Hands up, I admit it. I stole something from AirBnB.
(Psst...it's not towels, it's a creative framework to help writers and marketers like you come up with brilliant ideas)
I stole an idea. And I think you’ll like it.
It’s a concept that can be used in almost any situation where you need some creative brain juice. In fact, you can apply it equally to building a brand new business or copywriting. You can use it to build your content strategy or marketing plans. You could even use it to plan your next big birthday bash.
Intrigued? Then read on.
11-star creativity from AirBnB
Back in the early days of their startup, AirBnB co-founders Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia were on the cusp of greatness. They were developing their concept for AirBnB and there was a challenge: they were wading into a saturated market space full of hotels, hostels, inns, couch surfing, concrete BnBs…
They wanted to stand out, so they needed to be more than an informal lodgings service.
Their solution?
The 11-star framework.
“We basically took one part of our product and we extrapolated: what would a 5-star experience be?” Chesky explained to LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman. “Then we went crazy.”
The idea is beautifully simple: Where a 1-star experience is the worst possible AirBnB experience a person can have, an 11-star stay is beyond their wildest dreams.
So how did it work?
“The point of the process is that maybe 9, 10, 11 (star ratings) are not feasible,” Chesky told Reid. “But if you go through the crazy exercise, there’s some sweet spot between “they showed up and they opened the door” and “I went to space.” That’s the sweet spot. You have to almost design the extreme to come backwards.”
Chesky’s concept helped them design the AirBnB service. That idea of designing the extreme and coming backwards is useful in business, because you can hit upon a service that will legitimately wow people.
But it can equally help you workshop creative ideas that you would never otherwise think of.
The absolute best examples of exaggeration in the whole wide world
But first let’s humour me and look at why I’m so excited about this approach.
Exaggeration is an important concept in ideation and writing ads in particular, because it taps into the part of our brain that enjoys caricature. It makes a concept more memorable and often gives us something to laugh about.
Let’s have a look at what I mean. The following ads all have something in common – they either exaggerate the problem, the need or the benefits you can derive from the solution:
“Sticking Together, No Matter What” Tsuruya Japan
Why it works:
Exaggerates the problem (weather)
Humanises a product (quite literally)
Highlights the solution (resilient ceramic tiles/roofing)
Engages emotions and helps you invest in the characters
Has a surprising ending
“An Alien Abroad,” Babbel
Why it works:
Exaggerates the problem (not understanding a language - because you’re an alien)
Juxtaposes the ridiculous/strange with everyday situations
Shows the solution in a relatable way, without making fun of the target audience
It’s funny and maybe scary
“This is a bit precarious,” Macpac Brand TVC Why it works
Exaggerates the benefit
Juxtaposes the extreme situation with the understated acting (it’s funny, innit)
Engages you with tension and character
Connects with the tagline
The end result is funny, attention grabbing and worth talking about. That’s a good ad.
But how do you get there using the 11-star framework?
Applying the 11-star experience to your ideation
Let’s take a look at an example. We’ll use a basic idea - we’ll call that a 1-star ad. Then we’ll take it to the stratosphere.
In the scenario below, you’re writing some ads for multi-format ads, for a Roof tile company called Mr. Tile.
1 star. Pricing
Show our roof tiles in situ and focus on price and function.
2 stars. Features
Describe the materials and longevity of our roof tiles.
3 stars. Comparison
Compare our roof tiles to an inferior competitor.
4 stars. Testimonial
Use a roofer/builder’s testimonial to extol the virtues of our roof tiles.
5 stars. Meet the top need
Show a time lapse video of a house being roofed - then a time lapse animation of how many years it will last
6 stars. Celeb endorsement
A rundown of celebrity houses that use the tiles: look how great they look.
7 stars. Changing a family’s life
A leaking roof, a sad family sitting in a wet kitchen, dark tones, gloomy feel. There’s a knock at the door. Mr Tile (a giant tile mascot) arrives and the mood changes. He clicks his fingers - a new roof! Everybody celebrates.
8 stars. Street Party
Mr. Tile runs down a street with rows of dilapidated buildings. He clicks his fingers, and renews each roof. People start emerging, one by one. The mood lightens, the street looks perfect, there’s a huge party. Thank you Mr. Tile.
9 stars. Changing lives with Mr. Tile
Mr. Tile collaborates with Habitat for Humanity to supply building materials for 100 homes in a developing country. We see a series of stories in multimedia, out of home and print media, focusing on the people and seeing how their lives have improved.
10 stars. Let’s take this to the Whitehouse
The President of the US puts down the red phone. “It’s time,” he says. “Send in Mr. Tile.”
Dramatic montage.
The White House gets a new roof. Mr. Tile high fives the President.
11 stars. Outer Space
Mr. Tile shows up at Space X HQ. Musk Drives a Cyber Truck out to a launch pad, the latest Space X rocket is covered in Mr Ceramic Tiles. We see it launch and later re-enter. Mr. Tile: strong enough to withstand reentry, probably strong enough for your roof.
More creative methods incoming
As silly as Mr. Tile is, I hope you can see how step-by-step exaggeration can be a useful tool. My aim here was to give you some insight into a creative process that can help you take your ideas and creativity in copywriting to the next level (literally).
I’ll be sharing more creative methods with you in future instalments
TTFN,
George
Very cool exercise and love the example of pushing it to 11.