How To Come up With Ideas for Your Furniture Business - The James Webb Young Technique
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- by Jack Young
Table of Contents
How To Come up With Ideas - Key Takeaways
- The Power of Process: James Webb Young’s technique suggests that idea generation is not a random or spontaneous process but a systematic one that can be learned and practised.
- Gather Raw Materials: The first step involves collecting specific and general information about the problem or challenge you’re trying to solve.
- Mental Digestion: This stage involves actively thinking about the collected information, making connections, and exploring different perspectives.
- Unconscious Incubation: After active mental work, it’s essential to let your mind rest and allow unconscious processes to work on the problem.
- Aha Moment: The breakthrough idea often occurs during a moment of relaxation or inspiration.
- Validation and Refinement: Once an idea emerges, it’s crucial to evaluate it critically, seek feedback, and refine it as needed.
A Technique for Producing Ideas
Image: Screenshot of the front cover of the book. Available, new and used, I personally like buying from World of Books.
The book A Technique for Producing Ideas by James Webb Young is a classic in the creative thinking and idea generation genre. I have unconsciously followed the five-step process outlined in the book for years and still do, but I now apply it intentionally.
James Webb Young (1886-1972) was an American advertising executive, educator and author of several books.
The book, first published in 1940, was initially designed for advertising copywriters. The process will help you develop ideas for ads and content creation for your business. However, the framework can be adapted to other general idea-creation and problem-solving for your business.
Although Young’s process has limitations, which will be discussed, I hope that sharing it will help you generate ideas for your business.
The Process for Creating Ideas
After pondering and closely observing the work of idea production, James Webb Young concluded that the production of ideas is just as definable as the production of Fords.
Idea production is just like an assembly line.
He believed the formula was so simple that people would not use it or believe it. And whilst it’s simple, it requires the most challenging kind of intellectual work to follow, so not all who believe in the technique use it.
Loyalty in business-to-consumer (B2C) relationships is no different from loyalty in personal relationships—there must be a reason for it. After meeting someone for the first time and they buy you a drink, would you say you are loyal to them?
The Spectacular and Rentier
The first real question about idea creation is that, even if we assume there is a technique for producing ideas, is everyone capable of using it?
Young suggests the answer may lie in the work of Vilfredo Pareto, an Italian sociologist and economist best known for the Pareto 80/20 theory. In his book The Mind and Society, Pareto discusses “the Spectacle and Rentier,” which Young adapts in his book to the speculator and the rentier.
The speculator, as Young writes, “according to Pareto, is that he is constantly preoccupied with the possibilities of new combinations.“ These people like to speculate on how to change the field they are thinking about or operate within. They either want to change the rules of the game or the game entirely.
The rentier describes people of little imagination who are steady going and sustaining the current environment. These people are the target of the speculator. The speculator seeks to influence or “manipulate” them.
Young recognises that the speculator or “reconstructors” represents a large group of people in society. Indicating that the capacity for idea production is by no means rare.
So, you can do it too!
The Speculator and Rentier reminds me of the chapter in Michael Porter’s Competitive Strategy on market signals. Porter writes: “The behaviour of competitors provides signals in a myriad of ways. Some signals are bluffs, some are warnings, and some are earnest commitments in the marketplace.” The speculators, the innovators of strategy, will at times try to influence the rentiers’, those who follow, actions by giving them false information, warnings not to do a particular action or outright commitment to their actions.
Principles and Methods of Idea Production
If we assume the above is correct, we have a natural, built-in capacity to come up with ideas, and it is not limited to a small minority.
“Then what are the means of developing it?”
Young states that to learn “any art, the important things to learn are the first, the principles, and the second method. This is the true art of producing ideas.”
Stating that “principles and methods are everything” and that “particular bits of knowledge are nothing because they are made up of what Dr Hutchins calls rapidly ageing facts.”
So, in the art of producing ideas, what is of most importance or “most valuable” is “not where to look for a particular idea, but how to train the mind in the method by which all ideas are produced and to grasp the principles which are at the source of all ideas.”
Two general principles that aid the production of ideas
Two important general principles that significantly aid the production of ideas stand out to Young.
Firstly, an idea is “nothing more or less than a new combination of old elements.”
The second is the capacity to bring old elements into new combinations, which depends mainly on the ability to see relationships.
