The Art of Creative Concepting
Do you remember the first idea you ever had? Was it a good idea? Do you remember how you came up with the idea and what it felt like? Probably not, it probably just happened. It is estimated that our brain has between 60,000 – 80,000 thoughts a day. That’s an average of 2,500 – 3,300 thoughts per hour! Our minds are essentially designed to come up with thoughts and ideas effortlessly. They might not all be winners but the ideas are there!
How do we get those creative ideas out into the open so we can begin developing them? Creative concepting is one way to do that, and marketing and public relations firms from Milwaukee to Los Angeles to New York engage in creative concepting meetings regularly to kick-off new projects.
So why is it when we hear the words “creative ideas” or “creative concepts” we immediately feel intimidated? Maybe it's because we don’t consider ourselves “creative enough” to come up with ideas. Or maybe we are unfamiliar with what a concept is and how to tell if it’s good. All things that we will explore as we look into the art of concepting.
WHAT IS CREATIVE CONCEPTING AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
In its simplest form, a creative concept is an overarching “big idea”. It’s meant to capture an audience’s interest, influence an emotional response and inspire them to take action. Concepting is the process of coming up with ideas based on insights gained or research that was done and testing them to see if they accomplish all three of these tasks.
Concepting is an important step in the creative process because it’s where you explore all ideas and possibilities while staying focused on what you want to accomplish. During concepting you will:
Use research-based rationale to generate ideas. Lots of ideas.
Test which idea is most appealing to your audience based on insights and determine what resonates with them.
See how an idea can expand to a campaign and determine if it will work (or not) across multiple media channels.
Identify a theme that ties the whole campaign together.
HOW DOES CONCEPTING WORK?
The most successful creative concepts are distinctive, memorable, unifying and relevant. But that doesn’t just happen on its own. Information is the key to good concepting. There are questions to ask to get started:
What problem are you trying to solve?
Who are you talking to and how are they involved?
What does success look like?
The more information you have, the better informed your concepts will be. Typically all of this information can be found in your creative brief, which serves as a road map for developing creative concepts and is a critically important tool when concepting. Here you will find the do’s and don’t to guide your concepting. Things like “Do direct audiences to the client’s campaign landing page,” and “Don’t use the color red because it’s used by their competitors.” The creative brief marks the beginning of the creative process and acts as a “creative contract” that must be agreed upon and signed off by your client.
Once your client has signed off on your creative brief, you can begin to concept creative ideas using the following steps as a guide:
Select a concepting team
The right team can make or break a concepting meeting. Ideally, you want individuals with different backgrounds or experience levels, as this allows you to generate a variety of ideas from different perspectives.
Prepare your team for concepting
When inviting participants, include any tasks they should do before arriving at the brainstorming session. They are more likely to be creative if their minds are open and prepared to brainstorm. Have them first read all the relevant research you have done and then have them reflect on their own experiences with a product or service and write it down. How would they improve it? Why would that make it better?
Create an environment to inspire ideas
Hold the meeting in a place that may be unexpected and outside of your typical conference room. Ensure that the room is comfortable and has markers and a flip chart, whiteboard or blank paper to capture ideas.
To encourage creativity, it may be helpful to decorate the room, provide toys to play with or play fun music.
Treat it like a game
Concepting should be fun, but like every game, there are rules to follow. Have your facilitator explain the rules before you start.
Quantity over quality.
No idea is a bad idea.
Only one person can talk at a time.
Present ideas as quickly as possible.
No comments on any of the ideas during the brainstorm.
Start with idea generation
Give participants a set amount of time to generate ideas individually or in a small group (30 minutes is usually good). Ask the group to think of themes or ideas that would encourage the desired change and communicate a benefit for making that change.
Usually, this stage involves coming up with an image or overarching idea, but individuals may think of a headline or tagline, as well.
Present all ideas
Ask all groups or participants to read their ideas out loud as they put them up on a board for peer review.
Expand on ideas
Expand on creative ideas generated by the group by dividing the participants into small groups and asking them to further develop those creative ideas. Ask participants to read the idea aloud. Then, say, “Yes, and…” adding a new piece to the idea.
Choose the best 2-3 ideas
Determine the best ideas by asking the following questions:
Does it follow the creative brief and communication strategy?
Is it appropriate for the audience?
Does it address the communication objectives, key benefits and barriers?
Can it be rolled out in multiple ways across several media channels?
Is it new? Outside the box? Does it capture attention?
Does it have the potential for expansion?
Evaluate and check for feasibility
Once you’ve selected your best ideas, it’s important to make sure they check the boxes of what you are trying to accomplish. Ask yourself:
Will this concept work?
Will it interest the audience? Would it offend any audience members?
Is the budget sufficient to support the idea?
Can this idea be promoted through the communication channels selected for this program/campaign?
When concepting ideas, it is best practice to do an internet search for every concept and even query personal contacts to ensure the idea is not already in use by another organization or for another competing product or service. Doing a search on the United States Patent and Trademark office’s website is helpful in checking if there are any open trademarks.
Bring your concepts to life
Develop a concept board containing a headline, tagline and a main visual. The visual is an image that helps visually express the idea and serves as a catalyst for discussion. Concept boards can use illustrations or stock photography.
Concepts can be presented through a storyboard for a TV spot, an outline of a radio spot or a written description of how the concept would roll out across multiple media.
Keep in mind that creative concepts are rough drafts – just enough to convey an idea and test if it resonates with a specific target audience or consumer.
TIPS FOR A GREAT CONCEPTING MEETING
Make sure to share the creative brief before the actual concepting meeting. The meeting time should be used to come up with ideas, not to ask questions about the creative brief.
Assign team roles when concepting to ensure everyone involved knows what they are responsible for during your meeting. Roles include:
Team Leader - Responsible for developing and presenting the problem statement and providing a summary of the situation analysis (background info).
Facilitator - Responsible for leading the brainstorm, encouraging full participation and the flow of ideas, and keeps the group focused on the task.
Notetaker - Responsible for writing down ideas generated during the brainstorm, recalling ideas during the session as requested and compiling the notes into a brief report.
Contributors - Responsible for sharing ideas even if they seem unlikely or crazy, respecting the contributions of others and actively participating in the brainstorm session.
Create an environment that encourages big or crazy ideas. Most people don’t think of themselves as creative and are afraid of judgment from their peers, which can hinder their thinking or the ideas they decided to share.
Don’t worry about having bad ideas. When concepting, you want quantity not quality. When people come up with as many ideas as possible in the shortest time allowed, they are more likely to innovate.
Do not get discouraged if your first concepting meeting doesn’t result in any good ideas. Evaluate what you think could have gone better and hold another session with different people. Remember there is no right way to do creative concepting.
ADDING VALUE FOR OUR CLIENTS
Creative concepting produces creative ideas that are informed and strategic. These ideas have the potential to motivate an uninspired consumer to buy, change the perception of a long-time user of a service, or even recruit new members to an organization. Having a team focused on developing new creative ideas is invaluable to an organization that is looking for opportunities for growth or expansion. If an idea is strong enough it becomes synonymous with a brand and can help differentiate a brand from its competitors.
Don’t be afraid to be creative and engage in creative concepting! Kane’s team of creative, marketing and public relations professionals can help. Contact us to get started.