What do you think?
We’ve never understood the practice of presenting multiple ideas to one brief. Then expecting the client to choose the right one.
How many times have you been presented three ideas?
- The Safe Idea – the one the creatives think you expect to see
- The Middle Ground Idea – meant to push your expectations a little further
- The Brave Idea – the one the creatives think will actually work best. But ironically, they’re not brave enough to say so.
Everyone expects you to pick The Middle Ground. The compromise. The one that might work.
The experts you’ve hired to solve your problem have turned the tables. They’re asking you what you think is the right idea.
In any other scenario you’d be questioning why you hired these ‘experts’ in the first place…
Plumber
“Yep, I’ve figured out the problem. What you’ve got here is a build-up of limescale on the boiler’s heat exchanger. That’s why you’re getting that loud banging.”
You
“Ok, so what does that mean?”
Plumber
[Scratching chin]
“Well, there are three ways I can solve this. I can install a limescale silencer to break down the limescale. I can fit a limescale reducer to collect the limescale as it passes through the filter. Or I can inspect the heat exchanger.”
[looking you dead in the eye]
“What do you think?”
You
“Errr?!?”
It doesn’t fill you with confidence, does it?
Imagine working closely with creatives to nail a brief. To fully understand what you and your customers need.
Now imagine you’re only presented with what might be considered the brave idea. But it’s more than that. It answers the brief. It’s on brand. It’s on message. And it’s exciting.
It’s The Right Idea.
The creatives aren’t asking you what you think the best idea is. They’re telling you what the best idea is because they’ve worked with you to understand what’s needed. That’s why you hired them. They’re the experts.
When you work with experts, don’t be put in a position where you’re expected to choose the best way to solve your problem.
Expect them to.
Mixed up makes better: BIG thinking
BIG thinking leads to BIG ideas. So how do you convince people to take this exhilarating leap into the unknown with you?
Mixed up makes better: Internal communications
Internal communication is hiding a trap in plain sight. A sting in its tail for unsuspecting communicators.
The Brave are dead. Long live the Brave.
The definition of brave is to show no fear of dangerous or difficult things. We need to evolve what being brave means when it comes to mental health