I didn’t want this month’s article to be yet another article for you, as readers. I wanted it to be a self-introspective workshop you could engage in, as you sit and read this issue of Campaign Middle East. And it’s for everyone. Account management. Strategy. Creative. Everyone. Cool?
Let’s do it!
Let’s start with a provocation
We don’t create enough impactful work in the real world on our real briefs, because we don’t solve enough real problems. And I don’t mean the social causes we create ideas for. We don’t solve enough real problems because we don’t dig enough into the problem beneath the problems we are given. We are not great at introspectively permeating into the client problems given to us in clients briefs to identify real human problems that we need to know, so we can find real solutions that are best suited to alleviate those problems.
I’ve often seen agency teams flirt around with the problem. But often, we don’t get to know the problem deeply enough to get to “the naked problem”. And it’s not because we are not capable enough. Heck, we have so many smart and intelligent people in our industry! It’s because we don’t invest the time and the effort it needs.
Now, as promised, this is going to be a self-introspective workshop. So, here’s how I dig into problems and how I also train our talents and other talents whom I mentor and speak to. Let’s get those pencils and pens out, folks.
Think of your problem as “the villain”
Firstly, why “the villain”? Because strong villains endure. They make us root more for the heroes. They make us cherish the heroes. You know, we loved The Avengers and rooted for them, because Thanos was a strong villain. Batman was stronger because of the Joker. We cheered for Luke Skywalker, because Darth Vader was a strong villain. All Potterheads believed in Harry Potter, because Voldemort was a strong villain.
Secondly, because villains have a reason for existing. Darth Vader. Voldemort. Thanos. The Joker. And it’s this “reason for existing”, that in the world of marketing, manifests into the real human problem we need to identify and then, solve for. And understanding this “reason for existing” necessitates getting the problem to confess its truth. Imagine your problem – the villain – to be sitting on a chair in front of you. Now, imagine you’re an interrogator. You must interrogate the problem.
Use the “Why” technique
Ask Why. A lot. Why? (ha!) Because it gets you to the “naked problem”. Here’s a case study on problem identification – not from our field. The Lincoln Memorial. We’ve all heard of it or seen it. There was a time it began to deteriorate. Client problem! Instead of jumping on that as THE problem, they dug deep to find the “naked problem”.
Why is the memorial deteriorating faster? Because it gets washed more often.
Why does it get washed more often? Because it has more bird droppings.
Why does it have more bird droppings? Because more birds tend to be attracted to it.
Why are more birds attracted to it? Because it has more insects.
Why does it have more insects? Because
they are attracted by the lights that turn on every evening.
Naked problem identified. So, they turned the lights on later and got an immediate 85% decrease in bird droppings.
Now, workshop mode on
Your client, “Gotham City”, comes to you with a problem: “The Joker is a new villain who is terrorising Gotham City.” What’s your naked problem? Try this.
Why? Because The Joker wants to destabilise Gotham City.
Why? Because he loves anarchy and chaos.
Why? Because he desires attention.
Why? Because feels alone and needs someone.
A confession.
Solution: The Batman. A symbol of order and justice. The one who gives the Joker a worthy opponent that gets The Joker and beats him. Remember Heath Ledger’s “you complete me”? 😉
Next, do you remember Channel 4’s iconic Paralympics film and campaign, titled “Meet the Superheroes”. The very first one of the series? Yeah? It was epic! If not, do YouTube it. The client’s problem was: “The Paralympic games have low viewership. We need to increase viewership.”
Why? Paralympic games have low viewership.
Why? Because they have low fanfare.
Why? Because it’s not enjoyable to watch people with disabilities compete for a medal.
Why? Because they are seen as pity parties.
Problems that confess
So, there is a problem in creativity because we don’t spend enough time and effort on the problem when it comes to our creativity.
Think of it as “the villain”. Get it to confess its truth. And we’ll start to create work that does build a real connection.
By Tahaab Rais, Chief Strategy Officer, Publicis Groupe MENAT
