What makes an idea bad, good or great?
And how do you spot the difference?
It’s a subjective business, unlike being an accountant there’s no one correct answer (I mean regular accountants not those sneaky creative accountants looking for the tax loophole).
One thing that often happens when people try and deal with the artsy-fartsy creative stuff, is a heavy-handed use of logic.
But the brain’s an amazing thing.
If you know the brief, audience, product, brand and the ask inside out then the subconscious is always working away.
Letting you know when something is great without over-thinking it.
It’s something you actually see happening in creative reviews all of the time.
People have a gut reaction to a great piece of work when they first see it.
Warmth, relief, laughter, smiles.
That’s the subconscious saying this is brilliant. It’s logically sorted all the info you’ve put in and the reaction has come because it knows all those brief, product or ask boxes have been ticked. In the same way a punchline to a joke feels completely right after the journey towards it.
Then the idea is discussed, discussed, discussed, discussed then discussed a bit more… doubts appear, the first reaction is forgotten and something great is ruled out.
Creatives trust the reaction first, they know it’s coming from the subconscious. The place that’s working away and creating the best ideas.
Maybe it can also be the place the best sign-offs come from too.
But remember, the reaction can work the other way too.
If the creatives love an idea but the reaction’s flat when you show it in the review, really look at it and ask ‘Why did it get that response?’.
Sometimes the work’s not as great as you thought, other times you might not have sold it well or there could be an issue you’ve missed that’s possible to fix.
It’s always worth listening to and understanding that first response. Good or bad.
