Playfully "adding and subtracting"

"SNOW," "Kurutoga," "Simeji," "Mercari," "Hajime Shacho," "comico," "Twin Coordinates," "LINE Music," "Snapchat," "TwitCasting"
Do you know what these are? If you can name them all, you're quite the expert on youth trends.

Actually, these are the top 10 entries from the "U-19 Hit Ranking" announced by Nikkei Inc. on July 29th. They surveyed 1,000 people aged 15 to 19 and analyzed their popularity. The list is full of things unfamiliar to adults, making it quite stimulating. Parents with children in this age group will likely find it especially intriguing.

In today's world of widespread social media and smartphones, while accurate information is easily and quickly accessible, we can easily become isolated from interests, values, and information from other generations. Even if you're an expert within your closed world, stepping outside can reveal your ignorance. If you become too comfortable in your own cozy world, your mind and senses can become rigid and inflexible.

When generating ideas, the key is breaking through the common sense and fixed notions ingrained within us. Continuously exposing yourself to people with different interests, values, and generations, and engaging with their topics, provides constant stimulation. This is ideal for mental maintenance. It's truly a mental workout. If the initial ten words piqued your interest, don't just let them pass by—why not look them up?

The real fun comes after flipping your mental switch on

Interacting with people from different generations is a golden opportunity for stimulation. This summer, I conducted a workshop-style class with Nagoya University students, which became a kind of mental training ground for me. The thinking of students in their teens and twenties, group discussions, and the ideas and comments that emerged—whether good or bad—were all refreshing. They made me think deeply and kept my mind flexible.

This class was initiated by Professor Hidekazu Kurimoto of the same university as part of their "Leadership Talent Development" program. Aiming to acquire and practice the communication skills essential for leaders, students take on the challenge of planning and producing a commercial with the theme "Let's promote the appeal of Nagoya University." Now in its seventh year, it continues as a summer tradition.

What I look forward to most each year is seeing the transformation in the students once their minds switch on. Perhaps it's their youth, but their potential for growth is immense. The classroom atmosphere, the ideas, and the content of their presentations all change completely.

This year, about 30 students participated in six groups of four or five. First, they individually identified "Nagoya University's appeal," then discussed it in groups. Words like "close to the station," "spacious campus," "international atmosphere," "rich facilities," "close proximity to professors," and "surrounded by nature" were listed.

Up to this point, it's the same every year. Only predictable answers that come to mind immediately are shared. Unless answers spark surprise or interest—like "Huh?" or "Really?"—the charm of Nagoya University won't resonate with others. That's when we challenge the students to shift their mindset.

"Do you genuinely believe that's appealing? Would your friends outside campus actually find that interesting? Are you just giving safe, model-student answers? This is a great chance – let's really think about it!"

Since this class often overlaps with exam periods or summer break, most students volunteer to attend. Gathering such motivated students makes this message effective, giving them a jolt of wakefulness. I press on: "Try recalling specific episodes you've experienced or felt firsthand, and think about the appeal stemming from those."

Then, to Professor Kurimoto's surprise, the students' expressions change dramatically. Their ideas and conversations become lively, and the answers they give transform. "The person next to me is Afghan," "After enrollment, I get emails saying to call professors 'san' instead of 'sensei'," "At graduation, they serve Nagoya University-produced sake"...

Each one makes you think, "What's that? Sounds interesting," and makes you want to hear more. This naturally sparks the idea of uncovering Nagoya University's appeal through specific episodes known or experienced only by these students.

The class then proceeds with a series of steps: developing a story, creating a commercial in groups over two weeks, and finally giving a presentation.

The key to generating ideas is personalization.

We often see similar situations in our daily work. When planning as a team, we end up with a lineup of ideas that aren't wrong, but lack any real surprise or appeal – safe, unremarkable solutions. Model answers we've seen somewhere before. There's nothing to poke fun at, and it's hard to spark genuine interest in hearing more.

