Tag Archives: San Francisco

Here’s the simplest and soundest way to bang heads effectively.

For the past few months we have been writing about the perils of the Big Reveal and more effective ways to include clients in the creative process. Many of you, dear readers, have asked for help doing just that. So we thought we would share our favorite collaboration method: Edward DeBono’s Six Thinking Hats.

Six Thinking Hats, One Straightforward Goal

What: The Greeks taught us to debate issues by attacking one another’s ideas, so that only the strongest survive. But there are plenty of other ways to debate ideas. Edward DeBono’s Six Thinking Hats brainstorming technique is both simple and astonishing. By separating thinking into six dimensions or perspectives— the metaphorical “hats” — groups can be aligned to explore and vet alternative ideas in a non-confrontational, structured manner.  And like most of our favorite brainstorming techniques, it can be deployed quickly. Plus you get to wear hats. Which is always good.

When: Six Thinking Hats works best with a well defined idea/question to explore. You need a starting point that the group can agree on, otherwise you’ll quickly descend into a maelstrom of “I think we’re wasting our time here.”

Who: Groups of four to 12 are ideal.

How: Carefully sequenced and structured collective thinking. The team considers the idea/problem from the same perspective and at the same time. [Great hatters capture all the goodness on a whiteboard-Ed].

We suggest you move the group through the hats in this order:

Blue Hat: The moderator’s hat. What the Blue hat says, goes. The moderator organizes the session, sets the agenda, captures insights and enforces the code of the hats. The Blue hat starts the session and explains the rules. This is the only hat worn by a single person, who will remain the moderator throughout the session.

White Hat: The fact hat. What are the plain, simple and undeniable facts about the problem at hand? White hat thinking is often easy and fast (but it can be hard to keep speculation out). Stick to the facts and only the facts. Facts set the foundation for the later stages of informed thinking. Good White hat questions include: What do we know is true about X? How big is X? How much does X cost? How many customers does X have?

Red Hat: The emotional hat asks “How do we feel about the issue?” Giving participants permission to share their emotions about a subject is illuminating. It has the added bonus of removing anxiety by validating opinions. Be sure everyone has a chance to wear the Red hat and give voice to their gut. Ask participants to share why they feel the way they do.

Black Hat: The negative hat. Black hat thinking asks, “What is wrong with this idea?” Black hat thinking frees the group to indulge their dark side and revel in unfettered pessimism. What could go wrong? Why won’t it work? Why bother? Empty the issues and challenges out on to the whiteboard for all to see. Don’t worry about obsessive Black hat thinking scuttling the entire process. The group needs to work through negativity to see the light.

Yellow Hat: The sunny hat. The Yellow hat asks, “What makes the idea great and why will it work?” This hat  encourages a positive disposition by allowing the group to focus on benefits and positive impact. If you spend 10 minutes in Black hat thinking try and spend 15 here. Capture all the good things onto the board.

Green Hat: The “Then what happens?” hat. Closing a Six Hats session with the most optimistic of all the hats leaves participants with a strong sense of possibility. Green hat thinkers look to the future: If we introduce X what will happen next? What are the implications of this move and how will it change the world?

Next Steps: Close the session by reviewing the whiteboard and asking the group to highlight what they found stimulating or surprising. Take a snap of the whiteboard and send it to participants.

Last words: Wearing real hats makes it infinitely more merry.

To get through everyone’s ideas you’ll need at least 5 minutes per hat (anything less than 60 minutes overall is unsatisfying).

Fancy managing your own Six Thinking Hats session?  Download our handy guide here. There’s more on the creator of the hats, Dr. Edward DeBono, here.

Follow our “What If” series and join the #WhatIfMortar conversation.

So you want to sweat less in creative presentations in 2016? Here are four things you and your agency could be doing now to make creative development easier and more fun:

1.  Switch the dynamic from vendor to partner

The first thing to consider is how you think about each other.

The big reveal thrives in a client-vendor relationship.

It feeds off a competing power dynamic which sets you up as the benevolent dictator, ready to punish the imagination of your agency if they get something wrong.

Leading your agency to second-guess their position as your favored supplier.

In truth, the vendor dynamic sucks creativity out of the process and the soul out of participants. 

The best people never work for you. They work with you.

Partnership not bondage, cooperation not domination, love not war: ambitious, passionate and ongoing collaboration is the best way to unlock creative freedom and achieve a common goal.

Thinking of your agency as a partner is the best way to avoid the pain of missed big reveals.

2. Throw open the doors to new ideas

How many times have we heard it said: great ideas can come from anywhere. But does your agency actually mean it? If your agency’s idea of agency-client collaboration stops at Google Docs, read on.

Effective creative groups are built from members with an ability to think broadly together, confident that lunacy will be greeted with warmth and enthusiasm. Agencies build creative teams just like this all the time. But most Creatives remain walled-off behind the account team, separated from you by “the need to push-back” and coddled by a culture deeply suspicious of contributions from outside the creative department.

That is how the Mad Men did it. Sadly, it is still how most of our colleagues run their shops.

Given the right conditions, awesome ideas can come from anyone—yes, even the client.