Young suspects that this is where minds differ the most. Some see facts as individual bits of information (knowledge), while others can link these individual bits together. They see them as related or having a similar characteristic or connection.
When grasped, these two general principles are “the key to a new application, a new combination and the result is an idea.”
The second consequence is that you train the mind to look for these connections.
The more you do this process, the more it becomes a habit. The mind combines old elements, memories, and experiences with new elements to create ideas.
For example, reading books on subjects other than business or marketing can lead to better results for your business.
Young’s 5-step Idea Production Technique
With these two principles in mind.
Firstly, an idea is “nothing more or less than a new combination of old elements”, and the capacity to bring old elements into new combinations depends mainly on the ability to see relationships.
Young looks at the actual method or procedure in which ideas are produced.
The technique has five steps that you may recognise individually, but it is important to see their relationships and know the order in which they must be completed before moving to the next step.
The First Step – Gather Your Raw Materials
The first step is for the mind to gather raw materials.
"That, I am sure, will strike you as a simple and obvious truth. Yet it is really amazing to what degree this step is ignored in practice."
The first step is often skipped because it is a “chore”. Instead of doing it, we “sit around hoping for inspiration to strike us,” attempting to jump to step four without first doing steps 1 to 3.
There are two kinds of information (material) that we need to gather: specific and general information.
In advertising, the specific materials are those of the product and people you are trying to sell to. Although we talk of its importance, Young states that we seldom work at accumulating this information. He speculates that “real knowledge of a product, and of the people in relation to it, is not easy to come by”. When gathering such knowledge, “if the surface differences are not striking, we assume that there are no differences”, but young encourages you to go deeper to find the relationship between the product and the consumer that leads to an idea.
In the book, Young uses a link between soap and the skin as a connection to sell more of the soap.
Soap and its ingredients can benefit the skin, so soap becomes more than what everyone else is selling it as—a hygiene product. The soap’s ingredients are linked to the skin. Soap may still have hygiene benefits, but it now fits into the potentially more lucrative cosmetic industry.
Gathering these two types of raw materials allows us to examine how a chair is designed and consider its ergonomics, ultimately benefiting the customer’s posture. This makes a chair no longer just for sitting but an aid to help reduce body misalignment, which may lead to discomfort.
Hypoallergenic mattresses are another example. They provide a surface for sleeping on and demonstrate a relationship between your sleep environment and environmental dust. By linking these two areas, hypoallergenic mattresses go beyond a simple product. They become a solution for those concerned about airway health during sleep, offering a unique value proposition.
Young states, regarding general material, that “every really good person in advertising that I have ever known was always had two noticeable characteristics.”
They have broad knowledge and interests. Every subject interests them.
The second was that they browse all “fields of information. As for the advertising man, as for the cow: no browsing, no milk.”
General information is essential because, as previously mentioned in the book, the principle of an idea is “nothing more or less than a new combination of elements.” So, new ideas come from linking and combining specific information about the product and the audience with general knowledge, life and events.
The more material from both specific and general, the greater the opportunity for ideas.
Another example of combining two elements to make a new idea was the extremely creative and viral Blendtec “Will it Blend?” series.
In the “Will It Blend?” series, Blendtec combined the specific material (the blender) and the general material (various non-food items) in a unique and unexpected way. This series showcased the blender’s strengths and capabilities and created a memorable and shareable campaign.
Just as Young emphasises the importance of gathering specific and general information, Blendtec creatively blended elements from different industries to produce a compelling and entertaining marketing strategy.
We may be biased, but one of the best places for raw materials is our weekly newsletter. It discusses business strategy, marketing tactics, behaviour economics, and industry news. Use the button below to sign up for free.
Step Two - The Mental Digestive Process
Now, you need to “masticate” these materials, a.k.a. chew (I had to Google the term).
Young states that “this part of the process is harder to describe in concrete terms because it goes on entirely inside your head.” He suggests taking the different bits of material (knowledge) and “feel them with the tentacles of the mind. Twist and turn the material, look at them in a different light, and see how they fit. Look for the relationship that connects.”
Young suggests this part explains why creative people develop a reputation for absentmindedness during the process. So, the next time you zone out when with someone, you can say you were being creative. Disclaimer: I will not be held responsible for any repercussions of this statement. Good luck.
