TELL

SPIDER
ME A
GRAM
STORY
What is the best application of this tool?
Renovation or Breakthrough
When to use it?
During an ideation session in order to collect and structure
ideas
How to run it?
• Start from the centre of a landscape page and work out,
using just key words or images.
• Make the centre a clear and strong visual image that depicts
the business challenge.
• Draw branches from the centre image. Write a key word on
each branch or line.
• Connect smaller branches to the main branches using lines.
• Use colour, arrows and images to depict themes,
associations and to make things stand out
• Make branches curve and flow
• Don't get stuck in one area. If you dry up in one area go to
another branch.
• Put ideas down as they occur, wherever they fit. Don't judge
or do encourage wild ideas.
• Break the A4 mindset. If you run out of space, don't start a
new sheet; paste more paper onto the map.
• A 3min 30sec instructional video is available on Youtube
(ID# 0UCXalYcoko)
What is the best application of this tool?
Renovation
When to use it?
As the beginning of an ideation session to establish empathy, to
frame the focus of the meeting and to stimulate idea
generation
How to run it?
• Have someone read a 3-5 minute story or watch together a
video clip of one.
• Pick a story that’s full of facts, feelings, senses, metaphors
and associations. Great examples include:
̶ “The Lady and the Chocolate” by Edward Monkton (narration
available on youtube)
̶ “The Pig of Happiness” by Edward Monkton (narration available
on youtube)
̶ “Nature's 100 Best: World-Changing Innovations Inspired by
Nature” by Janine Benyus (Paperback available in May 09 or
select from 25min youtube clip – ID# n77BfxnVlyc)
• Write down silently on Post-Its your random thoughts while
you listen to or watch the story
• Discuss the story and its potential links to the business
challenge, scribbling ideas/thoughts on Post-Its
• Put up your Post-Its on a flip chart, desktop or white board

Time (mins) How many Materials Time (mins) How many Materials
people? people?

Internet/ Internet/
Minimum 2, Minimum 3, Book

30 45
Book
from from Post-Its
Paper Markers
different different
Coloured Flipchart/
functions functions
Pens Paper
 DRAW
MORPH-
ME A
IT
PICTURE
What is the best application of this tool? What is the best application of this tool?
Renovation or Breakthrough Renovation or Breakthrough
When to use it? When to use it?
Use it when exploring new and different ideas, to help unblock To articulate the business challenge in a way that can help
you when you are stuck or to force a different way of thinking unlock new ideas that better meet consumer needs and
How to run it? aspirations
• Briefly describe a challenge for which you need a creative
solution in a short and clear statement. How to run it?
• Identify a set of factors (variables) that you must take into • People enjoy creating collages because it accesses the more
account to address this challenge. visual, feeling part of their brain and gives them an entirely
• Under each factor (variable), identify the alternatives for different way of looking at a problem.
that factor that might be considered:
Cleaning Object to be Substance • Each participant is given a pair of scissors, a stick of glue
Ingredients Package and a large sheet of paper.
Instrument cleaned Removed

Broom Air Aerosol Blood • The participant flips through the magazines, looking for
Alcohol
Brush Boat Bag Dirt images or messages that relate to the business challenge.
Ammonia
Sponge Carpet Bottle Mildew These are cut out and glued together on a sheet of paper to
Disinfectant
Steel Wool Floor Can Paint create of collage.
Pine Oil
Vacuum Fence Tube Rust
• When the collage is complete, the entire group discusses
each and comes up with ideas suggested by the images.
• Start developing ideas by combining an alternative from one • At the end of the session, ask the brand manager to retain
column with an alternative from another column. Continue the collages in a brand ‘scrapbook’.
to combine alternatives from different columns until you
have a range of ideas.
• Select ideas to use or develop into practical solutions to your
problems
Time (mins) How many Materials Time (mins) How many Materials
people? people?
Internet/
Book Internet

30 30
Minimum 3, Minimum 2,
Post-Its Magazines
including Markers include
Scissors
agency Flipchart/ agency
Glue
Paper
 BEG,
PASS
STEAL OR
THE IDEA
BORROW
What is the best application of this tool?
Renovation
When to use it?
It "piggy backs" thoughts to help those involved produce new
and useful ideas. A technique designed to involve every
participant equally
How to run it?
• Each person gets a A4 paper with 3 columns on it
• Against the Brand Challenge and Consumer Insight, each
person quietly writes 3 ideas in 2 minutes that in their mind
may solve the Challenge
• When everyone has written 3 ideas, have each person pass
their sheet one person to either the right or left. Now have
each participant read their neighbour's ideas and – without
criticising them - generate 3 further ideas in 3 minutes
• You can pass the sheets around as many times as you desire
(aim for 6 times at least)
• When you are done with your passes, return each paper to
its original owner
• Have participants highlight the idea they feel is the most
useful. If there are a number of useful concepts, you may
wish to prioritize the "winners" for further discussion or
screening
What is the best application of this tool?
Renovation
When to use it?
Use these techniques when you want to generate ideas that
combine different elements in new ways
How to run it?
• Define the product category that you want to generate ideas
around and communicate the Brand Challenge and
Consumer Insight
• Define the benefits of this category e.g. night cream
provides softness, exclusivity, beauty, younger skin. These
benefits are written up on a flip chart for all to see.
• Each person is given an object by the facilitator e.g. a pen, a
toy car.
• Each person writes down 5 ways in which his/her object
could achieve the benefits described above e.g. How can a
pen look younger? (make it pink) Or how can the toy car be
made more exclusive? (put it in a gold box).
• Record these ideas and then reapply them to the Brand
Challenge e.g. put the new product in a pink or gold box.
• All the ideas are collected and then screened.

