Out of Ideas? You’re Probably Thinking Like a Marketer, Not a Human

When you’re living and breathing ideas, quick brainstorms and creative strategies every day, a bit of mental block can happen to the best of us.

Some days, you’re fresh with ideas and raring to go, and others, your brain feels like a flaky croissant that’s lost its filling: dry and overworked.

But don’t panic, because this is temporary, it won’t last forever, and there’s so many ways to pivot. One of our go-to ways to get creativity flowing (besides caffeine!) is to simply put yourself in the shows of a potential customer, and look at the nitty gritty of the things you care about, things that affect your morning commute, the plans you’re making with a friend, or the gig you went to over the weekend. How does this relate to your sector?

What would you actually care about today? What’s showing up in your feed, annoying you, inspiring you, making you laugh?

Start with people, not products.

When ideas feel flat, go back to the basics: what actually matters to your audience? Forget the product for a second and think about the people.

Think of those universal truths that connect us all: posture, holidays, money, time, confidence, love, sleep, you name it, then find your way back to your client from there.

🛏️ For a mattress brand, think about what affects your own sleep, your posture, your cosy bedroom.

✈️ For a travel brand, have you ever had rental car trauma? A flight delay? Brits coming out to claim all the sunbeds at 6am?

It’s about reframing your client’s story through what people already feel, not forcing people to care about what you’re selling.

Find the unexpected link.

Sometimes, the best ideas come from the least obvious places. If you’re stuck, think about who else could care about your topic, even indirectly. answerthepublic.com is a great source to check out what people are really asking about your topic.

For example, a fitness brand doesn’t just speak to gym-goers, it can connect to:

💼 CEOs/employees: which industries really have the time to stay fit? Is there a fitness gap between CEO’s and their lowest paid employees? Have you ever done a workout on company time? 

🎓 Students: which cities have the best student gym offerings? Does a workout help increase the hormones we need to study, or take an exam? 

🌍 Frequent travellers: Which airlines have the healthiest inflight meals? How often should you keep your body moving on a long haul flight?

And now you’ve found those small cultural pathways between client and new audiences, bringing a new layer of ideas to your brainstorm!

Make people feel something.

PR that sparks emotion gets people talking and sharing. Not every idea has to be polished and corporate. Some of the best campaigns go viral precisely because they’re weird, relatable, or just a little bit offbeat.

Emotion is the shortcut to attention. Whether it’s joy, shock, disgust, or even mild outrage, people click on stories that make them feel.

Are Brits really washing their feet? Gross, but informative.

Some of the strongest lifestyle campaigns work precisely because they’re a bit random, the ones that make you think, that’s ridiculous… but I want to read it.

Give yourself permission to throw out “bad” ideas. Half the time, the offbeat ones evolve into your most clever, shareable work