At times like these, I ask the same questions I would to students and encourage junior planners: "Do you genuinely find this idea interesting? Would someone close to you find it interesting if you told them? If you don't find it interesting yourself, neither will anyone else."

In class or at work, people often don't show their true selves. That approach allows for cooler thinking and more objective judgment. That stance has its place, and there are certainly situations where it's preferable. But when it comes to generating ideas, I believe the opposite is true. What matters is how well you can make it your own.

Think with the intensity of baring your soul. Doing so naturally flips the switch for idea generation, kickstarting your mind. You'll draw from your own experiences, things you've actually seen or heard, and the people, things, and information around you right now. You'll find what resonates, spark your imagination, and elevate it into an idea.

This shift, as seen in the student example, transforms young planners, making them produce remarkably interesting ideas. They may be rough around the edges, but they're worth polishing. This very change is what I find stimulating.

Interacting with people from different generations, or those with different values and interests, and conveying messages to them, serves as a reminder and a check for me personally. Witnessing this change activates my own mind and acts as training. It truly becomes a "mental workout."

Under the same title, I've been conducting a monthly class on the online video learning service "schoo WEB-campus" every fourth Friday from May to October. There, I publicly showcase intensive idea-generation training with three planners from Dentsu Inc. in an improvised comedy style. I also reveal the "idea generation methods," mindset, and secrets that form the template for this mental gymnastics.

Each time, junior planners in their 20s and 30s take turns joining us. This is something I personally look forward to immensely. Getting to session with people I rarely interact with internally provides a ton of stimulation. We have a diverse group of members, so please pay attention to that aspect as well.

When we all think, talk, and share ideas, change is bound to happen.

In the fourth session broadcast on August 26th, we held an idea contest themed "Ways to Make People Want to Vote More." The July House of Councillors election saw a turnout of just under 55%, while the Tokyo gubernatorial election was just under 60%. While the latter was the second-highest turnout since the Heisei era began, the reality remains that nearly half of Tokyo residents did not vote.

In Australia, it's said that voter turnout hasn't fallen below 90% since 1924. The main reason is the compulsory voting system; failing to vote without a valid reason incurs a fine of 20 Australian dollars.

Meanwhile, Australian polling stations feature various food stalls selling snacks and sweets, creating a festive atmosphere. Some even say they vote specifically to enjoy the Australian version of a hot dog, the "sausage sanga." The system goes beyond fines, carefully crafting this atmosphere and motivation. Incidentally, you can apparently get sausage sangas at the Australian Embassy in Tokyo too.

In Japan too, small-scale initiatives are starting, like shopping districts or individual stores offering discounts or free items for voting. Some companies are even beginning to create platforms like "Senkyo-Wari" (Vote Discount) to bundle these participating shops and organizations.

If we all put our heads together and brainstorm, we'll surely come up with ideas to make elections more exciting and boost voter turnout. While immediate implementation might be difficult, I believe that if we regularly think about it, generate ideas, occasionally discuss them together, and share them, something will eventually start to happen somewhere.

Now, let's introduce a few ideas born from this online class.

Many people probably want to vote but can't find the time to go to the polling station... Online voting would be convenient, but security concerns still seem significant. The prompt said "make people want to vote," but essentially, the goal is just to increase voter turnout, right? With that in mind, we focused on Japan's unique infrastructure.

From the old days of sake shop delivery services and Toyama medicine peddlers, to the newer home delivery systems – each is uniquely Japanese. Yet, these very systems still hold vast potential for social solutions and new business opportunities.

The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the growing trend where diverse everyday objects connect to the internet and exchange information. This idea could be seen as part of that movement. Viewed positively, it could function like a reminder to vote, ensuring people don't forget.

But the inspiration for this idea comes from the call buzzers often found in restaurants within shopping facilities. Precisely because it stems from everyday experience rather than marketing concepts, it becomes an idea that sparks empathy: "That's interesting! It could work!"

