THINKing

SCAMMPERR – The Series On Creativity

Here’s a simple index to access our series about the creativity technique known as SCAMMPERR. Give it a try and let us know how it works for you.

SCAMMPERR For Creativity - Everything new is a modification of something existing, according to Michael Michalko, developer of a brainstorming tool called Thinkpak, which uses a mnemonic device to help you look at things in a different way.

Combine It For Creativity - This is the second in a series on a creativity exercise called SCAMMPERR, an acronym that stands for substitute, combine, adapt, magnify, modify, put it to other uses, eliminate, rearrange, reverse. We covered substitute in our initial post, now let’s get on to combine.

Adapt It For Creativity - This is the third post in a series on a creativity exercise called SCAMMPERR, an acronym that stands for substitute, combine, adapt, magnify, modify, put it to other uses, eliminate, rearrange, reverse. We’ve covered substitute and combine, now let’s move on to adapt.

Magnify It For Creativity - In the minds of many, bigger is better. So, we move today to using the element of magnification for our creativity boost.

Modify It For Creativity - NASCAR was born when someone decided to modify an automobile right off the dealer’s lot to get more speed from it. A lot of creative ideas are the result of modification.

Put It To Other Uses For Creativity - Humans have been doing it for years: taking one thing and putting it to another use. George Washington Carver, for instance, took the lowly peanut and re-purposed it into 300 other products.

Eliminate It For Creativity - Originally, the doughnut had no hole. As legend would have it, a small boy noticed that the center of his mother’s donuts weren’t completely done so he poked it out with a fork. Sometimes, as the doughnut illustrates, eliminating something makes for a more successful product.

Rearrange It For Creativity - When it comes down to it, creativity is really about rearranging what we know to form something we didn’t know. You can rearrange letters or words to spark a new thought. For instance instead of saying how can we sell more bottles, you might ask how can we bottle more sales.

Reverse It For Creativity - This is the final installment in our series about the SCAMMPERR creativity technique. We’ll be looking at things in reverse for creativity.

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Harry Hoover

Harry Hoover is a partner in My Creative Team, the agency that makes Fortune 1000 clients look good. His communications career spans 35 years and runs the gamut from print and broadcast journalism, government and corporate communications to advertising and public relations agencies.

Latest posts by Harry Hoover (see all)

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