A new methodology for brand creativity!

To be frank, after more than ten years of working in marketing creativity, the word I hate the most is “creative insight”.

From the first day I entered this love-hate marketing industry to this moment, more than 38,000 days, I have to deal with the term "creative insight" almost every day, but I still don’t know what "creative insight" is.

It is even less clear how to gain insight into an idea.

To this day, I believe that every young person entering the industry, whether they understand it or not, will first be educated and told how to get an "idea" - first you need to have a "creative insight", then get a "creative concept", and finally complete the "creative expression (copy/art)".

The creative process that seems extremely clear and concise is actually more like a series of creative black holes for a growing young person.

The biggest black hole that is most likely to "swallow" people is "creative insight."

Why?

The word "creativity", which is extremely important to the marketing industry, is just like other extremely important words such as "freedom, beauty, love, art..." Its meaning is very vague and it is almost impossible to define it accurately. It can only be perceived and experienced.

The word "insight" is equally vague and very imprecise.

Insight: means to see through, to observe thoroughly; to discover the inner content or meaning.

Insight is the discovery of inner content or meaning, but creativity is waiting to be discovered. In this way, “creative insight” allows you to discover a content or meaning waiting for you to discover.

Do you understand the logic?

The term “creative insight” by definition means going in circles and standing still, which is equivalent to saying nothing.

When you try to learn how to gain insight into an idea by understanding what "creative insight" is, you are destined to lift yourself up by your hair, and your efforts will end in vain.

Indeed, we can also say that genius does not need theory and concepts are not important.

In our industry, there are indeed many extremely talented creative people who are not as stubbornly entangled in concepts and theories as I am. Instead, they can rely on their natural talents to rise to the top and reach their goals, and they can also come up with acclaimed creativity.

Moreover, these great creative people, with their rich experience, will look back and want to explain with kindness and sincerity this word that is destined to be unexplainable - what is creative insight? This is an attempt to provide guidance to the young generation who are stuck in this issue.

As sincere as Mr. Dongdong Qiang is, in his book "Basic Cultivation of Copywriting", which takes the trouble to clarify the basic context of the marketing industry. He said that "the 'insight' in advertising is usually an undiscovered or forgotten truth."

Top influencer Lin Guizhi, in her book "Like in Seconds", shares her 20 years of creative skills and techniques. She said that if we "see" the relationship between "insight" and brands and consumers, we will find that insight has four key elements: (1) reflecting human nature; (2) universal concepts; (3) targeting the target consumer group; and (4) matching with the brand.

A generation of copywriting queen summarized that insight = reflecting human nature + universal concepts + targeting target consumer groups + matching with the brand.

Teachers Dongdong Qiang and Lin Guizhi represent industry authorities who have popular creative works and a deep love for this industry. They each explain from different perspectives a proposition that is crucial to this industry - what is creative insight, and at least illustrate the importance and difficulty of this issue.

While I would like to thank the creative predecessors for their guidance, I personally believe that their summary is undoubtedly correct, but it is still a description from a new perspective and still fails to clarify the structure and explain the essence.

In other words, we may be inspired after reading these summaries, but inspiration alone cannot fundamentally answer the question of what creativity is and where it comes from.

Precisely because of the vague basic understanding of the industry, how to create creativity in this industry is more like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each showing their magical powers, and more like no matter whether the cat is black or white, as long as it can catch the mouse, it is a good cat.

Young people entering the industry, after quickly memorizing the doctrine that "creativity comes from insight", basically rely on their own understanding and consciousness to explore, returning to the traditional small handicraft workshop model where the master leads the way and success depends on the individual.

Under this model, the growth of talents can only rely on probability and luck. Countless friends who have been in the industry for four or five years have exhausted their precious golden learning motivation, lost their initial beliefs, fallen into all kinds of confusion, and chose to leave the industry.

Today's popular creative hot shops are nothing more than a regressive phenomenon. They are proof that our industry's production methods are non-standard and non-replicable, and that we are trapped in the dilemma of over-reliance on personal experience and touch.

In fact, the ambiguity in the underlying cognition of the industry will also lead to ambiguity in the industry's methodology.

However, it is precisely because of the constant anxiety caused by the lack of basic knowledge in the industry that everyone will constantly try to summarize at the methodological level and try to make up for the shortcomings. Almost every friend who has some creative experience will summarize his or her own creative methodology - this has led to a vicious circle, where no one discusses the underlying cognition, and a constant stream of working methods emerge, including my own article, which also attempts to propose a new methodology.

However, underlying cognition is fundamental, and methodology is secondary. This is an irrefutable truth. We are falling into the absurdity of putting the cart before the horse.

