No talent, tools, or flair required! The Copywriter's "100-Idea Thinking" Method

Hello, I'm Yukio Hashiguchi, a copywriter. I'm releasing a book titled "100-Idea Thinking." It explains the copywriter's way of thinking for all business professionals.

"100-Idea Thinking: Eliminate 'Can't Write,' 'Can't Think of Anything,' and 'It Won't Fly'"
By Yukio Hashiguchi, Published by Magazine House, 256 pages, ¥1,650 (tax included) ISBN: 9784838731497

<Table of Contents>
▼100-Idea Thinking Over Design Thinking?
▼ "Ideas" Are Essential in Every Situation, From Business to Home Life
▼Bad Ideas Welcome! Quantity Over Quality

"100-Idea Thinking" Over Design Thinking?

"KJ Method," "Mandala," "Mind Maps," and so on... There are countless how-to books on generating ideas out there. Also, "Design Thinking," which applies designers' thinking methods to business, is gaining attention.

I too was drawn to these cool idea techniques and tried various ones. However... I couldn't stick with any of them for long; they all ended up as three-day wonders.

The one method even a lazy person like me could master is "100-Idea Thinking," a copywriter's approach. If you're the studious type reading this site, you absolutely can learn it too.

The "100-Idea Approach" isn't just for generating advertising concepts. It can be applied to any situation, from top-level corporate decisions to everyday dilemmas like what gift to get your partner.

The method is incredibly simple. As the name suggests,

just generate a massive number of ideas

That's it.

No sticky notes, no charts, no special tools. No facilitator needed. No talent or special flair required. Anyone can do it, even if you're not a creative professional.

Yet, surprisingly, most people never do it. When asked for ideas, most people offer just one. And if that one idea isn't chosen, they give up. There's no one in the world who can come up with a great idea every single time.

From business settings to home life, "ideas" are essential in every situation.

At Dentsu Inc., new copywriters are told to "come up with 100 ideas." There's simply no other way to generate good ideas.

The advertising world has its star creators who produce hit campaigns. What they share in common, more than the quality of their ideas, is their sheer volume. Some bring notes as thick as dictionaries to brainstorming sessions. The fantasy of someone pulling out one brilliant idea and the meeting room gasping in awe... well, that's just fantasy.

Now, as mentioned earlier, anyone can practice "100-idea thinking." It requires no special tools, talent, or innate sense. However, it doesn't mean you can effortlessly churn out 100 ideas one after another (and frankly, no such thinking method probably exists in this world).

It's down-to-earth, it's gritty, and it takes time. But precisely because of that, anyone can master it, and it can be applied in any situation.

When we hear "ideas," we might picture stylish designs or innovative product development. But that's not the only kind of idea.

• Your boss keeps changing their mind.
• No matter how many times you point it out, your junior keeps making the same mistake.
• Your wife is in a bad mood, but you don't know why.
• Your husband puts a half-empty plastic bottle back in the fridge.

Solving these trivial (yet fundamentally important...) everyday problems also requires ideas. That's where "100-idea thinking" comes in handy.

Don't you think life would be richer if you had plenty of "Plan Bs" beyond just guessing what your boss or partner wants? (And of course, it works for design and innovation too!)

This series, based on the book "100-Idea Thinking," will introduce its full scope and practical methods over five installments.

"Just come up with lots of ideas" is surprisingly difficult when you actually try it. Most people get stuck after just two or three ideas, let alone 100.

But don't worry. By following the steps, anyone can definitely learn to do it. The planned themes for each installment are as follows:

Part 1: What is "100-Idea Thinking"? ※This is the current installment.
Part 2: Running the PDCA Cycle: "Input" → "Idea Generation" → "Idea Selection"
Session 3: "Input": You Can Always Find Time for Input, No Matter How Busy You Are
Session 4: "Idea Generation": Bad ideas are welcome! Go for quantity over quality.
Session 5: "Idea Selection": No personal preferences or majority rule.

Bad ideas are welcome! Quantity over quality

But for those thinking, "I have a planning meeting tomorrow—I can't wait until next time!" Here's one tip.

• First, abandon the notion of "coming up with a good idea."

Ideas are about quantity over quality. Most people asked to come up with ideas somehow try to produce a "brilliant idea." They raise the bar for themselves without anyone telling them to, and then they freeze up.

It doesn't matter if they're boring, dull, or cliché. Forget about quality; just focus on quantity. Whether you're talented or not, if you come up with 100 ideas, you're guaranteed to have one or two good ones.

Bring a bundle of ideas to planning meetings, not just one perfect proposal. From a boss's perspective, an employee who generates a large volume of ideas is far more valuable than one who presents a single, potentially good idea. It sparks productive conversations like, "This part isn't great, but what if we combine it with that?" making the meeting far more productive than agonizing over a single idea.

However, simply focusing on "quantity over quality" will likely only yield around 20 to 30 ideas. So, how do you come up with 100 ideas?

Stay tuned for the next installment.