PROBLEM: How do I personally come up with such amazing ideas?

INSIGHT: Understanding the role and purpose of process is imperative for creative problem solving and consistency.

IDEA: Document a full day of your creative process on a brand you’ve never worked on.

ROLE: Creative Director - Copy & Art, Strategy, Chef, DJ

“A Free Day of Freelance”

I recently spent a Saturday ideating and strategizing new creative ideas for the JEEP brand. I wanted to demonstrate my process and thinking to show how I approach creative problem solving. I chose an automotive brand because I don’t have much work in the category and, in Detroit, it’s kind of big. Straight from my personal research and strategy to sketchbook, storyboards and scripts, below is an intimate view inside my creative consciousness.

While digesting and understanding the creative problem and expectations, I’ll begin some basic research and understanding of the brand, product or features. From scribbles, sketches or simple notes, I’ll begin translating my train of thought to paper. Quickness over craftsmanship for now.

SKETCH BOOK:

Using my secret “Marcus Decoder Ring,” I’ll begin organizing and blending my quick scribbles and sketches into coherent write-ups fit for human consumption. This usually includes a couple sentences to explain the idea along with simple supporting visuals.

IDEA #1 - JEEP ALWAYS DELIVERS

(Weather-triggered media) :15 pre-roll / social posts or stories /

Today more than ever, we rely on the delivery of goods and services. But unlike the past, these deliveries aren’t being made with semi-trucks or delivery vans. With apps like Grubhub and Uber, everyone is a delivery driver. And when delivery is a valuable service, being able to actually deliver is invaluable. What you drive becomes even more important when others are relying on you. 

JEEPs are made to over-come even the toughest roads and weather conditions. Using these everyday deliveries, we can show off JEEPs capabilities and also take a little bit of ownership in the category. Using “weather-triggered media” tied to extreme winter conditions, JEEP will do more than just deliver the goods.

 “For anyone that’s burnt their mouth on a delivered pizza in January…  We’ll try and slow it down a bit.”

- JEEP

Scenerios:

IDEA #2 -COME OUT & PLAY

OLV / Social Posts / OLA / OLV :30 sec. / digital

A nod to a simpler time, “Can (insert name here) come out and play?” Words we longed for as a kid and have seemingly forgotten as adults. This campaign would be used as an invitation for adventure using nostalgia as a call to action. We all need a little bit more playtime in our lives, and JEEP is the perfect brand to spread the word. 

:09 Second Social Posts / OLV

Come Out & Play in the SNOW (with JEEP)

Close up of a snowboarder as he carves down a mountain. Footage goes from hyper speed to slow motion as the snowboarder cuts back and throws snow over the camera lens, This transitions the scene to show a JEEP easily driving down a road as it carves through snowy terrain.

Social Posts / Static Visuals

Using dynamic vehicle shots, we would show different models of JEEP vehicles blended into natural elements. The visual suggests that JEEP is a master of its domain, no matter where or what that is.

• Elements could include sand, snow, mud, water and concrete

:30 sec OLV Script

Open on a woman walking to her JEEP after work. She sends a text message:

Sarah: (sunset emoji) 7:35pm

A man stops and responds to a text message just before getting into his JEEP:

Scott : I’ll (bee emoji) there

Split view shows both throw their phone in a briefcase and get into their JEEP. Quick cuts back and forth show JEEP features and capabilities as the two traverse the back roads. The sun is beginning to set as the man pulls off a two-track road into a small clearing, the woman’s muddy JEEP already parked. After he parks his JEEP next to hers, we see close shots of the two setting up a hammock. They connect each end to the other JEEP. The camera pans back as we see the young couple and their JEEPS silhouetted in the beautiful sunset. 

VO: JEEP. Come Out & Play

END FRAME

COME OUT & PLAY POSTCARDS

Partner with national parks and design postcards to send to JEEP owners encouraging them to visit their local national park. 

INSTAGRAM:

Create stickers and graphics that encourages people to create and send a postcard to friends through their instagram stories that invite them to take a walk in the park, go for a swim or other outside activities.

• Create visual templates of generic postcards to upload to JEEPs instagram stories. Give directions and encourage people to customize the templates (add a friends name or handle, activity emojis etc..) and share through the app to encourage social dialogue and participation.

