Last week, the whole Havas Just:: team went to Brighton to work on a range of different tools and techniques to improve our ideas generation process, which we call ‘Just:: Invent’. It was a really exciting two days collaborating among different teams, learning new skills and competing in a treasure hunt throughout Brighton – not to mention a three-course meal and some great wine to end a very busy first day!
The bootcamp started on Monday; we all arrived at Hotel du Vin Brighton, a really stunning hotel just minutes from Brighton beach. After settling in, we had the chance to familiarise ourselves with the Just:: Invent ‘roadmap’ and toolbox. We were then split into six teams to dive into tackling a fictional client brief and pitch.
Before we could go too deep into pitch preparation however, we were sent on the treasure hunt, with objectives ranging from finding the upside-down house to buying a rubber duck.
On Tuesday, we gathered in our teams to work out the challenges of our fictional pitch and come up with three big ideas for our ‘client’. We worked all day, using Just:: Invent techniques like ‘The Mum Test’ and ‘Hokey Spokey’ to generate and refine our ideas, before presenting them to the ‘client’ and the rest of the Just:: team on Tuesday afternoon.
It was an intense couple of days, but the knowledge that was shared amongst Justees and the team bonding that took place feels invaluable. We’ve compiled a list of insights into what we’ve learned, so keep reading!
1. Just:: Invent tools and techniques help create fantastic new ideas
Just:: Invent is what we call the process we use for creative thinking to come up with new, bold, and impactful ideas for our current or prospective clients.
It’s a creative toolbox of techniques such as ‘Revolution’ (identifying and then deliberately challenging the rules and assumptions of a brief) and ‘Related Worlds’ (bringing in a naïve expert to explore an alternative, but similar, issue in another area to that in your brief).
As new Justees, the Brighton bootcamp was the first time we were putting our Invent knowledge to use. We found that using these tools and techniques allowed for creative idea generation in a fun way, really getting our creative juices flowing. It was also interesting to experiment with what goes into choosing one tool over another.
There were so many amazing ideas generated from this session, using different combinations of tools, and it was wonderful to see our team expressing their creativity and innovation!
2. Every activity is an opportunity to expand our knowledge and gain new skills
Working at Havas Just::, we find ourselves alongside a phenomenal amount of talent. Every individual brings a unique background and experience to the table, meaning the company has a wide range of skills working together. Whilst we are familiar working with the people on our individual accounts, the bootcamp gave us the opportunity to get to know other people’s working styles and personalities better.
3. Teamwork is key
Sometimes, in the buzz of everyday work, one can forget to take a minute and look at how much effort goes into all projects, from all levels. Every member of the team plays a key role in ensuring the work we do is exceptional.
As teamwork is such an essential part of our work, we are constantly working to improve how we communicate with one another and work better together. With this exercise, it felt to us like we were all on the same level, regardless of experience; everyone was empowered to have a say. This allowed junior members of the team to overcome a shyness they might have shown otherwise, and was a great reminder of just how each person contributes to the growing business.
4. Smart work pays off
We were given a brief at 3pm on Monday, with only about six hours to deliver three brilliant, innovative and achievable ideas. Fast forward 24 hours and all six teams had produced high-quality pitches in this short time frame, surprising even our CEO Jennie!
This just goes to show that when you work smartly, you can overcome many challenges (even with a slight wine hangover from the previous night’s dinner!)
5. Brighton is full of friendly people… and rubber ducks
Our frantic treasure hunt through Brighton had us laughing over failed human-pyramid attempts, talking to strangers to hand out ‘Happy to Chat’ badges, and shocked to learn that the number of different rubber ducks in the famous Duck House is 300!
In conclusion, whilst our Brighton trip was a perfect way to learn and improve our creative and brainstorming skills to ensure that we continue to do the best work possible, it was also a wonderful way to unwind, have some fun, and appreciate the work of our fellow Justees. We all came back to London with a real sense of achievement and purpose!