Brand Thinking

Tell a brand story customers believe in

Excellent quick read from The Story of Telling! Here is an excerpt:
“Our brand stories are not merely a way to get customers to come through the door and hand over cash—we want them to feel glad that they did. Every choice we make and everything we do must align with the story we want our brand to embody. Our actions have to support the message we want customers to believe.”

Read the full article here >

Question Storming vs. Brain Storming

Warren Berger (the author of the new book A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas) writes:

Brainstorming has developed a fraught reputation, perhaps deservedly so. When groups of people are thrown together and expected to come up with original ideas, there is often too much pressure to be creative—resulting in ideas that are anything but.

But what if brainstorms were designed to generate questions, not ideas? And while it may seem counter-intuitive (Who needs questions? We need answers!), encouraging people to formulate lots of questions around an issue or problem can lead to deeper analysis and a better understanding of that problem—which, eventually, can yield smarter ideas on how to tackle it. (more…)

The Characteristics Of Successful Ideas

This just in from The Story of Telling:

In an era when we have self-driving cars and delivery drones it’s still possible to encounter:

• Underwear with five uncomfortable care labels sewn into the seams.
• A beautiful teapot that becomes too heavy to lift when it’s full.
• Inconspicuous assembly instructions that confuse rather than clarify.
• Sports shoes that give the wearer blisters until they’re ‘broken in’.
• And breakfast cereals that are one-third sugar.

While we’re busy trying to create brilliant, breakthrough ideas that win, we often overlook the (more…)