Post cards would be humorous and reflect modern social habits. But always end with “Come Out & Play)

      - “Hello from downstairs…”

      - “Greetings from right across the hall…”

      - “howdy from the next cubicle…”

IDEA #3 -JEEP.O.V.

:15 pre-roll / social posts or stories /

JEEP owners have a unique outlook on life and so by default, so do their JEEPs. This series would use “point of view” footage from the JEEP's perspective to showcase their owners adventures. Through quick cuts (to show the elapse of time and distance), the viewer is lead outside the city streets, to the highway, through the back roads, onto two-tracks and finally pulling up to perfect hiking trail.

At the end of every spot, we would see the JEEP park at it’s destination and reveal their owners getting out to explore or start their adventure. We’ll create several small narratives to target different demographics and regions depending on media placement.

OTHER SCENARIOS:

CAMPING:

From the parking lot, through the city, past the toll roads, to the back roads and through the field to the perfect campsite with scenic view.

SURFING:

From the office parking structure, slowly through rush hour traffic (JEEP turns off to take the back road), through the back hills, and finally pulling up on the beach to the perfect surf spot.

SKI:

Backing out of the driveway, through the side streets, to the highway, up the mountains, through the back roads and to the purest ski-hill.

IDEA #4 - FLAT EARTHERS ARE RIGHT

Built to handle any and all rugged and rough terrain, JEEP vehicles literally make the world (at least) feel flat. And if JEEPs can go anywhere on four wheels, isn’t that proof itself that the world is flat?

Using some obvious satire, humor and wit, JEEP could insert themselves into the social commentary of this dialogue and ironically show off some impressive features of their vehicles at the same time.

Maybe JEEP has more in common with this group than we previously thought.

BUMPER STICKERS:

  -  FLAT EARTHER & JEEP OWNER

  -  MAKE EARTH FLAT, OWN A JEEP

RANDOM EXPERIENTIAL IDEAS:

Air BnJEEP:

Create unique Air BnB experiences that are tailored for JEEP Enthusiasts. Each experience comes complete with a JEEP rental that is already stocked and ready for adventure. Different packages would feature and align with JEEP models while also featuring outdoor adventurous activities like kayaking, rock climbing, camping etc. JEEP could also leverage some of their partnered sites to sweeten the deal (Red Rocks, Joshua Tree, Jackson Hole etc.)

JEEP COASTER:

Every ride is a ride! Driving a JEEP is a unique experience you have to experience to understand. To prove our point, we’ll create a mini-roller coaster that uses actual real 2019 JEEP (open air) vehicles as the coasters cars. The coaster will represent a mini “test-track” with cartoon graphics and visuals that identify with real world situations (hills, mountains, off-road, highway driving etc). At the end of a lap around the coaster, each driver will get the option of literally driving right off the track into a test drive.

 - Using the best in carnival technology, it would great as a traveling experience at national events.      

JEEP Arcade:

JEEP makes driving fun! So let’s have a little fun with that idea itself. We’ll recreate customized video arcade games that are all JEEP themed. The games would all be nods to the JEEP Legacy. Jurassic Park and Evil Dead games featuring JEEP vehicles from the movies, pinball games details to represent each JEEP model, even classic arcade games like pac-man and space invaders would get a JEEP makeover. Just like the classic arcades, tickets would be collected and traded in for unique JEEP prizes. Top prizes would include lifestyle/adventure trips and even offer a real 2019 JEEP if someone can redeem enough to win the top prize.

Sharing and getting constructive feedback will always help to create stronger ideas. Eliminate your ideas that are off strategy and continue to optimize and expand the ideas that are working. This also includes writing out sample scripts and having ideas ready to present.

If all else fails, flip the record, turn the PAGE & start again…

Audio, EATS & Inspiration:

Your surroundings and energy effect your creative process. Below is the soundtrack and menu that fueled my “Free Day of Freelance.”

PLAYLIST:

IGGY POP - FREE

DAVID GILMOUR - RATTLE THAT LOCK - ON AN ISLAND

KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARDS - INFEST THE RATS NEST

BARONESS - GOLD AND GRAY

MUTOID MAN - WAR MOANS

DEERHUNTER - TIMEBENDS - WHY HASN’T EVERYTHING ALREADY DISAPPEARED - FADING FRONTIER - MONOMANIA

WHITE REAPER - YOU DESERVE LOVE