Creative Brainstorming and Ideation

Overview

This skill covers how B2B marketers can generate better creative ideas, run more effective brainstorming sessions, and build habits that produce original, attention-worthy work. All practices are sourced exclusively from guests on the Exit Five podcast. No general marketing knowledge has been added.

Building an Ideation Habit

Maintain a running list of bad and crazy ideas. Keep a list in your phone or notes app of 50–100 unconventional, bad, or outrageous ideas for getting attention. The goal is volume and explicit permission to be bad — most ideas will be unusable, but 1–2 actionable ones will surface. Prefer scrappy, low-cost execution over expensive production. This is a deliberate practice to counteract the default toward safe, boring marketing. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #316)

Use physical movement as a primary ideation tool. When stuck on messaging or creative problems, take a run or walk instead of grinding at your desk. Ideas flow more naturally during movement than during forced brainstorming sessions. Capture ideas via voice memo during or immediately after movement. (Source: Emma Stratton, Episode #295)

Use handwriting and physical paper for early-stage thinking. Write out problems on paper or a whiteboard before moving to digital tools. Handwriting engages the brain differently than typing and produces more free-flowing, less structured thinking. Use paper for prep notes, brainstorming, and initial drafts. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #295)

AI-Assisted Ideation

Use AI as a brainstorming partner to accelerate project starts. Start every project by using AI (such as ChatGPT) to generate initial ideas, frameworks, and directions. Rather than waiting for perfect human-generated ideas, use AI to quickly explore multiple angles and get unstuck. Treat AI as a tool to enhance your thinking, not as a replacement for human judgment and creativity. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #307)

Use AI to generate rough versions of creative concepts on day one. Instead of spending weeks creating mockups and pitch decks to sell ideas internally, use AI tools to produce rough versions of your concept immediately. This shifts the process from "sell the idea first, then execute" to "start creating and iterate." Rough AI-generated versions reduce the need for extensive pre-production presentations and accelerate the path from concept to final execution. (Source: Vicente, Episode #345)

(Note: Both AI-assisted practices above are contested — see Where Experts Disagree.)

Brainstorm Facilitation and Structure

Before running a brainstorm, verify participants and constraints. Check two things before any brainstorming session: (1) Do you have the right people in the room? If you're solving a customer problem, include people who actually talk to customers, not just internal teams. (2) Are the constraints explicit? Be clear about whether this is true blue-sky thinking (no budget, location, or headcount limits) or whether real constraints apply. Unclear constraints cause ideas to be shot down, which is demoralizing. Unclear participant selection produces ideas disconnected from reality. (Source: Ashley Faus, Episode #264)

Start brainstorms with a worst-solution exercise. Open a brainstorming session by asking: "What's the worst way to solve this problem?" Give everyone a few minutes to write down the absolute worst ideas on a whiteboard or shared doc. This breaks the ice, signals that there are no dumb ideas, and reduces fear of judgment. It also surfaces insights by inverting the problem — the worst-case scenario often reveals what the real solution needs to address. (Source: Ashley Faus, Episode #264)

Run an internal "Shark Tank Day" to surface and prioritize big ideas. Host a structured idea-generation event where marketing team members pitch big ideas requiring cross-functional involvement or significant budget. Assemble a panel of "sharks" that includes internal leadership (for budget buy-in) and people who represent your buyer personas (for market validation). Give pitchers a time limit, have sharks ask questions in character, and offer prizes to winners. This surfaces ideas that might otherwise stay buried, creates team engagement, and removes fear around proposing ambitious ideas by framing it as a game. (Source: Sylvia LePoidevin, Episode #306)

Frameworks for Finding Creative Conflict

Use the Rectangle Framework to identify and introduce conflict in copy. Draw a rectangle and divide it down the middle. Place one idea or position on the left. Place something diametrically opposed to it on the right. Use this visual exercise when brainstorming headlines, ad copy, or positioning statements to make conflict visible and actionable. Examples: "We're not Steve Jobs" (left) vs. "We're modest" (right). This framework helps you find tension, which is the engine of attention-generating creative work. (Source: Harry Dry, Episode #303)

Where Experts Disagree

Should you brainstorm ideas immediately or give yourself days to incubate first?

The disagreement: Two distinct positions exist on when to start generating ideas — and notably, the same guest (Dave Gerhardt) has argued both sides in different episodes.

Position A: Start generating ideas immediately, using AI as a brainstorming partner.

Supporters: Vicente (Episode #345), Dave Gerhardt (Episode #307) Support summary: 2 vs. 1

Vicente argues that AI tools allow you to generate rough versions of your concept on day one, fundamentally shifting the creative process from "sell the idea first, then execute" to "start creating immediately and iterate." (Source: Vicente, Episode #345)

Dave Gerhardt (Episode #307) recommended starting every project by using AI as a brainstorming partner to quickly explore multiple angles and get unstuck, rather than waiting for perfect human-generated ideas to emerge. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #307)

Position B: Do not brainstorm on the spot — give yourself 2–3 days to incubate first.

Supporters: Dave Gerhardt (Episode #295) Support summary: 1 vs. 2

Dave Gerhardt (Episode #295) explicitly stated that when asked for ideas in a meeting, you should not expect to generate good ones immediately. Instead, have a conversation about the problem, then give yourself 2–3 days (or longer) to think about it away from your desk. Ideas come when you're not forcing them, and good creative work requires protected incubation time. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #295)

Context dependency: This is partially context-dependent. Immediate AI-assisted ideation may suit execution-heavy or time-pressured projects, while delayed incubation may suit high-stakes messaging or positioning work. However, both of Dave Gerhardt's episodes frame their advice as general creative practice — not stage- or context-specific — making this a genuine tension in his own stated approach.

Trend note: Dave Gerhardt's position appears to have shifted over time. In October 2025 (Episode #295) he advocated for delayed incubation; by November 2025 (Episode #307) he was recommending immediate AI-assisted brainstorming. Vicente in April 2026 reinforces the immediate-start position. The more recent cluster of evidence favors immediate ideation, but this should not be treated as settled.

Why it matters: How a team structures its ideation process affects both speed and quality of creative output. If immediate AI-assisted brainstorming produces ideas as good as incubated ones, teams can move significantly faster. If it doesn't, rushing ideation may produce mediocre creative that wastes downstream execution resources.

What NOT To Do

Do not default to safe, boring marketing ideas. The tendency to play it safe is the primary enemy of attention-generating creative work. Deliberately building a list of bad and crazy ideas is a countermeasure to this default. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #316)

Do not run brainstorms with the wrong people in the room. If you're solving a customer problem without including people who talk to customers, the ideas generated will not be grounded in reality. (Source: Ashley Faus, Episode #264)

Do not leave constraints ambiguous in a brainstorm. Failing to specify whether a session is blue-sky or constrained leads to ideas being shot down mid-session, which demoralizes participants and shuts down creative risk-taking. (Source: Ashley Faus, Episode #264)

Do not treat AI as a replacement for human judgment. AI is a tool to accelerate and enhance thinking, not to substitute for it. Human judgment and creativity remain essential to refining and evaluating AI-generated output. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #307)

Do not expect to force ideas at your desk when stuck. Grinding at a computer during a creative block is less productive than taking a walk or run and capturing ideas via voice memo. (Source: Emma Stratton, Episode #295)

Sources