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• Inspiration - The BrainStorm Culture and DNA



• A word from the BRAIN part of the STORM



• Creatively Speaking - How to inspire desire



• Cost Savings - A Western Philosophy



• Targeted Direct Marketing at BSG - A History of Redemption



• Excuse me, do you speak French?



• Justifiably Online



• I Wish I'd Done That



• What is your website telling the world?



• Tailor your site to strengthen your brand



• Online support can take the pinch out of picking a bra

Creatively Speaking - How to inspire desire.
By Dorothy McMillan - The BrainStorm Group

The BrainStorm Philosophy

We are the BrainStorm Group. And its more than just a name, it's the driving philosophy around how we work and create ideas that solve communication problems. We start with understanding you so that we can create messages based on insight that makes you different; that resonates with your customers; told where your customers are found; makes your brand top of mind; and most importantly makes the cash register ring. These days you can't sell anyone anything. But you can create a desire for them to buy. Creating that desire is the tricky part. It's not scientific and there are no formulas, but it does involve introducing a unique perspective to your audience that can be both rational and emotional. But they aren't always equal parts. There may not be a rational reason to spend $120k for a Porsche, but plenty of people have the pure emotional joy of having one parked in their driveway.

The BrainStorm Sessions.

BrainStorm sessions get everyone on the same page. They help us build the strategy that will become the backbone of everything we do. Getting there means discarding the traditional agency model and the conventional thinking that comes with it. Like a lot of smart companies out there, we do our homework first. We read, we investigate, we interview, we probe, and we ask a lot of questions. But unlike a lot of agencies, we don't disappear into a back room, talk among ourselves and emerge weeks later with conclusions created in a vacuum.

Instead, we BrainStorm. We take our findings and throw them on the table. We step back and look at the big picture. We invite our clients to be active participants during these sessions. It's an opportunity for them to give us their insight, knowledge and gut feelings, as well as hear ours. It lets them see how we think on our feet. How we approach problems. How we view their world, and how those views begin to take shape as big ideas. And most importantly, it allows them to have equity in the positioning of their brand. A positioning that will grow and expand as the brand evolves.

The BrainStorm Briefs

From our initial brainstorm sessions come insights. Insights that help us develop strong positioning and creative briefs. Our briefs act as roadmaps. From media planner to copywriter, they help us stay focused on the developmental path of the brand. Its personality, its voice, its strengths and weaknesses, as well as the competitive environment it must live and thrive in. These briefs help us get to the big idea. Getting to the big idea is not a science. There is no formula. However, by creating and following the steps involved in our brainstorm sessions, and using that insight to set the foundation, we increase our success of getting there quicker. Being on the front end of the curve, while the playing field is still up for grabs. Where a big idea can take root, make a difference, move the needle, change the competitive landscape and eventually, the way the world thinks about your brand.