During this process, two things may happen. First, partial ideas will come to you; no matter how crazy or incomplete they are, get them written down (Brain dump). Doing so can help form the idea quicker.
The second part is fatigue. Your mind will become tired, but do not give in. Push on as long as possible, adding more partial ideas to your notes.
You are ready for the third stage once you are completely depleted of energy (and cranky).
The Third Stage - Digestion
The third stage is the simplest, in theory. Drop the subject as much as you can. Let the unconscious mind do some work.
Young encourages at this stage to drop the production of ideas and turn to “whatever stimulates your imagination and emotions. Listen to music, go to the theatre or movies, read poetry or a detective story.”
Eddie Shleyner, a remarkable copywriter, discusses this same topic on page 175 of his book Very Good Copy. The book is one of my favourites. “Incubation is our brain’s ability to subconsciously process information and make connections. People call their best connections “lightbulb moments.” “It’s why copywriters take breaks. If we’re stuck, we get up and do something else—anything else—to distract ourselves until suddenly, randomly, we get an idea.”
In the first stage, you gather your food. In the second, you chew, and the digestion process begins in the third. Now for the aha!
The Fourth Stage – aha
“An idea will appear from nowhere, shaving, bathing, normal when half-awake in the morning.”
I can relate to Young here. I have found that solutions or ideas tend to come out of nowhere when walking alone. They must have come to me due to the abovementioned process that I was unaware of at the time. Other times, I have found ideas out of the blue when showering and, annoyingly, just before I fall asleep.
Shower thoughts are believed to come about due to the relaxed and distraction-free environment, which allows the mind to wander and gives you clarity and creative insight to make unexpected connections.
The hypnagogic state, or pre-sleep phase, is the transition from wakefulness to sleep. During this period, spontaneous thoughts and increased creativity can flow as the mind relaxes its hold on logical, structured thinking. If this is what you experience, keep a notebook beside your bed. Try not to use your phone. The blue light will disturb your sleep.
This fourth stage only occurs if you have completed the previous three steps.
The Fifth and Final Stage - The Cold Grey Dawn of The Morning
You must now take this new idea into the world of reality. By doing this, you may discover your new idea is “not quite the marvellous child it seemed when you first gave birth to it.”
You must submit your “idea to criticism of judicious”. You will find “it will stimulate those who see it to add to it”. Meaning that others may see areas that you may not have considered.
Ideas are usually lost at this stage because they are not adapted as an inventor would modify a product.
Watch out for Confirmation bias.
Confirmation bias can lead individuals to favour their ideas even when faced with conflicting or critical information from others. Bias may cause people to give more weight to information that supports their pre-existing beliefs or preferences while downplaying or dismissing information that challenges those beliefs. This can influence decision-making and potentially lead to implementing an idea despite valid concerns raised by others.
That is the process!
The five steps on idea generation.
- Gather Your Raw Materials
- The Mental Digestive Process
- Digestion
- The Aha Moment
- The Cold Grey Dawn of The Morning
Some After Thoughts From James Webb Young
Image: James Webb Young
In the final chapter, Young says he has received letters saying, “It works.”
After years of continuous practice and experience in advertising, James Webb Young would not modify a section. He does, however, emphasise the need to collect general material.
My Thoughts on the Process
I know this process will bring value to many people, but before you apply the five steps to your business, I wish to point out a criticism of this technique.
The idea-generation process outlined is structured and effective but requires time.
When deadlines loom and decisions need quick implementation, Young’s step-by-step technique may seem impractical. However, it’s essential to recognise that investing time in this process is not a luxury but a strategic necessity.
The structured approach is designed to produce high-quality, innovative ideas. It is not a quick-fix solution but a deliberate and thoughtful method that requires commitment.
It is important to prioritise quality over speed. Rushing through the idea-generation process may lead to superficial insights and hastily formed concepts, costing you money and time.
But by allowing sufficient time for each stage, you create an environment beneficial to deep thinking, encouraging connections between seemingly unrelated elements.
Consider integrating creative thinking into your business as a standard practice. Encourage everyone in the company, not just management, to engage in idea generation. Front-facing employees can have valuable insight into your customers.
Allowing this to be incorporated into employees’ day-to-day work rather than a standalone, time-consuming exercise when required makes this process more likely to become a habit.
Habits like these can become sources of competitive advantage.
