Imagineering

ACTIVE
ABC-process Analysis
Brooding
Creation
Imagineering – Diane
Nijs & Frank Peters

Creativity in Business
Igor Byttebier &
Ramon Vullings
Imagineering | Creativity in Business
Table of Content
Imagineering Chapter 2: Experience, Emotion and Purchasing & Consumption Behavior 3
2.10 Experience Providers 3
2.11 Summary: Imagineering as an Integral Approach to the Experience 3
Knowledge Clips ACTIVE 4
Knowledge Clip ABC-process 5
Analysis 6
Brooding 6
Co-creation 6
Creativity in Business 7
Chapter 2: A Creative Mind 7
Chapter 3: The Creative Process 8
Chapter 4: The Starting Phase 9
Chapter 5: The Diverging Phase 11
Chapter 6: The Converging Phase 12

Imagineering | Creativity in Business

Imagineering Chapter 2: Experience, Emotion and Purchasing & Consumption
Behavior
2.10 Experience Providers
Schmitt: experience providers/expos achieve a more detailed spectrum of instruments
1. Internal and external communication flyers and brochures
2. Visual and verbal identify brand/product name and logo
3. Instrumental characteristics design, packaging and material
4. Co-branding marketing, sponsoring and licensing

Experience providers:
- Communications - Spatial - Visual/verbal
- People environments identity and signage
- Websites and - Co-branding
electronic media - Product

Co-creation: the network from where the concept development takes place. The psychical environment
(buildings and shops)

Schmitt has combined his Strategic Experiential Modules with the Expros into an Experiential Grid.

If we rate websites among the communication instrument, the building blocks of the experience.
- Identity - Physical purchasing and consumption
- Partnerships environment
- Products and packages - Personnel
- Communication

2.11 Summary: Imagineering as an Integral Approach to the Experience

Experiences are memorable and personal and have an influence on the consumer’s state of mind.
Experience distinguish themselves from services in the service economy. Interaction with customers is
focused on finding a solution to their problems. Models show that there is a relationship between
experience and emotion, and that emotions influences the brand attitude, purchasing-, and behavior.

Marketeers still give attention to communication as a separate element of the marketing mix.
Imagineering is about thinking in experiences instead of products. “Price policy”, consumer does not
mind to pay for memorable experience.

Sticky Yellow:
- An experience is memorable and very personal
- Experiences emerge in a combine’s action of the personal, social and physical context
- Experiences touch the consumer emotionally, physically, intellectually, or even spiritually
- Experience and emotion affect the brand attitude, purchasing behavior-, and consumption
behavior
- Because experience and emotion are subject to mood, states, they need to be directed,
orchestrated
- Imagineers don’t think in terms of productions, but in terms of experiences

Imagineering | Creativity in Business

 - The imagineer’s set of instruments consists of: identity, partnerships, products and packaging,
physical purchasing- and consumption environment, personnel and communication
- These building blocks of the experience need to be filled in in an integrated, concept-based
manner

Knowledge Clips ACTIVE

Imagineering focusses right side of the brain: creativity

We use imagineering as a design method to create meaningful experiences

Operational
Tactical
Strategical

Imagineering as a perspective
ACTIVE
Appreciative
Now: the power of possibilities  look at what is possible
Future: words create worlds
Creating a generative image for where you are heading
Co-creative
Involve other people
People support what they create themselves
Transformative
Changing the status quo  sustainable for example
Post-it day: use post it’s as compliments
Innovative
1. Using the right side of the brain  creative
2. Speaking to the imagination of people  more committed, enthusiastic
Values based
Values determine actions, behavior, support and commitment
The connection will be more powerful
Experience focused
Experiences lead to positive emotions, long lasting impressions, commitment and change

So, HOW can we “measure” when something is active?

 imagineering energy field

Imagineering | Creativity in Business

Knowledge Clip ABC-process
ABCDEF-Cycle of Imagineering
Analysis
Brooding
Creation
Design
Exchange
Follow-up

Analysis  you need to have information on the topic

1. Supply level
Micro: topic of the imagineering process commissioner or company
Meso: related fields, competition
Macro: national and international trends DESTEP
Demographical
Ecological
Sociological
Technical
Ecological
Political
2. Demand level
Information of the target group
Demographical
Lifestyle
Needs
Motives
VALUES
Brooding
Finish your analysis by looking for “Golden Nuggets” (Unique Pieces of information that speak to the
imagination and that could be the starting point for a vision/concept.
 us mind maps

Creation
Using the right side of the brain. Vision + Concept (= working principle)

Design
Designing the product and the experience  detailed

Exchange
In the experience design of the imagineering the Experience Platform is crucial (between consumer
and company).
Interaction
Dialogue
Feedback
Co-creating with the target group

Follow-up
Look at which part you can improve.

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Analysis
Supply, demand and research!
Phase 1: visitor journey
Organize a number of volunteers who visit the event as mystery guest. And let them write a personal
story of the pre-, direct- and post-exposure  visitor journey. Let them write down the positive and
negative experiences.

