I read this theory of stimulating creativity from Jon Bell, he called it McDonald's Theory. It completely repeats my personal experience, but only a concise and biting name put everything in place.
So, you and your colleagues are going to have lunch together, and it is often absolutely impossible to decide where you will go this time. Everyone is confused and does not know what to offer. But as soon as you say, "Let's go to McDon's today?", your colleagues will have a synchronous creative leap! Someone will offer a new Chinese cafe that no one knows about, someone will offer a park and baguettes with juice on a bench - the weather is super! And so many things. This is how McDonald's theory works, and here's how it can be applied in work.
When I was working in an advertising agency, I managed to pull off such a trick. When you receive a brief (this is what they call the product description from the customer and the marketing goals that he sets for himself and you) from some dark disgusting yogurt, from energy poisoning or alcohol, a creative leap will almost never happen. Everyone understands that the product is go* but also the internal incentive to come up with a creative for it is minimal.
At this point, you need to do the following… Offer for the product (if we are talking about advertising) your own idea, as disgusting as lunch at McDonald's. For example, say "Let's bathe a cool girl in yogurt!" or "Maybe we should buy advertising space for Marlboro in Health magazine for a year?" At the same moment, from the absurdity of what is happening, your colleagues will start doing something unimaginable. A real brainstorming session will begin, since they are capable of a lot on the denial of "lunch at McDonald's". It remains only to go out for a while and come to collect ideas.
I believe that this theory of provoking creativity can work in almost all creative specialties. Be sure to try ;)
Photo: TonyV3112 / Shutterstock.com
