One of the most memorable engineering management books I read in college is called “Breakthrough Thinking: The Seven Principles of Creative Problem Solving” by Dr. Gerald Nadler and Dr. Shozo Hibino. Actually, it's one of the best marketing management books I've read.
You may be a practitioner of one or more of the following principles. In fact, if you think back to the most successful work you have done, you will recognize you have incorporated all seven principles.
THE SEVEN PRINCIPLES
UNIQUENESS: All problems, issues or opportunities are different. Consumers and their needs are fluid. There are no controlled environments; you will always have changes. Throw away the old axioms or research the roots, you might find they where wrong all along. There are learnings, keep those and use them properly, but they are not patterns for your next strategic document.
HIERARCHY OF PURPOSE: Anything we do has a purpose within a hierarchy of purposes. Explore and expand purposes to understand what really needs to be accomplished. While it appears to be “common sense” the hierarchy of purpose is the first thing ignored when we are under pressure. Can you imagine building a house without a proper base because of deadline issues? Yet, I constantly see ad campaigns that where clearly started at the creative execution level that are completely devoid of strategy and tactical in nature.
Strategic advantage results when we clearly understand the context (from small to large) of our purpose as an advertising agency to the client’s business.
SOLUTION-AFTER-NEXT: What happens after our work achieves its objectives? Work backwards. Consider the solution you would recommend if in three years you had to start all over again. Recommend approaches today based on what might be the solution of the future. Ask yourself, once the campaign works, where should it have started? When was the tipping point? Was it a particular media option, programming, venue? Was it a convergence of several smaller successes? You will find several potential starting points -- that’s the beauty of it. Breakthrough Thinking should generate more than one big idea.
SYSTEMS: Everything is a system; product, price, distribution, media, competition, consumers, call centers, signage. Include all of them in your thinking. This is not just about the four P’s. It’s about the whole experience. Think about the first point of contact to the repeat purchase. Think of evolution, life of the product, and role of brand in the consumer’s life.
PEOPLE DESIGN: Involve all who will be affected by the strategy. Think of the Systems Principle, allow everyone affected by the strategy to participate in its development. Give everyone a stake in the development, implementation, and evolution of the strategy. This is also politically savvy.
COLLECT ONLY THE NEEDED INFORMATION: Study solutions, not problems. Collect only the information needed to continue the overall purpose. Keep in mind the Purpose Principle. Don't be a DRIP: Data Rich and Information Poor.
EVOLUTION: Install triggers for evolution of communications. Everything evolves.
Allow me to elaborate on why I feel the seven steps are important.
Studies have shown that around 8% of the people are intuitive “Breakthrough Thinkers.” Some of these folks have chosen marketing and advertising as their careers – only some of them. The rest tend to be administrators.
Following the Seven Principles can make intuitive thinkers and administrators work alongside. It organizes ideas and creates actions. There’s nothing wrong with administrators, we need them, they have a purpose on the system. Just keep in mind that leadership and management is always above administration.
Now go back and review your most successful marketing or advertising efforts. You will find that success included the seven principles.
And should you find one example lacking the seven principles, it was a fortunate stroke of serendipity.
I know some will be bothered by my practice of engineering principles in advertising. After all Bernbach said "Advertising isn't a science, it's persuasion. And persuasion is an art."
I agree with Bernbach. And he would be the first to tell you that art has a process -- as would many other artists.
Bernbach also said "Properly practiced, creativity can make one ad do the work of ten."
Copyright 2007, Carlos Arámbula. All rights reserved.
