IdeaSpotting: How to Find Your Next Great Idea (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

THE NEXT BIG IDEA IS OUT THERE—YOU JUST HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO SPOT IT Creativity is crucial to business and design success. How do you unleash bursts of creativity, increase occurrences of spontaneity and ultimately find great ideas? Through anecdotes, interviews, quotes, tips, creative exercises and success stories from the biggest corporations in the country, author Sam Harrison shows you how to think outside the box—then throw away the box for good. You’ll be encouraged to: *Listen and observe *Step outside your daily routine *Explore through travel *Find ideas in nature *Break out of ruts *Learn from mistakes *Get past the surface *Connect existing ideas Busy professionals CAN learn how to peek under the mundane to find the magical, to find insights rather than information, and to learn what makes their clients laugh, cry, scream—and ultimately buy. "One good idea is all you need to change your life; this book shows you how to find it."

—Brian Tracy, author of Getting Rich Your Own Way "If the best way to find a good idea is to find lots of ideas, then here’s the best guidebook I know for your hunt."

—Brian Collins, Ogilvy & Mather Brand Integration Group "Exercise for the brain is just as important as exercise for the body. In Ideaspotting, Sam Harrison stretches your mental muscles in a way you’ll never forget."

—Al Ries, author of The Origin of Brands

About the Author

Sam Harrison is a former senior vice president with an S&P 500 firm. He's worked with clients and affiliates including Major League Baseball, Microsoft, American Express and more. He lives in Trucker, Georgia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: How (April 12, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581808003
• ISBN-13: 978-1581808001
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #48,985 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #19 in	Books > Business & Investing > Marketing & Sales > Marketing > Product Management
  #31 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Psychology & Counseling > Creativity & Genius
  #35 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Psychology & Counseling > By Topic > Creativity

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Get those creative juices flowing, March 27, 2007

By	Roger Bauer "http://smbconsultinginc.com" (Louisville, KY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A very quick read (could easily be knocked out in a weekend), this book is a good mixture of actionable items and creative stimulation. Get out of your comfort zone and pay attention to everything around you is one of the themes of this book along with taking good notes in some fashion because your creative thoughts and ideas may not be as easy to remember as you believe they will be at a later time. Anyone can be creative if they put themselves in a postion to encourage it.

Overall, I really liked the book and appreciate the advice and action items contained within. If you're looking to stimulate your creative juices, get and read Idea Spotting. I also read Zing, and Idea Spotting contains similar material so if you're wondering which book to choose--go with this one.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth every penny - but..., December 11, 2006

By	David Howse "dhcc" (Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews

Here's the skinny...
This book is by far the easiest of all idea books to read, most relevant, most thorough, but potentially most dangerous. Before I make a couple critiques, don't let what I'm about to say dissuade you from buying this gem, these are just caveats and the book is still a deal!
Page 25 - Alcan/CocaCola and Ethnography: When I read this I though, "Great, I'll use ethnography to solve my innovation problems." Being the information pig that I am I checked this "idea" out with a professional, a doctor of Anthropology at the local university. We had a 30 minute chat and I came away with the thought "Alcan doesn't have a clue what they are talking about." What was described on page 25 was single variable observation, not ethnography. In fact, single variable observation has lead to problem after problem for marketers, Dr. "C" gave me these examples, 1) `Got Milk?' when marketed towards the Hispanic population translated into "Are you Lactating?" 2) McDonald's in parts of China had Ronald McDonald march in a parade, this was analogous to having the grim reaper march in the Santa Clause parade. 3) Chevy Nova in Mexico - we all know that one. And he gave me many other examples of major blunders that were directly attributed to single variable observation.
Page 47 - Hasbro and the "Alpha Pups": This is an excellent example of a major short coming with this book - there is no depth. The book summed up a major research and development initiative in a hundred or so words.

I chose the two examples because they are familiar ground for me. If you want to know how well a book is written analyze what was said against what you know. If there are faults then there are probably faults with the other sections. I can't fault the other sections because I'm not an expert on them or know an expert to discuss them with. Therefore there are probably other faults in the other articles as well. Is this a moot point because the book is intended to be an overview on a couple hundred techniques? Maybe. But then that's for the prospective readers to decide and measure their needs against. [...]

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Keep your sketchbook close, but keep this book closer!, May 8, 2006

By	Alissa M. Walker - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a writer I'm constantly in search of ideas: how to structure a story, which fact-finding methods to use, what sources to interview, and, most importantly, where to look for new topics to write about. As a freelancer I have to keep myself motivated enough to continue hacking away at the iBook even when all inspiration has fled. And as a creative person, I've got the "Negative News Network" constantly broadcasting in my head, worrying my next idea will never be as good as my last.

Ideaspotting is three books in one: a handy collection of advice from all the greats to console me in troubled times, a set of exercises sure to dump all the excess slush from my brain, and honest-to-god new ways to think about my work, my passions and my life. Ideaspotting is a philosophy about how to open yourself up to all the world has to offer. And it works.