Collect and analyze all the experiences, translate them into “visitor dilemmas” (Music festival vs nice
day out).

Phase 2: Design Session

Invite stakeholders to make an imaginary visitor journey to their own event. The strategic visitor
dilemmas are presented and similarities and dissimilates are discussed. A dialogue on possible
changed and innovation for the future is created.

Brooding
Outside the box, creative techniques and visual thinking
Logic vs creative thinking.
5 main skills
1. Good observation
2. Associative thinking
3. Development of imagination
4. Delay of judgement
5. To diverge / think in alternatives

Start  diverge  converge

Best preconditions many ideas choosing best ideas
creadox: choose something
new

Co-creation
Vision and concept
In the analysis and brooding phase, you have gained lots of information about the supply and demand.

Search for vision.

Preliminary vision:
- Our target group is as follows…
- Relevant trends and developments are…
- The demand in the sector is…
- Problems in the industry are…
- And therefore, the preliminary vision is…

Higher goal: why do we exist?

Audacious goal: where do we go to?
Core qualities: what are we good at?
Core values: what do we stand for?

Start puzzling for a compact, catchy and transparent vision.

Check 1: Amdra Criteria Check 2:
Ambitious Is it clear and challenging?
Motivating Can people picture it?
Distinctive Is it futureproof?
Relevant Does it work?
Authentic Does it lead to a one-liner?

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Creativity in Business

Chapter 2: A Creative Mind

Definitions
Thinking = Processing Information
Thought patterns are clusters of data that we recognize as clusters and that we will store if and when
they generate success. Experience is the sum of all the patterns and habits we have acquired in the
past. And when something is not working you’ll try another way. If after a while it works, you will
remember and apply it again until it becomes a habit.

Your thought system recognizes successful patterns, remembers then and offers them up ready to use
at the right moment. That is why pattern-breaking thinking (creative thinking) isn’t treated in a
preferential way by nature. But it is something that we can learn.

Signals in your brain can take the existing tracks but they can also create new connections.

Creative thinking is made up of different attitudes, thinking skills and techniques, and thought
processes that increase the probability of pattern breaking and the creation of new connections in our
brain.

Basic Creative Skills

5 basic skills:
1. Creative perception
We trust our perception in order to explore the world but reality can change when
perception changes. For example, a painting with more than one meaning. Creative
perception is recognizing tendencies in your own perception and setting yourself free
from these.
2. Postponing judgement
There are three levels, which are not always distinguishable from each other.
Judgement 1: generally, happens subconsciously
Have I notices the conversation? Can I place it? Do I understand?
Judgement 2: I explore the new idea
I reflect on it and gauge the consequences. Do I find this information
relevant?
Judgement 3: I will use this information later, or not
I choose this or I reject it.
When there is a new idea, you don’t need to fully understand.
3. Flexible association
Association is when one thought generates another: “this makes me think of…” We
have associations, when these are repeated, it strengthens this pathway and it will
grow stronger. This means that the association will occur more quickly and easily later
on.
“Disociation” / pattern breaking: avoid an obvious track.
“Resociation” / linking back: make new connections
4. Diverging
The first ideas are based on common sense. When diverging you automatically reach
the limits of what you can spontaneously think of and go beyond them. Remember:
new ideas don’t it into your existing thought patterns, so it can be hard.
5. Developing imagination
Imagination is the capacity to represent in the mind something that cannot be seen at
that moment. By enhancing our imaginative skills, we can learn to make better use of

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 this information resource. The imagination works faster than verbal language; “a
picture is a thousand words”. When you are working with images, you’re always close
to your emotions.

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Chapter 3: The Creative Process
There are three phases:
1. Starting phase
2. Diverging phase
3. Converging phase

Starting Phase
Formulate your goal in order to obtain an optimal creative result and recognize
the difference between problems that are best handles with creativity and others that are not.

Diverging Phase
Generating new ideas. This can be done by logical thinking but also breaking patterns. Some need the
use of imaginative skills, how to trust your intuition. Your always surrounded with solutions to your
problem once you have found the right state of mind.

Converging phase
How do you transform a lot of ideas into the best solution?

Creative process
Starting phase: look at items on the ground and analyze them. Structured and organized.
Diverging phase: wind blows, blowing old structures away.
Converging phase: looking at renewed structure.

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Chapter 4: The Starting Phase
Starting and Getting Started
The stimulus to come up with new ideas can originate from yourself. The environment can be a trigger
too, for example the consumer wants something different. You might be confronted with something
that catches your attention and what you want to change.

Problems and Opportunities

You have a problem when:
- You are not satisfied with the current situation
Problem arising from a feeling: for example, dissatisfaction
- You don’t have an immediate answer to how you can improve the situation
Distinction between a problem and a task: you tackle the task and solve the problem

Without dissatisfaction, we are less inclined to improve existing situations. We take existing situation
for granted without even notices that the “here and now” can be improved. An opportunity only exists
if somebody can see it. We are constantly surrounded by opportunities when there are problems we
can start scouting for opportunities.