Advertising is the “most fun you can have at work with your clothes on.” And while it’s the reason many of us work in agencies, there’s no reason you shouldn’t share in the fun too.

3. Your agency should fit like a glove, but not all gloves are comfy

If you have made the choice to partner with your agency, evaluating fit is essential.

At Mortar, we focus on clients that can thrive in constant and urgent collaboration. We have found that our best clients often have substantial experience with creative development—some of it gained on the agency side. Your agency may be different.

Either way, success hinges on being honest about who you can partner with, and who you can’t.

Over the last 18 months, our new focus has helped cut our client roster by almost half. Giving us the chance to focus on the clients most willing and able to collaborate.

When we work with them we can confidently throw our hearts into sharing ideas early and often.

4. Break the ice (preferably over cocktails)

Lastly, it’s up to you and your agency to break the ice.

This means being upfront about what honesty really means, about what you’re trying to achieve together and why it is so hard.

The place to start may very well be over your favorite cocktails—because partners prefer to kick things around in person, not on conference calls.

Breaking-the-ice means being clear and frank with one another, and holding one another accountable. Good partners make room for feelings (gasp) and don’t point fingers when things go awry.

Good partners are kind to one another because they share the same goals and aspirations.

And effective partnership also means instead of schmoozing you during fancy dinners, you work together in impromptu whiteboard sessions designed to squeeze your brief for hidden value and insight.

It is a simple idea: Great ideas thrive through open, honest and regular collaboration.

They shouldn’t be jammed into a box and expected to shine in the dark while they wait for their big reveal.

What do you think? Do you have the courage to change the dynamic and revel in a pool of collaborative goodness with your agency? Does your agency?

Follow our “What If” series here. Join the #WhatIfMortar conversation.

What’s that you say? Our work for Carondelet Health Network won a Gold Addy in the Out-of-Home category? Well, sheesh. We don’t know what to say. Besides a happy, humble thank you. Thank you for this irregularly shaped hunk of Plexiglas that we can’t possibly share among the 17 of us who worked on the campaign. Thank you for filling Jenni and Jonny’s stomachs with free-flowing whiskey, gin, and meatballs at the awards gala. Without your help, there’s no way we could have sat still during that 1.5-hour PowerPoint in a dark room.

45 agencies and individuals submitted nearly 300 entries in this year’s San Francisco competition, and 20 Golds were awarded. We saw a lotta good work in that presentation (though we probably didn’t need to see it three times). Our heartfelt congratulations to all the winners.

Our client Nick at Carondelet was so excited to hear the news, he jumped up and hit “Purchase” on the order of Handerpants that had been idling in his shopping cart for weeks.

Truthfully, we have no idea why Nick bought these. Unless you’re a baby octopus, or you want to draw attention by, say, being featured on your agency’s blog, we can’t think of one defensible reason for purchasing this product. We hope you’re happy, Knickerpants.

Beeteedubs: What kind of bully came up with the name “Addy”? Is that a cruel joke, giving people awards while simultaneously implying that their ads are small, inferior, or (God forbid) adorable? Ohh, look at the cute little Addy! Aren’t you a good boy?  

Just kidding. We’re beaming, on the inside and out.

Jenni, Jonny, and Awards Night Emcee. Remember when Jonny was just an overworked, underappreciated intern whom we almost kicked out onto the streets? It’s hard to believe how far he’s come (not to mention what d-bags we were).

You guys know about debt settlement, right? We’ll break it down for you, just in case: You decide you need a new suit. You buy it. Your boss decides s/he needs a shiny new Gulfstream…which means you get downsized. Suddenly, you’re awash in credit card debt. You need help. A “debt negotiator” appears. They tell you they can negotiate your nut down to pennies on the dollar. You are happy. Then you discover how the racket really works. You are sad.  First, they want a big-ass up-front fee. Then, you’re asked to fund an account that will be used to pay off your debts – yes, for pennies on the dollar – but that isn’t real helpful if you don’t have any pennies to begin with. The whole thing is a lot like high school.  Remember the 300-pound bully who used to throw you against your locker, steal your lunch money and give you a swirlie? When that 300-pound bully is your credit card company, you need a bully to bully that bully. Or at least get their attention. If you had an eagle with a knife in its mouth, you'd be all set. But we'll assume you don't. (If you do, call us, we want to check that out.)

Would like to renegotiate your repayment terms.
Also: is an eagle with a knife.

Say hello to the American Fair Credit Council.

The good people of the AFCC noticed what was going on in the debt settlement racket market, and saw an opportunity. Not the “let’s check the poor people’s couch cushions for change”-kind of opportunity, but the kind that could actually help people get a fair shake in the credit game – a game that’s patently rigged. So, they created a brand new model called “no advance fee debt settlement.” Here’s how it works: You agree to a fee. The AFCC goes to work. Your debt goes down. You pay your debt. You pay your fee. You’re free. A simple, strong idea, worthy of a simple, strong name. Which Mortar was proud to give them.

So. Even if your credit’s good, check out the American Fair Credit Council. They’re a good friend to have, in an economy where one can never have too many good friends, feathered or otherwise.