These brand story ideas are used during brainstorming sessions to reframe problems and discover useful solutions.

To see the ideas in action, think of a specific brand story challenge you’re facing. It could be about getting your audience more engaged, finding a unique angle, or communicating a message differently.

Once you’ve selected a problem, use the ideas to generate as many solutions as possible. Let me know how it goes, and, more importantly, have fun.

 

I _ What’s one memory from your life that can be applied to this problem?
Think back to an experience you had and what you did that is relevant to the issue.

II _ If you had unlimited resources, what would the solution look like?
Forget about all the limitations and go wild!

III _ What would your favourite author do?
Slip into their shoes and imagine what they’d do.

IV _ What would make the problem worse?
Think of an undesirable outcome and consider the opposite.

V _ What if the solution was described with sensory detail?
Explore the sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste.

VI _ What would the reader expect the solution to be?
Place yourself in the reader’s position and consider what they might want to see happen.

VII _ What if it was a Shakespearean tragedy?
From betrayal to the death of star-crossed lovers. Think of how it’d look like if you applied this to your story.

VIII _ What if the solution brings people together?
The human connection comes at the best and worst times. Think of a cause that brings them together.

IX _ What is the craziest solution you can think of right now?
Forget about being safe. Break the boundaries.

X _ Ask ten people to give you two solutions each; what are they?
We call this feedforward — a positive and solution-focused approach.


Everybody sees a problem differently. It’s easy to get stuck when we think there’s only one way to solve it. Seeing a challenge through a different lens helps us reframe the shape of the problem into something we can efficiently work on. Consider applying convergent and divergent thinking to explore the power of ideation further and brainstorming to tell a powerful brand story.