1. how to produce better content ideas
by
mark johnstone

2. how do you come up with ideas?

3. they just come to you, right?

4. not quite

5. there is a certain mystery to the ‘light bulb moment’

6. but to say ideas ‘just come to you’ is to overlook everything you do
beforehand that allows you to reach that point

7. the 4 things you need to know about ideas
10 steps to producing better ideas
this presentation is in 2 parts

8. but first, a little background…

9. 3 years ago, I was an SEO Consultant at Distilled
https://www.distilled.net/about/people/mark-johnstone/

10. then I started the Creative team at Distilled

11. we’ve since grown the team to 10 people (only 9 in shot)

12. we make digital content to earn attention for our clients online

13. for example

14. 755 likes 67 LRDs
http://www.rasmussen.edu/resources/what-career-should-i-choose/

15. 755 likes 67 LRDs
LRDs = Linking Root Domains, i.e. the number of other websites
that linked to this piece of content
http://www.rasmussen.edu/resources/what-career-should-i-choose/

16. 755 likes 67 LRDs
we track more meaningful metrics than just likes and linking root domains,
but for the purpose of this presentation, I will take these 2 metrics to
indicate whether or not the piece of content was compelling
http://www.rasmussen.edu/resources/what-career-should-i-choose/

17. 25,000 likes 201 LRDs
http://www.concerthotels.com/ipod-visualized-as-vinyl

18. 1,700 likes 220 LRDs
http://www.simplybusiness.co.uk/microsites/hungry-tech/

19. 2,100 likes 313 LRDs
http://www.simplybusiness.co.uk/microsites/google-analytics-guide/

20. 7,400 likes 359 LRDs
https://www.worldpayzinc.com/tech-wealth

21. 88,000 likes 566 LRDs
http://www.concerthotels.com/100-years-of-rock/

22. 143,000 likes 599 LRDs
(not provided)
under NDA(non-disclosure agreement)

23. 148,000 likes 775 LRDs
http://www.thomson.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/infographic/interactive-music-map/index.html

24. and we’ve earned coverage in all of the following publications

26. but it hasn’t all been plain sailing

27. 37 likes
http://www.thomson.co.uk/blog/infographic/superbowl/index.html#2011

28. 37 likes
that’s me plus only 36 other people!!!
http://www.thomson.co.uk/blog/infographic/superbowl/index.html#2011

29. 37 likes
trial and error is a great way to learn but it also sucks
http://www.thomson.co.uk/blog/infographic/superbowl/index.html#2011

30. 37 likes
we’ve learned a lot along the way, and this presentation
aims to help give your content the best chance of success
http://www.thomson.co.uk/blog/infographic/superbowl/index.html#2011

31. the 4 things you need to know about ideas

32. an idea is a novel combination of
previously unconnected elements in a way that adds value

33. what they are and how to find them
what they look like and how to make them
the elements:
the connections:
which means the 4 things you need to know are…

34. the elements: what they are

35. an example from the world of advertising

36. http://www.bwm.com.au/category/work/bigpond/

37. Daaad, why’d they
build the Great Wall
of China?
it was to, erm, to keep
the rabbits out... too
many rabbits in China
(teacher – off screen)
now, Daniel’s going to
give his talk on China
http://www.bwm.com.au/category/work/bigpond/

38. http://www.bwm.com.au/category/work/bigpond/

39. the ad agency identified a barrier to their objective
at the time, a lot of people didn’t see why they needed broadband
http://www.bwm.com.au/category/work/bigpond/

40. if your audience doesn’t care about what you have to say,
you need to find something they do care about

41. customer insight product truth competitor insight
http://www.bwm.com.au/category/work/bigpond/

42. customer insight product truth competitor insight
parents want the best for their children and worry about them being
left behind at school
http://www.bwm.com.au/category/work/bigpond/

43. customer insight product truth competitor insight
broadband gives you faster access to a wealth of information
http://www.bwm.com.au/category/work/bigpond/

44. customer insight product truth competitor insight
competitor messaging at the time was focused on coverage and price
http://www.bwm.com.au/category/work/bigpond/

45. customer insight product truth competitor insight
resonant relevant different
http://www.bwm.com.au/category/work/bigpond/

46. here’s an example from our own work

47. the client provides insurance for small business owners

48. but nobody wants to talk about insurance

49. customer insight competitor insight product truth
a lot of small business owners still wanted to know what they
should be doing with social media

50. customer insight competitor insight product truth
the (content) competitors had guides which were too long, so unlikely
to be read, and often left too many decisions up to the reader

51. customer insight competitor insight product truth
insurance supports the interests of small business owners

52. we produced a series of visually concise guides
for small business owners, which has been a very successful campaign
http://www.simplybusiness.co.uk/microsites/guide-to-social-media-success/

53. the elements: how to find them

54. the advertising industry uses focus groups to mine for insight
in one focus group, a woman spoke of eating ice cream in
intimate settings with her partner. the rest of the group gave a knowing
giggle. that was the insight that launched an entire brand.

