How to get Marketing Ideas

I recently I took part in discussion to come up with some marketing ideas.  However, on this occasion I was a participant rather than a facilitator.  As a facilitator I look to make the ‘process’ work, whereas as a participant, I was more interested in the results. 

I was also able to observe somebody else managing the process, and I learned something useful.

We were a group of about six volunteers, all keen to help.  The leader went through the background to the meeting and outlined what we needed and we came up with a list of useful ideas.  But I noticed that we never managed to take the step from ‘useful’ to ‘imaginative’ ideas.  We seemed to be held back by the original context - and the youngest member of the group never said a word.  This is what I noticed;

* If you don’t ask for imaginative ideas, you are unlikely to get any.  In a group setting, most people stick to ‘safe’.
* To get imaginative ideas, you need to go ‘off piste’.  But you need to get people to agree to it.  Ask permission, some people are reluctant to go without a good reason.
* Being a facilitator is a bit like being a good manager, you have to encourage people and give them room to succeed, help them to do more than they think they can.
* Avoid practicality or detail – keep that for the implementation stage.