Ok, today I’m going to give you a lateral thinking example.

Yesterday, I mentioned that I received a phrase from my brother-in-law, Billy, that I was going to incorporate into today’s email to demonstrate how Edward De Bono’s creativity strategy can spark all sorts of different ideas.

And the word he gave me was “striped pyjamas”

I mean, come on…

Give me some easier words that that Billy. That’s going to require some real lateral thinking

After he mentioned those words, I thought to myself…

“So What The #$&% Do I Do Now?”

After all, if I get a challenge I simply have to meet it.

And I guess the reason he gave me that was because I was wearing these daggy striped pyjamas on Saturday night. But I’m not going to talk about those.

… because it’s triggered the thought of a movie called “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.”

And I am going to use some lateral thinking.

Now I haven’t seen this movie, but after watching the trailer I want to.

Why?

Because it’s about the son of a commandant who strikes up a friendship with a Jewish boy on the other side of the camp fence.

Someone he isn’t meant to be friends with.

Someone who is meant to be his enemy.

But he becomes his friend, because he gets to know him. He gets to see things through his eyes. He gets to feel his heart.

It too is my opinion that the more we understand others, the harder it is to hate them.

And from an advertising perspective, I also believe the more we understand others the easier it is to sell something to them.

Not to manipulate them.

But to understand their needs…

So our product is a natural fit with what they really want.

How well do you understand your customers?

If you don’t, you can’t write to them.

Because believe it or not, understanding your prospective customer is the single most important thing you must do when it comes to writing an ad.

Not the headline. Not the offer.

But understanding your customer.

If you want some real examples of lateral thinking when it comes to advertising. If you want to learn how to really get your head around who your customer is, so that you can magnetically attract and sell to them with minimum resistance, you really should check this out.