Starting Consciously
In certain situations, it is useful to take a closer look at the starting phase, this is handy for complex
subjects/don’t know what to obtain. The exploration circle is good to use to get to know this. It
considers 3 angles: feel, think and want.

The Exploration Circle

Feel: considers what you feel about the subject NOW and your relation to it
- How do I feel at this moment?
- Do I have time for this subject?
Think: mainly concerns the subject
- Do we have all of the information?
- Who is the problem owner?
Want: mainly concerns yourself and the future
- Do I want to invest energy in this?
- How important is it?
- Am I in a creative mood?
- Do I feel like going for it?
- What is the underlying goal?
- Do we have enough time?
- Do I feel comfortable with these
activities?
- Does this fit into the image?

A Suitable Subject for Creativity?

Creativity cannot solve all problems, it can at least contribute to finding solutions, but not always to
the same extent. New ideas do not make a difference:
- When we don’t fully understand the - If the solution is already obvious, but
subject we can’t realize it
- If the ideas exist but we cannot make a - If we estimate that the subject is not
choice important

What is missing sometimes is not ideas but the necessary:

Vision to explore future possibilities and “image” the improved reality
Information to understand the circumstances or to make concrete choices
Motivation to tackle the problem
Courage to make necessary but unpleasant decisions
Competence to lead a complex process to a satisfactory result

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Analytical Questions
Is the subject clear? Have we asked the right questions?
By reformulating the problem, you can find out how clear the issue is and if the problem really
is the problem.
Do we have access to the relevant data?
Otherwise the wrong problem might be tackled and it can be difficult to make a choice.

Who is the problem owner?

A real problem owner is concerned, committed, competent and capable.
Concerned: emotionally involved Competent: authorize to tackle it
Committed: willing to tackle the Capable: necessary skills to tackle it
problem

Do we have enough time to deal with this problem?

Some companies consider creativity as something that can be done between normal activities
such as lunch. Creative process needs enough time to give a good quality result.

The Starting Formulation

What is the best way to formulate your goal at the beginning of the diverging phase, some rules can
help.

State the goal in one sentence

Focus to make a choice about how to approach the problem

Don’t formulate in broad or general terms but maintain a concrete focus

A problem may be divided into serval partial problems. It is better to deal with partial
problems separately or to tackle the most striking problem first.

Mention the problem owner in the formulation

Some problems have several owners

A question that starts with “how” or “create” invites new ideas

The best way to start is: how can we… or create (design/come up with) …
How question: focusses on the way to want to accomplish things
The create phrase: focuses on the final result

Find a challenging and attractive formulation for your goal

That generates energy and enthusiasm a group needs to reach the goal.

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Chapter 5: The Diverging Phase
Diverging Towards a Whole Range of Ideas…
Trying to find as many ideas as possible for a problem or objective.

First Round, Second Round

Create a kind of ideation space in the mind with room for fun, experiment and fantasy. Postponing
judgement is crucial in the diverging phase. There are two rounds; in the first you should express all
the ideas you spontaneously come up with. There will be a point that you cannot add any more ideas,
then you have reached the limits of your spontaneous imagination. Next you can start the second
round which increases the quantity and innovative power of your ideas.

Diverging Techniques
Techniques:
- Presuppositions
- Direct analogy
- Superhero
- Personal analogy
- Random situation
- Free incubation
- Guided imagery

They all have two important thinking activities: estrangement and resociation.
Estrangement: your conscious attention is no longer focused on the problems/objective. But your
direct attention towards an element/situation unrelated to the problem

Resociating: conscious thought activity which forces a return from that element/situation towards the
problem/objective.

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Chapter 6: The Converging Phase
Converging is about recognizing which ideas have potential. Skills: focus and making choices.

Choosing, Developing, Activating

You will choose the ideas, develop them and devise ways to put the concepts to practice.

Choose: what to choose and how because there are many ideas. Focus first before you choose. When
we are dealing with rational innovation, there are few or no objective facts available in our minds to
work with. Be aware of de creadox: you want something new but select the most familiar idea. Think
of differences between the ideas.

Technique 1: The COCD Box (Centre of Development of Creative

Thinking)
Two criterial: degree of innovations and feasibility. Blue ideas: normal and
simple ideas. Red ideas: innovative but will cause troubles. Yellow ideas:
fantasy world.

How to communicate the blue, red and yellow ideas?

Yellow idea: potential examined first
Red idea: excite the listener and be persuasive
Blue idea: implementation plan

Technique 2: Hits per Target Group

When there are several groups, the participants can have a sticker of a color. They can place the sticker
next to the ideas, the preferences are shown between sub-groups. Use is when the commitment of
several groups is very important to the development of an idea. Three factors of measuring the
possible success of an idea:
- The quality of the idea
- The quality of the person/team who will realize the idea
- The degree of commitment of these people

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