There are lots of acronyms and clever concepts that go with
marketing tips and tricks. Many appear in blogs just like this one. However, I
recently stumbled upon a concept that is mentioned almost in passing by Howie
Cohen, the copywriter behind Alka Seltzer’s “I Can’t Believe I Ate the Whole
Thing” campaign from 1972. The concept of “The Four ‘I’s of Creativity” appears
to be his own (it doesn’t show up anywhere else on Google), and it is worth
examining in greater detail.
Cohen characterizes his process of intuition, information,
incubation, and inspiration at 4:38 in this video:
This concept resonated with me immediately because it codifies
the professionalism and process that validates what a creative professional is
worth. People rarely question legal fees because they are supported by a
lawyer’s education, experience and skill – but the work of a creative
professional is equally skilled, and informed by ability, experience and
insight.
Cohen’s process also resonated with me because it reflects
how I work with creative problems – particularly when it comes to creatively
solving and/or articulating a business challenge, whether it is defining the
core essence of a brand, mapping out a strategic plan, or defining key
messages, mission statements and copy. This is how the “Four ‘I’s” are employed
when I work with clients:
1.
Intuition: We have a strong general idea of what
a brand/business challenge represents and/or needs, and we have a strong sense
of who the target audience is, but we need to unwrap it and study it in much
greater detail.
2.
Information: We gather as much information and
intelligence as possible that will support solutions to our business challenge.
Decisions are easiest to make when you have the accurate information you need to
guide your judgment.
3.
Incubation: This is the core of creative talent
and expertise – the ability to season and simmer the “creative soup” to reveal
the core elements, to get to what is most compelling and relevant.
4.
Inspiration: This is where “the idea” appears – the
fully formed, resonant, and accurate idea that is the culmination of the art
and science of creative communications. “The idea” tells the full and complete
story in a manner that is simple, concise, accurate, and interesting.
Near the end of this video, Cohen also notes (with complete
nonchalance), “an ounce of emotion is worth a pound of facts”. This is the core
of concise communications: pounds of facts are great, but they can also be time-consuming
and boring. A concise creative solution to a big business problem exists – but
you may need to employ the skill and experience of a creative professional to
pull your “idea” out of the ether.
