The "3 Truths" of Idea Generation

The truth will set you free…or I should say these "3 TRUTHS"!

In marketing, one of the most challenging parts of the creative process is generating the "big idea". After all, all of the executional elements are derived from this, so getting it right out of the gates is critical. But I have found that if you can kick off the process by quickly identifying these simple "3 TRUTHS", you can never go wrong!

Here’s what I mean…

Good creative doesn’t just come from “divine inspiration” — it’s the output of a process that starts with a brief about a particular problem or opportunity. But more times than not, clients and agencies alike don’t put in the time up front to truly identify the right insights that create the richest creative tension. The big idea should be born from the intersection of real consumer behaviors, facts about the brand or product, and the cultural context that surrounds it all.

So, in order to simplify the briefing process, I always have my team identify and articulate these “3 TRUTHS” at the outset of every project:

1. THE CONSUMER TRUTH
2. THE PRODUCT / BRAND TRUTH
3. THE CULTURAL TRUTH

Once you have clearly identified these "3 TRUTHS", the creative territory will often reveal itself, sitting directly within the tension that pulls each of the truths apart from one another.

To illustrate how this process works in practice, here is a REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE:

For our recent #BetterWithPepsi campaign, we identified a rich tension that lived in between these "3 TRUTHS", which ultimately led to the resonance and simplicity of the creative campaign that we developed.

Here are the three truths that inspired this piece of work:

• CONSUMER TRUTH: Pepsi consumers want to unapologetically enjoy their meals
• PRODUCT TRUTH: Burgers taste better with Pepsi (it’s even backed by science)
• CULTURAL TRUTH: The 3 most popular burger chains haven't sold Pepsi for 30+ yrs

When you look at it this simply, it is clear that these three things are in conflict – Pepsi consumers have not been allowed to enjoy their burgers to the fullest by the three major burger chains. This is the rich tension that we built upon, as it allowed us to focus our efforts on developing a fun and distinctive creative execution that brings the "Burgers go #BetterWithPepsi" idea to life.

The "3 TRUTHS" is a simple framework that I regularly use with my team to help us quickly identify the right creative territories and opportunities across a range of projects. Of course from that point, you still need to partner with your agencies to develop and build out the creative execution — but it is much easier to build ideas upon a base of insights that are strategically sound and contextually relevant in culture. Because after all...isn't that what we all want our marketing programs to achieve?

Let me know your thoughts - do you follow a similar process?

#Marketing #Insights #Creativity