55. use the internet as your focus group

56. “love [your brand]”
“hate [your brand]”
“love [your competitor]”
“hate [your competitor]”
“love [category]”
“hate [category]”

57. “love [your brand]”
“hate [your brand]”
“love [your competitor]”
“hate [your competitor]”
“love [category]”
“hate [category]”
this is just one example. there are loads of ways you can use search and
social media to find out how people feel. think creatively about it.

58. one important thing to note

59. it’s not about the product

60. it’s not about the product
Red Bull does not make content about caffeinated drinks.
the content is about energy, adrenaline and pushing life to the limits.

61. It’s not about the product
you need to think laterally about your brand

62. It’s not about the product
but what does that mean?

63. a quick example

64. Dove
soap
dove
soap simplicity
Italy song
opera
split ends
flowers
iris
lily
scent
bubbles
lather
flying
bird
hair care
presentation
finish
hair
olive branch
peace
pond
strands
power
tangled

65. Dove
soap
dove
soap simplicity
Italy song
opera
split ends
flowers
iris
lily
scent
bubbles
lather
flying
bird
hair care
presentation
finish
hair
olive branch
peace
pond
strands
power
tangled
map out associations with your product and brand

66. Dove
soap
dove
soap simplicity
Italy song
opera
split ends
flowers
iris
lily
scent
bubbles
lather
flying
bird
hair care
presentation
finish
hair
olive branch
peace
pond
strands
power
tangled
you should separate creative and analytical mode.
creative mode is fast and intuitive.
analytical mode is slow and deliberate.
if you try to do both at the same time, it can lead to writer’s block.

67. Dove
soap
dove
soap simplicity
Italy song
opera
split ends
flowers
iris
lily
scent
bubbles
lather
flying
bird
hair care
presentation
finish
hair
olive branch
peace
pond
strands
power
tangled
at the time, I had no idea where to go next from ‘simplicity’.
rather than get stuck, I just hopped onto a new thread and kept moving.

68. Dove
soap
dove
soap simplicity
Italy song
opera
split ends
flowers
iris
lily
scent
bubbles
lather
flying
bird
hair care
presentation
finish
hair
olive branch
peace
pond
strands
power
tangled
you don’t want your content tied too closely to your product,
but you don’t want the link to be tenuous.
don’t worry about this while you’re free-associating.
you want to keep creative mode and analytical mode separate, remember.

69. Dove
soap
dove
soap simplicity
Italy song
opera
split ends
flowers
iris
lily
scent
bubbles
lather
flying
bird
hair care
presentation
finish
hair
olive branch
peace
pond
strands
power
tangled
wait, how did we go from soap to hair? isn’t that wrong?
when you’re doing this, don’t think in terms of right and wrong.
you can come back and edit later.

70. Dove
soap
dove
soap simplicity
Italy song
opera
split ends
flowers
iris
lily
scent
bubbles
lather
flying
bird
hair care
presentation
finish
hair
olive branch
peace
pond
strands
power
tangled
possible opportunity?
women in business is a hot topic

71. Dove
soap
dove
soap simplicity
Italy song
opera
split ends
flowers
iris
lily
scent
bubbles
lather
flying
bird
hair care
presentation
finish
hair
olive branch
peace
pond
strands
power
tangled
consciously, I wasn’t sure why I made this leap,
but it’s these unexpected connections that could lead somewhere

72. “of course, I’ve always taken a
lot of notes…
I mean you never know what the
things going to be, do you?
a little detail, somewhere down
the line, makes you say [gasps]…
…cracks the case wide open.”
Rust, True Detective

73. stories are often misleading about the path actually taken

74. expand the number of elements you gather
to give yourself the best chance of making a connection

75. the connections: what they look like

76. if I asked you to reassemble this car, could you do it?

77. what if you had taken a car apart before?

78. what if you had taken 10,20, or 100 cars apart?

79. what if you had taken 10,20, or 100 cars apart?
it would significantly improve your chances of putting it together, right?
that’s why it’s valuable to understand how great content
(e.g. advertising) is constructed.

81. we’ve all seen this ad, but what were the insights that led to it?

82. customer insight competitor insight product truth
a lot of customers were actually girls buying for their partner

83. customer insight competitor insight product truth
the leading competitor focused on the unlikely guy getting the girl,
but the customer (the girl) doesn’t want the unlikely guy, she wants A MAN!

84. customer insight competitor insight product truth
Old Spice was something your Dad wore. but what do you associate
with your Dad? he comes from a time when men were men!

85. wolf in wolf’s clothing

86. wolf in wolf’s clothing
this was the headline on a billboard I saw in London recently

87. wolf in wolf’s clothing
how would you deconstruct this ad?

88. competitor insight product truth customer insight
BMW’s main competitor is Mercedes, who make high-performance cars,
typically with an elegant or stately image (a wolf in sheep’s clothing?)

