The Four I's of Creativity

Is their a simple process to be creative? 

There Is

In 1972, Alka-Seltzer launched one of the greatest ad campaigns in history. It was called, "I can't believe I ate the whole thing". The ad campaign really spoke to the problem Alka-Seltzer solved. It was a big idea that had legs. It helped Alka-Seltzer triple sales and put them on the map.

One of the main people involved in the idea was Howie Cohen. Howie says, "People need to be communicated with an emotional way and storytelling is the best way to do that.

Howie teaches 4 stages of creativity, the Four I's.

The Four I's of Creativity

I - Intuition - You kind of have an idea, but you don't have much information. 

I - Information - You collect all the information. You need to understand the real problem. You find what it's all about. You understand every angle. 

I - Incubation - Now you let it incubate. Forget about it. This is when the creative soup happens. This is when the big ideas come.

I - Inspiration - Then your creative ideas will come. They will come when you least expect them. Write down every idea. 

I agree with Howie. Many of my best marketing ideas do not occur at the desk or in a creative brainstorm. They occur after I have incubated them. These are the shower moments, the moments when you first wake, the GYM moments, or running moments. 

The 4 I's of creativity really work. Give it a try. You will thank Howie later. 

These are four easy steps to be more creative in everything you do.

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