After the recent announcement that Taylor Swift’s next album will be orange, marketers everywhere have jumped on the all-things-orange bandwagon. Companies that had anything orange in their product line began featuring those items. Even companies that had no connection to the color created one, such as Buffalo Wild Wings, Cinnabon, Walmart, Netflix, and United Airlines, highlighting orange in their social media posts.
Not only is there the broad appeal of Swift and the spending power of the Swifties, but a self-imposed limitation (using orange) actually helps people and companies become more creative. When you narrow your focus, it is easier to develop ideas and connections. Think of a kid’s birthday party where everything from the cake to decorations and favors is coordinated.
The next time you’re struggling to develop new ideas, put some boundaries on your brainstorming by creating an artificial restriction. You would think that limitless would inspire, but the reverse produces better results. How many ideas can you generate in a truncated time or with other parameters?