Looking beyond marketing creativity, other academic disciplines all have very unified underlying cognitions, and these cognitions are based on philosophy.

Economics is based on the underlying cognition that "human beings are completely rational", and science is based on the underlying cognition that "it can be falsified".

Then we come to the fundamental question: what is the underlying understanding of “creativity”?

In other words, what exactly is creativity? Where does creativity come from?

Although we said before that the concept of "creativity" cannot be defined, it does not mean that we are helpless and have no idea what to do.

We can still look at this major issue from the perspective of phenomenology, that is, going back to the starting point. What problem does "creativity" as a phenomenon solve?

Here, I give a description: Creativity is to create a new perception of brands and products.

Why is it described like this? Because if consumers already know and understand all brands and products, then there is no need for marketing creativity in this world.

Just like you no longer need to ask an old friend what his name is.

The reason why I want to describe what creativity is in this way is to let "creativity" return to the underlying cognitive logic——

Creativity means establishing new cognition.

This logical induction is very important. Only in this way can we return to the essence and face the root of the problem.

In this way, what exactly is creativity and where does creativity come from become clear underlying cognitive issues.

What is creativity? Creativity is about creating new cognition.

Where does creativity come from—how is new cognition established?

How to establish new cognition?

Good questions answer themselves. This is a very typical and good question.

To find out how to establish new cognition, we can directly ask "cognitive science" for the answer.

In 1980, American linguist George Lakoff and philosopher Mark Johnson jointly published Metaphors We Live By, a groundbreaking cognitive work that founded the cognitive linguistics school.

In this book, Lakoff and Johnson groundbreakingly proposed that "metaphor" is not only a linguistic phenomenon, but also a thinking phenomenon. It is a fundamental cognitive mechanism for humans to establish new cognition with the help of known experience.

In other words, how to establish new cognition? Lakoff and Johnson revealed from cognitive linguistics that we build new cognition through metaphors based on known experience.

Summarize and build new cognition based on known experience - with the help of similarity metaphors.

What does it mean?

To explain it in detail, when we are faced with an unknown thing and need to establish new cognition, we actually complete the cognition of the unknown thing by finding something with a similar metaphor among the things we have been familiar with in the past, and almost equating the two to thereby establish new cognition.

For example.

When computer operating systems first appeared, how did we establish new understanding of this completely unknown thing?

When we first saw the icons on the screen, we found things with similar metaphors among the things we were familiar with in the past - just like the things on the desktop, so we almost equated the "computer screen" with the "desktop", and came up with the concept of "computer desktop", thereby establishing a new cognition.

Later, when we saw the mobile phone screen for the first time, we naturally quickly found the "computer desktop" which had a similar metaphor to it, and then almost equated the two, giving rise to the concept of "mobile phone desktop".

In the future, we can fully foresee that the mobile desktop - with the help of metaphor - VR desktop - with the help of metaphor - holographic desktop...

In fact, until now, we are still using the known and familiar concept of "desktop" to continuously establish new cognition through similarity metaphors.

So, when you are faced with something unknown, how do you establish new cognition?

Among all the known and familiar things in the past, just find one that is similar to it.

So, when you are faced with a brand or product, how do you make consumers establish a new perception of it?

Among all the things consumers already know and are familiar with, just find one that is similar.

When consumers have never heard of the Chivas sofa, which is very comfortable to sit on, how can we make them establish a new perception of it?

Among the things that consumers are familiar with and very comfortable to sit on, just find something similar to the "first-class airplane seat" -

"Chivas First Class Sofa"

Did consumers immediately develop a new perception of Chivas sofas?

When the Buick GL8 commercial vehicle first entered China and consumers had never heard of it, how could we make consumers have a new understanding of it?

Buick also found something similar to the "first-class cabin on an airplane" in something that consumers are already familiar with, with a very comfortable and high-end riding experience.

"Buick GL8, business class on land"

Did consumers immediately develop a new perception of GL8?

When Vanke developed a real estate project right on the edge of Jinji Lake in Suzhou, with an excellent location and scenery, how could it make consumers form a new perception of it when they heard about it for the first time?

Vanke found a similar "rostrum" among things that consumers are familiar with, with excellent locations and scenery.

"Vanke Shang Linglong, Jinji Lake Podium"

Did consumers immediately form a new perception of this property?

We are about to enter the peak season for crayfish consumption, and the Dingdong Maicai APP is promoting crayfish. So how can we make consumers have a new understanding of Dingdong’s crayfish products?

Dingdong found a similar "red boxing glove" among the things that consumers are familiar with, which look like lobster's big red claws.

Ding Dong "Boxing Shrimp"

With this strong and powerful punch, did consumers immediately develop a new perception of Ding Dong Crayfish?