Time (mins) How many Materials Time (mins) How many Materials
people? people?

Minimum 5, Minimum 5, Paper

40 from
different
functions
Paper
Pens 20 from
different
functions
Pen
Product
Flipchart
ROLE LIST &
PLAY TWIST
What is the best application of this tool? What is the best application of this tool?
Renovation or Breakthrough Renovation or Breakthrough
When to use it? When to use it?
Sometimes the problem may seem overwhelming in its Use it to generate ideas on how to improve products from
complexity. Breaking down the problem into its “underlying various categories
DNA” can help you to understand what is driving the problem
and identify ideas to solve it How to run it?
How to run it? • Define your Brand Challenge and Consumer Insight.
• Detail all the attributes of the product on a “list”. • Adopt the persona of your target consumer: physically,
• Use your imagination and the following chart as stimuli to “twist” mentally and emotionally e.g. for an upgrade of an existing
the attributes to find new ideas: product go out and shop for the product, purchase the
product, use the product.
Add a step Find other uses Slow down
Eliminate a step Find other customers Add sound • Write down all the issues you perceive with the product.
Rearrange the steps Improve the quality Add motion
Outsource a step Decrease the quality Add texture • If you can, ask other consumers via an informal online ‘blog’
Add an ingredient Make it easier Change packaging or Facebook group chat about their perceptions of the same
Combine an ingredient Make it more complicated Automate parts product.
Divide it Align with another product De-automate parts
Change colour Align with another service Standardise • For each issue think how you might solve it.
Make it bigger Licence Accessorise
Make it smaller Find new distribution Make it more extreme • Write up the possible solutions to the issues.
Make it more expensive Substitute materials Make it less extreme
Make it less expensive Combine other processes Separate • All the ideas are then screened.
Change the state Make it educational Make it self service
Change the shape Speed up Bundle with others
Put some fun in it Automate parts Make it more reliable

• All ideas are clustered and then screened

Time (mins) How many Materials Time (mins) How many Materials
people? people?
Internet/
Minimum 3, Book

45
At least 2
from
different
Post-Its
Markers 10-20 (include
agency)
Paper
Pens
functions Flipchart/
Paper
 WE ARE
EMPTY
FINALLY
HEAD
FAMOUS
What is the best application of this tool?
Renovation or Breakthrough
When to use it?
To generate out-of-the-box ideas by envisioning solutions
through the eyes of a well known character. You can also use it
when exploring how to implement ideas, to play out how
people may respond to the idea. Use it when you have a bunch
of extraverts (it is seldom effective with introverts)
How to run it?
• Share the Brand Challenge and Consumer Insight e.g. Brand
Challenge – To attach Attack Rexona in the non residue
deodorant market – Insight: I want to show off my looks,
not my deodorant.
• The group of 12 is divided into smaller groups of 3.
• Each group is asked to chose a famous contemporary
character e.g. Richard Branson, Madonna. The character is
chosen on the basis that they have characteristics that could
address the Brand Challenge in an innovative way e.g. Bill
Gates would launch a deodorant with a microchip, that told
you how much to apply so that it did not stain.
• Each small group generates ideas against the Brand
Challenge and Consumer Insight through the mind and body
of the character they have adopted.
• Ideas are shared across the entire group. New characters
are assigned and the process continues.
• All the ideas are collected and then screened.
Time (mins) How many Materials
people?
40
12, Paper
include
agency
Pen
Flipchart
What is the best application of this tool?
Renovation or Breakthrough
When to use it?
when you need to break out of stale, established patterns of
thinking, so that you can develop new ways of looking at
things. This can be when you need to develop new
opportunities, where you want to improve the service that you
offer, or when existing approaches just aren't giving you the
results you want
How to run it?
• Describe the Business Challenge for which ideas are wanted
and ensure everyone understands it.
• People start calling out ideas and a scribe writes them down
on a flipchart.
• Keep ideas visible to help trigger further ideas, so when the
flipchart page is full, rip it off and tape it to the wall where
everyone can see them.
• Remind everyone of the four rules of Brainstorming –
1. No criticism or debate: can inhibit people from giving ideas.
2. Quantity over quality: the best ideas arrive unpredictably
spread out over time.
3. Freewheel: use one idea as a stimulus for the next.
4. Mutate and Combine: deliberately distort/modify existing ideas
and try to build new ideas from combinations of existing ones.
• All ideas are clustered and then screened
Time (mins) How many Materials
people?
Post-Its
10-20 6-8 Pens
Flipchart