Innovation and creativity: how to generate new marketing ideas

Even the best of us can sometimes find ourselves struggling for inspiration, and so we end up repeating similar ideas. So this course has been developed for anyone who needs to generate new ideas, especially those involved in marketing disciplines such as product development and customer communications.

Course content

Session one: unlocking creativity

• Rediscovering how to be creative.
• The foundation stone of creativity: 'paradigm shift'.
• Flexing the mental joints; thinking the unthinkable.
• Examples of business innovation, looking at case studies to see where creative thinking is evident.
• What's your creative style?

Session two: creative techniques

• Three core techniques: provocation, reformulation and multiple perspectives.
• Creative exercises to apply the techniques - in particular, using these techniques to understand the real issues facing your organisation.

Session three: more creative techniques

• Elevation and reduction, creative emulation, future scenarios, thinking hats and creative parallels
• Creative exercises to apply the techniques - in particular, using the techniques to generate new marketing ideas, including new product development and understanding customers.

Session four: nurturing an innovation culture

• Other sources of inspiration, including using market research and competitor intelligence to spur creativity.
• Your organisation: what are the barriers to creativity, and how might they be overcome?
• Introducing a framework for organisational creativity.

Session five: summary and objectives setting

In this final session, attendees discuss what they can do as individuals to bring more creativity to their role. They also agree a plan for raising the issue of creativity and innovation across the organisation.

Course delivery

This is a highly interactive course with lots of fun exercises. But it is also very much focused on the organisational benefits of creativity and innovation. Sessions two and three in particular are highly practical, not only looking at techniques but also starting to apply them to matters of importance to your organisation.