Coming Up with Campaign Ideas That Don’t Suck: A Guide

Brand content is all about showing your audience who you actually are. So before you dive headfirst into brainstorming, take a step back. Take a beat and ask yourself: Who is my brand, really?

Your brand’s values are more than just buzzwords for your website’s About page. Nope, they’re the core of everything you create. They’re the reason your audience will remember you, trust you, and (fingers crossed) fall in love with you.

To get crystal clear, ask yourself:

• Why do we do what we do?

• What change are we trying to create for our audience?

• What makes us different from the other guys in the same space?

• When someone hears our name, what do we want them to feel?

• Are we serious and sleek? Quirky and bold? Calm and conversational?

Get these basics nailed down, and you’ll have a brand voice that sticks - one your audience can connect with and care about.

Cool, now that you know what your brand stands for, it’s time to figure out what you want to land with your audience. Good brand content doesn’t just exist for the sake of existing, it has a purpose. A clear, focused thought that sticks with your audience long after they’ve clicked away.

And no, we’re not talking about some snappy tagline or a cute slogan here. Brand content is all about delivering a key message that’s going to hang around in your audience’s brain like that one song you can’t shake off.

So, what’s the point of this story? Are you trying to build some street cred? Highlight a legacy? Show off a transformation? Until you know what you’re aiming for, it’s tough to make an impact.

You might find yourself with a couple of different thoughts, and guess what? That’s totally fine. Use each one as a jumping-off point to test out different angles and creative directions until you find the one that sticks.

The goal here isn’t to be the funniest or the cleverest; it’s to be clear, purposeful, and unforgettable.

Newsflash: waiting around for a sudden bolt of inspiration isn’t going to cut it. Coming up with campaign ideas is more about putting in the work and fueling your brain with some good ol’ creative energy.

The best brand storytellers don’t just sit in a dark room waiting for genius to strike. No, they’re out there building inspiration folders, scrolling through endless platforms of beautifully crafted content, and diving into case studies to see how the pros make magic happen.

The goal here? Figure out what worked, why it worked, and how you can add your own unique twist to it.

So ask yourself: What challenge did this campaign tackle? How did the creative team solve it? What made it stand out in a sea of meh? If you do this regularly, you’ll start spotting patterns and finding insights that will spark your own content ideas.

And for the love of creativity, don’t just stick to the usual stuff.

Go watch some old TV commercials for nostalgia (and maybe some colour inspiration). Scroll through comment sections for raw, unfiltered human thoughts. Dive into weird blogs where people have opinions on stuff you didn’t even know existed.

The more curious you are and the more you explore, the more ammo you’ll have when it’s time to create something fresh.

Don’t rush it! Sure, sometimes you’ll get that brilliant idea in like an hour. But more often than not, the magic happens when you give yourself space to really sit with an idea, challenge it, and let it grow. That’s where the real brilliance comes from.

So, you’ve laid the groundwork, your values are clear, your core message is locked in, and your brain is full of creative kindling. Now, it’s time to kick things into gear and get that creative heat going.

But here’s the deal: a brainstorm without structure? Yeah, that’s just chaos waiting to happen. What you want is chemistry. Great campaign ideas don’t come from shouting out random stuff and hoping something sticks. They come from well-planned sessions with the right techniques, the right people, and just enough form to keep things on track.

Keep the session short and sweet: 20 to 30 minutes max. That’s enough time to spark some real ideas, but not enough to spiral into overthinking hell.

You’ll need someone to play traffic officer during this session, keeping things moving, making sure everyone’s voice is heard, and, most importantly, preventing anyone from getting stuck in a rabbit hole. Oh, and don’t let those brilliant ideas get lost in the chaos. Assign someone to take notes (or even record the session) so those gems don’t vanish into thin air.

Try mixing up your brainstorming techniques. Write down the worst campaign ideas you can think of first. Use the classic ‘bubble map’ method, where you throw out an idea and build on it. Or try ‘starbursting’, where you ask a ton of questions around your theme to dig deeper.

And remember: the best ideas aren’t always the loudest or the flashiest ones in the room. They’re the ones that align with your message, hit your goals, and most importantly, connect with your audience in a way that feels real.

You’ve survived the brainstorm, now it’s time to make sense of the chaos. This is the part where ideas stop being sparks and start becoming actual strategies.

But don’t be fooled, this isn’t the time to grab the flashiest idea and run with it. Trust us, too many campaigns flop because someone jumped the gun, picked an idea based on how shiny it looked, and pitched it before giving it a proper workout.

Start by sorting similar concepts together. You’ll often find that what felt like five ideas are five different angles on one bigger, stronger campaign.

Some of these ideas might work as a single hero piece that steals the spotlight. Others could form the backbone of a full-on content series. Look for patterns, connections, and any themes that keep popping up.

Then, it’s time to ask the hard questions. The ones that separate the good ideas from the “meh” ones:

• What do we actually like about this idea?

• How well does it connect with our brand values and message?

• Is this something our audience will actually care about, or are we just trying to force a fit?

• Can this idea survive outside the room and perform in the real world?

Answering these will help you cut your list down to a solid group of ideas, ones that actually make sense and are worth diving deeper into. These are the ideas you’ll want to explore further and figure out how to bring to life!

There we have it! Now you know how to come up with campaign ideas that don’t suck.

But hey, if you’re still feeling stuck, don’t sweat it. At STORM+SHELTER, we don’t just shoot pretty pictures, we help you come up with the ideas behind them, too.

Whether you’ve got a full-formed brief or a vague thought floating around, we’re here to turn that into scroll-stopping, heartstring-pulling content.

Need help bringing your next idea to life (or figuring out what that idea even is)? Let’s chat.