Bill Cochran and Patrick Murray had a shot at pitching an idea for the Superbowl commercial. Actually, everyone in their firm was given a chance to work on it, competing for opportunities to pitch their idea to the client.  To get charged up, Cochran wrote a trash-talking email to Murray

“I started breaking it down by name–the teams that I thought were really gonna bring it, as well as some teams that I thought we didn’t have to present against.” (Put less euphemistically, teams that didn’t seem like real competition to Cochran.)’ It was pretty much unedited thoughts from my head,” a frank, uncensored email from one friend and close coworker to another.”

The problem?  Instead of just sending his email to Murray, Cochran mistakenly sent it to the entire creative staff – who sent it on to the rest of the 600 employees.  He quickly became a laughingstock,  and worried about facing the creative teams in the next pitch meeting.

So what did he do?  Pitched an idea called “Reply All” that set up a situation like the faux pas he’d created.  The idea had legs, and the commercial that resulted was a success.  You can read more of the story here , and watch the resultant commercial here:

Where are the lemons you could turning into lemonade?

“LED lights trickle down to make an obvious statement, regarding the time left for the lights to change. Easy and intuitive.”

While there may be some design details to work out, it reminds us to ask, “How could working with different images, colors or shapes help me develop or convey my ideas?”

 Jim should know, he

- was cut from the church baseball team, the junior high basketball team, and  didn’t make the junior high track and field team, so

- tried cross country, and

- became the first high school runner to break the four-minute mile -  as a junior at Wichita High School East in Wichita, Kan.  He also

- ran a 3:55.3 mile as a high school senior – a mark that stood for 36 years -

- and went on to become a three-time Olympian (1964, 1968 and 1972) and silver medalist at the 1,500-meters

- before becoming a United States congressman.

In your Fresh Ideas ‘Practice a New Habit’ issue you found ways to build a self-perpetuating creative thinking habit.  Is it time to start building another one?

“At the bright and open Anticafé, customers pay one ruble and 50 kopecks for each minute they stay. Drinks and snacks, on the other hand, are free. Aiming to create a space where consumers can relax and pursue their favorite diversions, the venue offers tea, coffee and desserts at no charge, and patrons can bring their own refreshments as well.”

How could you start with the concept behind someone else’s success and make it into something of your own?

“How to get my hand further into the Pringles can (to reach the last few chips)?”

to

“How to get the Pringles can to open further (so I can reach all the chips)?

and created Bloom Chips as an answer.

How could you access more options by redefining a challenge you’re facing today?

Lullatone provides a melodic stress reducer, and an opportunity to use the Fresh Ideas strategy ‘Be More Sensable‘ here.

Try it before ideating, or when you need to regroup and focus.

(You can also click on the image to download a free app)

-  Grab a fresh sheet of paper.  At the top, write your challenge in the form of a question (How to….?)

-   Scroll through the pictures until you find a compelling one.

-   Jot down your reactions to the image…include details, general impressions, feelings, sounds, scents or tastes you’d anticipate … whatever strikes you. Put each on a new line.

-  Find or force a link between your reactions and your challenge. Jot them down. Some reactions may spark more links than others.

For more information on this approach, you can click here .

By replacing a geographically accurate map with one using “…the familiar symbology of a subway or transit map – coloured route lines, 45-degree angled lines, interchange “stations” and distorted/simplified geography…. [focusing] more on connections than city size or ‘importance’ ….” relations are clarified in a refreshingly practical and sensible way.

What kinds of maps could you apply to a complex task in order to reveal relationships in a more practical format?

Packaging of the World created a “…design concept that turns sexy cigarette packs into disgusting, fumbly, puke-brown boxes. The idea: to discourage smoking by turning the actual act of reaching for a cigarette into a visceral reminder of smoking’s effects.”

Contrarian components include:

“Instead of a sturdy flip-top, it has a soft lid that weakens quickly, virtually ensuring that cigarettes fall out in your handbag.

Instead of a sleek box, it’s shaped awkwardly like a triangle, so the once-simple act of pulling out a cigarette turns into a maddening ordeal.

And where a razzle-dazzle logo might’ve presided, it’s got huge warning photos that appeal not to people’s fear of death, but to an arguably more powerful trait, their vanity: It shows brown teeth, yellowing fingernails, and mouths puckered with wrinkles. “

How could flipping an aesthetic on its head help you send a stronger message?

Last year, Red Peak Branding conducted a unique urban experiment for Hudson Urban Bicycles. On January 1, 2011 we chained a fully loaded bike – bells, basket, lights and more – to a post along a busy Soho street. We took a picture of the bike everyday for 365 days, watching it slowly vanish before our eyes.”

This experiment gives you an opportunity to exercise the Fresh Ideas strategy ‘Create Distance’ – even if only as a mental exercise.

How?

Creativity thrives on diversity – of experiences, vantage points, mind sets, habits….  If someone took a picture of you every day for 365 days, what would it tell you about the amount of diversity incorporated into your lifestyle?