89. competitor insight product truth customer insight
the new BMW M3 is a very muscular high-performance car
(a wolf in wolf’s clothing)

90. competitor insight product truth customer insight
but what do you suppose was the customer insight that led to this idea?

91. competitor insight product truth customer insight
hint: huge billboards of this ad were placed on the main roads
to the financial district in London

92. got it?

93. they all want to be this guy
(or a lot of them do)

94. the connections: how to make them

95. ever wracked your brains trying to remember someone’s name,
only to have it pop into your mind when you’re having a shower?
http://www.amazon.com/Technique-Producing-Ideas-James-Young/dp/1477428690

96. there is a natural process for making connections
that we can use to our advantage
http://www.amazon.com/Technique-Producing-Ideas-James-Young/dp/1477428690

97. information
saturation
incubation
illumination
verification

98. information
we’ve already discussed gathering lots of information

99. saturation

100. saturation
you need to actively force connections.
doing this physically is faster, and it gets the elements outside your head,
freeing you up to focus on the connections between them.

101. saturation
you will hit a wall. push through it. you’ll get a second wind.
when you hit another wall, it may be appropriate to stop.

102. incubation

103. incubation
you need to actively disengage.
go and do something that fully absorbs your attention.

104. incubation
I experienced this recently when I got absorbed in a conversation in the pub.
it genuinely wasn’t the beer that led to the breakthrough (sadly).

105. illumination
illumination

106. illumination
illumination
we can’t wait around for the light bulb moment,
but we can jump start the process

107. illumination
illumination
after a period of incubation and preferably a night’s sleep…

108. illumination
illumination
write the question you’re trying to solve at the top of the page,
and as quickly as you can, write down 20-30 answers

109. illumination
illumination
first thing in the morning can be a great time to do this

110. illumination
illumination
writing deliberately bad answers can be a good trick if you get stuck

111. verification

112. verification
you need to verify your ideas.
the easiest way to do this is to tell people and watch their reaction.

113. verification
we were thinking of doing a grammar quiz.
we emailed our colleagues for input. it turned into the longest email
thread in our company’s history. we figured we were onto something.

114. verification
note: we didn’t say ‘we’re doing a grammar quiz, what do you think?’

115. verification
if you’re met with confusion or indifference, that means one of 2 things.
you don’t have an idea or you haven’t articulated it in the right way.
you have to judge which it is.

116. start small

117. product truth customer insight competitor insight
our client sold a large range of products for going back to school.
when we thought of going back to school, we thought of exams, and different
subjects like English, which led us to grammar.

118. product truth customer insight competitor insight
content about grammatical errors like this piece from the Oatmeal,
can do extremely well online.
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/misspelling

119. product truth customer insight competitor insight
we thought about a quiz, so checked what had been done. the Guardian &
Telegraph both had popular quizzes, but they weren’t brilliantly executed.
http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/quiz/2013/feb/04/grammar-punctuation-quiz-test

120. 46,000 likes
(grammar quiz - not provided)
under NDA(non-disclosure agreement)

121. but, isn’t it all just luck?

122. yes, but only in the sense that the more you practise (and prepare),
the luckier you get

123. and yes, ideas are serendipitous, but you can manufacture serendipity

124. and, yes, sometimes you just get lucky!
http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/25/the-age-of-acquisitions/

125. we were working on this content when Facebook acquired Whatsapp
http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/25/the-age-of-acquisitions/

126. we quickly included the new dataset and launched it
http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/25/the-age-of-acquisitions/

127. we secured a front page exclusive with TechCrunch
http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/25/the-age-of-acquisitions/

128. remember the grammar quiz we spoke about?
we launched that on national grammar day without even realising!
http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/25/the-age-of-acquisitions/

129. 10 steps to producing better ideas

130. 1. learn about the thinking behind the ads
http://www.amazon.com/Truth-Lies-Advertising-Account-Planning/dp/0471189626

131. 2. mine the web for insight

132. Dove
soap
dove
soap simplicity
Italy song
opera
split ends
flowers
iris
lily
scent
bubbles
lather
bird
hair care
presentation
finish
hair
olive branch
peace
pond
strands
3. think laterally about your brand

133. 4. try to force connections
http://www.amazon.com/Gamestorming-Playbook-Innovators-Rulebreakers-Changemakers/dp/0596804172

134. 5. actively disengage

135. 6. jump start the light bulb

136. 7. verify your ideas
http://www.amazon.com/Made-Stick-Ideas-Survive-Others/dp/1400064287

137. information
saturation
incubation
illumination
verification
8. iterate

138. 9. start small
the idea of a grammar quiz is not nearly as profound
as some of the advertising ideas we discussed

139. 10. practise
practise taking ideas apart and putting together your own

140. 10. practise
brainstorming once a month and saying you’re not creative
is like going to the gym once a month
and wondering why you don’t have a six pack

141. if you practise, practise, practise,
you’ll give yourself a much better chance of success

142. create your own luck

143. good luck!

144. p.s. you should read these books
@epicgraphic