For example, the unique selling point of Kleenex tissue paper is its strong absorption capacity. How can we make consumers establish a new understanding of the absorption capacity of Kleenex tissue paper?

Kleenex found something with a similar metaphor among things that consumers are familiar with - a cup. It tells consumers that juice spilled on a paper towel will be immediately absorbed, just like juice poured into a cup, it will not overflow at all.

Did consumers immediately develop a new perception of Kleenex paper towels?

Dove chocolate has a wonderful taste. How can we build a new perception of the wonderful taste of Dove chocolate among consumers before they eat it?

Dove found something with a similar metaphor among the things that consumers are familiar with: smooth silk, expressed as -

"Dove, enjoy the silky smoothness"

Did consumers immediately develop a new perception of the taste of Dove?

Nestlé fresh milk is squeezed fresh every morning. How can we make consumers have a new perception of the freshness of Nestlé milk?

Nestle found something with similar metaphors among the things that consumers are familiar with - freshly squeezed milk in the early morning - just like your mother getting up in the early morning to make you a fresh breakfast -

"Hats off to the cows who wake up at 4am and love them like a mother"

Did consumers immediately develop a new perception of the freshness of Nestlé milk?

How to make consumers have a new understanding of the beautiful and charming Mercedes-Benz sports cars? Mercedes-Benz found a similar metaphor among things that consumers are familiar with, the equally beautiful and charming Zhang Ziyi, and almost equated the two.

Tyson boxed chicken focuses on freshness. How can we make consumers have a new understanding of the "freshness" of Tyson Foods? Tyson found something that has a similar metaphor among the things that consumers are familiar with - the young and handsome star.

Tyson Fresh Chicken

Did consumers immediately develop a new perception of Tyson’s “freshness”?

Magnum ice cream has a premium taste and can release the wildness in people's heart with just one bite. How can we make consumers establish a new understanding of the unique experience of Magnum ice cream? Magnum found similar metaphors among things that consumers were already familiar with – wild beasts, eagles, tigers, black panthers… making the two feel almost identical.

………………

I have given so many examples in one breath. Have you discovered that these wonderful advertising ideas do not require you to rely on so-called inspiration and talent to make so-called "creative insights"?

Need insights? unnecessary.

If we understand that creativity is to enable consumers to establish a new understanding of brands and products, then the question of "where does creativity come from" becomes very simple - you just need to find something similar to something that consumers are already familiar with and equate the two.

This is a thorough answer from a cognitive perspective, at the underlying level of cognition, to what creativity is and where it comes from.

Creativity = establishing new cognition = establishing new cognition based on known experience - with the help of similar metaphors.

Our past vague understanding of the underlying understanding of marketing creativity has now become clear.

In this underlying cognition, the key step to generate creativity - "using similarity metaphors" is actually the "analogy" that we Chinese are very familiar with and very good at.

For example, you will definitely do it, you will definitely do it.

Because it’s something you do every day.

Every day at work, you must communicate some things with colleagues, leaders, and clients, and you will inevitably encounter situations where the other party cannot understand you (the other party is facing unknown things). What should you do at this time? You will definitely immediately find an example that everyone is familiar with (something known and familiar) to make an analogy (a metaphor with similarity to it), and then the other party will understand (establish new cognition).

So, what is creativity and where does it come from can be summed up in one sentence:

Creativity is all about metaphors!

Creativity is to use things that consumers are already familiar with to illustrate brands and products that consumers are not yet aware of.

Therefore, when it comes to creativity, you don’t need to pretend to do the so-called “deep digging for creative insights”. Things are not that complicated. Just keep it simple and make an analogy!

Compared with the so-called "insight" that relies too much on inspiration, the creative method of "finding similarities" is simple, easy to understand and easy to operate. It is more likely to allow the marketing industry to get rid of the creative workshop model and move towards an efficient industrialized model of mass production of creativity!

This is the summary of my repeated practice in creative work over the past 10 years. Facing the fundamental question of “what exactly is creativity and where does creativity come from?”, in addition to “insight theory”, I have come up with a new answer from the basic cognition to the methodological level - “creativity is making metaphors”!

In order to help more people understand the underlying understanding that “Creativity is about using metaphors” and learn how to generate creativity through using metaphors, I have compiled all my past thoughts and explorations on this into a column titled “Creativity is about using metaphors”, and sorted out 25 techniques for using creative metaphors. It was first published on @AdvertisingCommonSense and will be updated and published on Shuying.com every week!

Whether you are a newbie or a veteran in creativity, whether you are good at creative insight or not, as long as you are interested in creativity, this is a new methodological system that is worth a look.

Author: Intrust Marketing

Source: Yinxin Marketing (ID: analogy123)