How can ideas be generated and harvested for strategy-building?

Idea generation is an important component of marketing information. We focus on thinking, and we employ marketing information from many sources. Marketing strategy and decision-making involves hard facts - data - and, it involves ideas or creative thinking. Call it brainstorming, ideation, idea-generation, or think tank. The process is important to developing on-target strategy that reaches consumers, customers, and prospects.

Here's a simple idea generation and brainstorming guidelines we use when working with clients:

1. There must first be a list of goals to serve as idea generation targets. We start with a generic list of goals for idea generation, and then add to it. Client management participates in creating the target goals. This step may be repeated several times throughout a project.
2. Recruit a broad spectrum of people into the idea generation and brainstorming process. Include customers, suppliers, sales people, and front line employees. When group ideation in underway, not all participants need to be involved at once. We've found that for oral group sessions the ideal number is 7 to 9, for other methods, e.g. electronic meeting rooms, a larger team can be involved at the same time.
3. A set of creativity tools must be deployed and made available. The trick is to provide a number of idea generation tools that individual participants can use as desired. In groups, this same flexibility can be allowed, although structured brainstorming group exercises can be valuable. For group sessions, clear ground rules must be followed.
4. Use both group interaction and solo idea generation work . Group interaction has limits. Individual work using qualitative market research depth interviews are often more valuable, as it forces team members to think independently.
5. Plan incubation cycles. Formal idea generation group work is a strong stimulant. Yet, some of the best ideas hatch in the off hours, the times in between formal group meetings or depth interviews. (See #6)
6. Provide idea-capturing formats to all participants. Some form of an 'idea notepad' keeps the idea-generation agenda in front of team members, and is ready to capture ideas in the middle of the night.

We use specific idea generation tools and techniques that help uncover opportunities. At Power Decisions Group, we use a broad range of aids: computer ideation software, personal interviews, written exercises, and concise summaries of data analysis. See more about our idea generation services.