Happy Friday, everyone!
Here is this week's poll question:
You're working on writing an ad, but the ideas aren't coming. How do you break out of writer's block?
Looking forward to reading your replies!
I KEEP A FILE BOX WITH HUNDREDS OF COMMERCIALS THAT WERE ONCE
PUBLISHED ON THE BACK OF RADIO INK MAGAZINE. I SAVED THEM OVER
12 YEARS...AND NOW HAVE A SUPER TICKLE FILE TO GO TO TO GET THE CREATIVE
JUICES GOING.
GEORGE B.
MIDWESTERN BROADCASTING
TRAVERSE CITY, MI
I'll never forget a seminar I attended MANY years ago when the presenter said "If you need to be creative, you need to be in the right side of your brain. So get up and shake your left arm around to stimulate the right side of your brain. In fact, do anything with your left side and that will trigger your "right" brain." I have never forgotten those words and it does work for me!And since I believe this works for me, it truly does! Adversely, if you need to be "analytical", try doing just the opposite as the left side of the brain is the analytical side. Hope this helps and happy creating!
I sit at the corner booth of my favorite coffeeshop with a cup of whatever their flavor-of-the-day is and a legal pad. The change of scenery and being out of the constant hum of the office usually lets me get several ideas on paper.
I just walk around for a minute -- then start going through old scripts for ideas... I love to write copy -- the more unique the better... My customers seem to like that. The other thing, because I love to create copy, it's usually something I look forward to. Finally, IF I can put myself in the spot (example: Cancer treatment) I do so... My customers seem to appreciate personal.
Fortunately it doesn't happen often but does happen at times. If I'm stuck for an idea, it's normally because I don't have enough information which is the result of not asking the right questions. The other way I break out of a block is to write a silly commercial that would never go on the air! Not only helps break the dam, but when a client has a sense of humor, they enjoy the craziness as well.
I do some of what others here have listed - walk around, think up silly ideas. I also will look up scripts or production online, at RAB and other sources we have on unrelated businesses to look for a seed of an idea that could be developed for what I am writing, e.g., I have, in the past, found such a seed in a Mexican Restaurant RAB script that I ended up using for a car dealer event.
Funny -- I've pulled ideas for car wash spots off of beer commercials.... Just a spark here and there.
I head to the internet. If that particular client doesn't have a website, I google whatever they're selling, offering, whatever. I check comparable websites. For instance, if I'm writing an ad for an exclusive boutique, I google "most exclusive boutiques in the U. S.)...and get ideas from other websites. After over 40 years of this, I still get writers block occasionally. All it takes is an opening sentence to get the juices flowing!
