Cossette East conquers the 36-hour Brainstorm
Melissa Noonan // October 25, 2011
Cossette East kicked up a storm last week – a brainstorm that is. Beginning October 20th and continuing for 36 hours straight, the marketing team banded together to solve problems that Haligonians had on…well… just about everything. I was lucky enough to be a participant for two of the 36 hours and was encouraged to contribute ideas, no matter how ridiculous.
When I arrived at Cossette’s ultra hip–yet traditional–headquarters at historic properties, the first thing that caught my eye was an open-door conference room. The atmosphere was surprisingly lively considering participants were nearing the 29th hour of the brainstorm marathon. I was greeted by Bruce Whelan, Creative Director for Cossette, Jennifer Beamer, Account Director, Shelley McAleenan, Account Executive, and intern Abady Alzahrani.
Bruce and Jennifer explained that Cossette East had been promoting the event on their Twitter account, encouraging Haligonians to send in problems for the team to solve. Those posing questions could reach Cossette via Twitter, Skype, or email and the team would brainstorm solutions in a judgment-free zone.
As I settled in, the group had already solved 68 problems. In the two hours I was present for the event, they zipped through another three. It is important to remember that the purpose of this event was not to create a communication plan for these problems, but to brainstorm possibilities. Any of the solutions that were listed would need substantial research, planning, and monitoring in order to yield effective results. However, the event did create a forum for Haligonians to challenge Cossette’s problem-solving skills, and created awareness for the marketing firm while focusing on the organization’s mantra: “Our ideas drive change.”
Another interesting part of the process was the integration of outside guests (such as myself) to the process, making it a true form of creative collaboration. Guests offered different perspectives to the problem-solving project based on their fields of expertise.
During my short time at the brainstorming event, representatives from Halifax Pop Explosion were present, a PR professional working out of Toronto contributed via Skype, and other students also popped by to add their brain power to the mix.
The interactivity of the event was not limited to social media and Skype. The entire 36-hour session was streamed live with audio and video at http://worldslongestbrainstorm.com/. This tool certainly came in handy as the Cossette team would often need further information from the person providing the question or problem. Participant audiences watching the video would hear the discussion and ‘reply’ to Cossette East through Twitter or Skype, giving the team a better understanding of the situation. This, in turn, allowed Cossette East to provide more useful and relevant solutions to problems.
Although some topics sent in were more serious, such as how to attract and retain doctors to rural areas of Nova Scotia, the team would usually try to rotate a serious or political issue with a lighter topic. For example, one question sent in was: “How can I travel around the world for free?” Answers ranged from marrying a pilot, to becoming a professional athlete, to volunteering.
The event was an integrative process with creative collaboration between Cossette and various outside guests. Combining different heuristic strengths, Cossette East creatively tackled and solved (at least in theory) a wide spectrum of issues. The event effectively portrayed Cossette as a company that is well-equipped, ready, and able to solve any problem that comes their way.