Look around you, and you'll find plenty of examples of "addition and subtraction" thinking.

In my online classes, I introduce a "concept generation" framework that serves as a mental exercise template each session. This is based on my past experiences and knowledge—things I learned from seniors and adapted myself.

Following the previous concepts of " Extremization," " Partial Transformation," and " Metamorphosis," this time we introduce the fourth: "Addition and Subtraction." Even if the logic or reasoning differs, approach it playfully. Couple things, group them, divide a collective, spin something off... Gather and attach (Addition), or separate, select, and pull out (Subtraction). This is the method for generating ideas.

Now, let's explore what everyday items around us were conceived through "Addition and Subtraction." Analyzing existing things also serves as training for generating ideas. A simple "mental exercise" you can do daily is to pause when encountering something you see or hear and ask yourself, "What idea sparked this?"

This approach is frequently used in product development. Examining popular or hit products often reveals the "addition and subtraction" concept at work.

Haier's "COTON," named among 2015's hit products, is touted as the world's first handheld washing machine. Among laundry chores, stubborn stains are a particular pain point. Haier isolated this often-neglected yet troublesome aspect, creating a specialized product focused solely on this function. The ability to easily perform professional-level stain removal at home, combined with its sleek product design, made it a major talking point, especially online.

Similarly, Sharp's air purifier "Mosquito-Catching Air Purifier," picked as a hot product in the first half of 2016, lives up to its name with a built-in mosquito-catching function. It lures mosquitoes using colors and mechanisms they prefer, drawing them to the unit, then captures them with the air purifier's suction power. It's an idea born from such a simple addition that you might wonder why no one thought of it sooner. You'll be curious about how it actually catches mosquitoes and how effective it is, making you want to try it yourself.

Another product gaining attention with a similar concept is Sony's "LED Bulb Speaker." Simply replace the bulb in your home lighting fixture, and you can enjoy both light and sound. It brings the experience of listening to music from ceiling-mounted speakers, often seen in commercial facilities, right into your home without any special installation. This is achieved by coupling a light bulb with a speaker.

This concept also appears in the world of television. While the previous "Transformation" segment featured SoftBank's "Dad" campaign, this "Addition and Subtraction" segment highlights au's "Three Tales" commercials as a clear example. They gathered and combined the national folktales known to all, young and old: "Momotaro," "Urashima Taro," and "Kintaro."

In dramas and movies, popular series often spawn spin-off works featuring characters pulled out from the main story. The popular "Star Wars" movie series has seen numerous spin-offs produced in the past, and this year's "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," scheduled for release at the end of the year, is already generating buzz.

In this way, interpreting things around you can provide daily "mental exercises." You can find many more examples beyond those listed here, so I recommend giving it a try.

The creator may be one person, but the nurturers are everyone

Up until now, online classes have primarily been individual work. However, in practical work, planning is often developed collaboratively with multiple stakeholders. In our work too, we form teams to refine ideas. Ultimately, only one plan remains. Building something with diverse perspectives results in a more robust and resilient outcome than persistent solo thinking.

Of course, the initial spark comes from an individual. The team then nurtures it. The creator may be just one person, but the nurturers are everyone. That's the feeling.

So, for this session (broadcast August 26th), we decided to build upon someone's idea—expanding it, fleshing it out, transforming it... any method was fine. SCOO students responded to ideas continuously appearing online. Our planners also added their layers.

By doing this, we challenged ourselves to recreate the process of refining ideas in real time. Of course, we didn't reach a final form, but I think everyone could feel a glimpse of how ideas grow through collective wisdom.

This is how our online classes keep getting more creative with each session. The next "schoo WEB-campus Brain Exercise" Period 5 will be live this Friday, September 23rd, starting at 7 PM. The theme for the improv challenge is "Ideas that make you want to stop walking while using your phone." If you're interested, please join us.