Whenever faced with a well-defined task, such as coming up with an idea for a launch event or photocall, establish a Creative Range. Pose what is called ‘the Safe Bet’ question: ‘What is the very least, the safest, most conservative idea we could use?’ Then ask yourself a second question: ‘What is the most outrageous idea we could have here to solve the problem?’ so as to create the Extreme Option.

By posing these two questions, you have created the initial limiting parameters of the available creative options. This can be visualized as a line (see Figure 5.1) with, at one end, the Safe Bet Option and at the other end the Extreme Option, the space between providing the Creative Range of the situation. Then ask: ‘What further ideas can I come up with here?’ and go on to note all the ideas that come to mind. And to start with, just write down the first thought that comes to mind for the Extreme Option; while you think up further ideas, even more outrageous ideas may emerge.

By establishing the Creative Range, you are immediately taking the pressure off yourself in that, first, at the very least you have a safe option to fall back on, and second and more importantly, you are harnessing the incremental nature of the creative process. You are not looking for elusive Big Ideas, but rather small ideas to fit within the Creative Range. This also helps to suspend judgement because you are not automatically screening every idea but merely filling in the Creative Range.

I once met a man who claimed to have written the copy for the Consulate menthol cigarette advert, which had a slogan, ‘Cool as a mountain stream’. I asked him how he came to think of this idea. He replied: ‘I just thought of what is the opposite of a horrible, smelly cigarette, and I came up with a vision of a mountain stream.’ By establishing the Creative Range you are not only helping to provide a platform for your creative thought process, you may also generate an extreme idea, which in itself could provide the solution to the task.