Idea Generation Techniques: A Review and Analysis of Its Use in the Spanish Advertising Agencies

Abstract

The idea generation techniques are tools which are aimed at solving problems of various kinds, being considered as instruments that encourage the creative potential of people with the goal of generating many ideas in a short period of time. This paper reviews the main techniques for generating ideas applied in the field of advertising and analyzes the degree of knowledge and usage of them by professionals from Spanish advertising agencies. In order to do this, fifteen techniques were reviewed and twenty-two interviews were made. The vast majority of respondents know several techniques and agree about their usefulness in greater or lesser degree, with brainstorming as the quintessential technique. Although the degree of use is high and diverse, advertising creatives prefer, in many cases, to use their own methods which, however, are related to the most known techniques.