anywhere.

4. This is not
the X Factor.
an idea
is a
HALF-
FORMED
thing

5. This is not
the X Factor.It’s ok to not have every angle figured out. Start with “Wouldn’t to be cool if…”
and see where it goes.

6. THIS IS not
HIS FIRST
TIME.

7. Creativity isn’t a finite resource. The more you use the more of it you’ll have.

8. Sometimes
you’re THEM.
Sometimes
you’re HIM.

9. Not every idea is going to be a good one. Sometimes they’re gold and
sometimes they’re not. And it’s ok. Don’t beat yourself up too much, the highs
are worth the lows.

10. THIS
WAS A
BAD
IDEA

11. “THE PERSON
WHO DOESN’T
MAKE
MISTEAKS IS
UNLIKELY TO
MAKE

12. THE WORK BEFORE THE
WORK
*this is an obvious iceberg metaphor

13. When in doubt.
WWMD?
YOU
DO
YOU

14. When in doubt.
WWMD?
An advertising-only diet makes Jack a very dull boy. Get a hobby or interest
outside of advertising that stimulates you. What you put it is what you get out,
so if you’re only looking at other ads you’re going to make ads that look like
other ads.

15. STE
AL.

16. Anything. Everything. If it seems cool or made you look twice, steal it. Get a
folder on your laptop, smartphone or some scribbles in a notebook. Ideas are
different combinations of all the things we’ve seen.

17. KEEP YOUR EYES
PEALED

18. Our brains think they’re super smart. “We’ve seen this a hundred times so
there’s nothing new here.” Train your brain to notice things for the first time
again. Change your route to work. Break your habits. Pick a color every day
and notice every time you spot it.

19. YOU CAN’T DO
ANYTHING
UNTIL YOU
KNOW

20. The brief is a good place to start. Don’t assume anything. Find out everything.
What’s special? What’s not? What don’t people know? What does everybody
know?

21. DO OK.
THEN DO GOOD.
THEN DO GREAT.

22. Get down a basic version of an idea that works. You can do that. It shifts your
thinking from, “Oh sh!t, we’ve got nothing!” to “How can we make it better?”
Stressing yourself out isn’t going to help.

23. Think
hard.

24. Grab some post its and write down everything you know about the product and
the brief for 5 min. The goal is move past the obvious assumptions first, then
get into the interesting insights.

25. THEN
DON’T
THINK

26. For 2 minutes write down every idea you can think of, one after the other.
Quantity over quality. You’ll be surprised of what you think of when you’re not
trying hard to think.

27. 10 QUESTIONS TO GET
OFF THE GROUND
(paired with unrelated pictures off the internet)

28. 1.
Is there an
idea in the
name or
logo?

29. 2.
Is there an
idea in the
packaging?

30. 3.
Is there an
idea in how
it’s made?

31. 4. Is
there an
idea where
it’s made?

32. 5. Is there an
idea in the
history?

33. 6. What’s
#current
?

34. 7.
What
happens
with it?

35. 8. What
happens
without it?

36. And 9 + 10
(bonus points)
Is the idea
in the
media?

37. When in doubt.
WWMD?

38. Pick celebs or characters from your fav shows – if they were solving the
problem, how would they do it? Stop thinking like you would and blow it out the
water.

39. Thanks
everybody!
Drive safe meow