One way to approach the design of your new point-of-purchase display is a little game called “What’s Your Problem?” that can be applied to just about any business problem that requires ingenuity and group input. Gather 4-6 members of your staff – it can be anyone. If possible, include a member of your POP display design team, if you have a vendor selected. Start by giving each person a pad of sticky notes and a pen. You, the facilitator, stands by a white board. On the white board make a list across the top several of the known challenges that you need to solve with your new display. Be sure to have the product(s) on hand for study by your game players and, if relevant, current POP displays.
Choose a product challenge from the list. Set a timer for 3 minutes. When you say “Go,” each player writes down one solution per sticky note and hands it to you. The object is to write down anything that comes to mind, no matter how crazy, expensive, dated, been-there-done-that, eye-rolling dumb, etc. There are no limits or boundaries. You place the sticky notes on the board under the written challenge. (If you are having a hard time keeping up with the sticky notes coming at you, then your group is doing it right.)
Encourage creative thinking, never-tried-this-before thinking, and promote a no-idea-is-a-bad-idea atmosphere. When the time is up, read back the sticky notes. Give the writer of each note an opportunity to expand on the idea. Sometimes just a sliver of a great idea will come through and once the group grabs a hold of it, you may be surprised where it takes you. At the end of the first round, you’ll have dozens of ideas to apply to your design process and a reinvigorated team. Even if only one really great idea comes out of it, you’ll have a new POP display strategy that not only sells products, it solves problems.
Posted on http://www.dolindisplay.com/blog/
