#9 Creative process that fixed my 3 biggest marketing struggles

Hey there,

Some of the biggest struggles I faced in marketing weren’t just about generating ideas.

It was also about:

❌ Getting those ideas confirmed​
❌ Dealing with subjective feedback

If you’ve faced any of these, you’re not alone.

The good news? The same creative process solves all three problems.

And it starts with knowing when to work solo and when to bring others in.

Let’s dive in. 🚀

Working solo vs. working as a team

I do my best creative work alone.

✅ No distractions, no interruptions, no unnecessary feedback loops.
✅ I establish clarity by crafting the core message, picking creative techniques, and moving forward quickly.
✅ I prepare everything for presenting, so when the time comes to confirm ideas, everything is already structured.

But marketing isn’t a solo job—clients, stakeholders, and teams have to be involved.

And that’s where things can go wrong fast.

If you bring people in too early, they might:
❌ Derail progress with subjective opinions.
❌ Give input before an idea is fully developed.
❌ Shift the conversation away from what actually matters.

The key is making approvals structured.

The process that fixed everything for me

All I needed to do to remove friction points and subjective opinions was:

1️⃣ Explain what has been done – Give context to the work.
2️⃣ Walk through the process involved – Show the logic behind the ideas.
3️⃣ Clarify how the idea is supposed to work – Frame the discussion correctly.

Once everyone understands the foundation, feedback stops being random and becomes structured.

Let’s see what happens when you don’t frame the discussion properly vs. when you do.

Let’s break this down with a real example. Imagine we’re working on a campaign for spicy chicken wings. I’ll show you two different ways this idea could be presented—one with no structure and one with a clear framework.

Notice the difference in how the discussion plays out.

How to stop idea reviews from turning into a mess

I’m going to introduce the same concept using two approaches:

• one – unstructured, leaving room for subjective opinions.

• the other – structured, making the evaluation process objective.

See the difference that a structured introduction makes.

Now, let’s look at both approaches.

Here’s an example from my Creative Equations course:

🎯 The campaign message: Spicy chicken wings​
🎨 Creative technique used: Exaggeration

Option 1: No framing, just the visual

👀 I show a rough sketch of the concept—a person eating wings, flames coming out of their mouth—and ask:

💬 “What do you think about this idea?”

🚨 Now, I’ve just put everyone on the spot.

❌ Some people will try to sound smart.
❌ Others will focus on minor details to contribute something.
❌ The stress is now on them to figure out how to evaluate it.

Instead of evaluating whether the idea effectively conveys the message, people start nitpicking.

Option 2: Framing the discussion first

🟢 Before showing the concept, I explain:

✔ How a creative equation works: It guides the audience through three key stages—first, it grabs attention, then it sparks curiosity with visual ambiguity, and finally, it delivers clarity through a short text message.

✔ The campaign message: Spicy chicken wings (adjective + noun).

✔ The creative technique used: We are using exaggeration technique to dramatize the spiciness.

👀 Now, I show the visual and ask:

💬 Will this grab attention? ​
💬 Will it make the audience pause and think, "Wait, what’s going on here?"​
💬 Will it be clear once they read the message?

Considering all three:

• Does this visual effectively convey the message of ‘Spicy chicken wings’?
• Does the level of exaggeration make the ‘spicy’ message instantly clear?

🟢 Notice that we’re not discussing stylistics. That’s a design-phase concern. Right now, we’re here to confirm the concept.

Why structured discussions get faster approvals

By asking an open-ended question with no context (what do you think), you’re putting pressure on the people in the room.

Most people, when put in a spot like this, will:

• Try to sound confident.
• Make random suggestions just to contribute something.
• Shift the discussion to personal preferences.

But when you set the stage properly and structure the discussion, you remove that stress entirely.

Now, everyone is evaluating ideas based on their effectiveness, not their taste.

The same process fixed my biggest marketing struggles

It turns out, having a clear structure behind ideas doesn’t just make the creative process smoother—it also makes approvals faster and easier.

Meetings where ideas are presented are like dessert—everyone just wants to skip to the good part.

But if you delay it just a bit—if you take a moment to explain the structure and purpose behind the ideas before showing them—it changes everything.

Suddenly, everyone is on the same page.

Because your job isn’t just to share ideas—it’s to get them confirmed.

And making sure everyone understands the process before seeing the results?

That’s the fastest way to make it happen.

When you take the time to structure the setup, you’re not just making it easier for yourself—you’re making it easier for your clients and team to say ‘yes.’

The takeaway: structure = faster approvals and less friction

What clients and colleagues actually want is clarity in the process and trust that you know what you’re doing.

Working solo helps you move fast.

A structured approach when working with a team helps you get approval just as quickly—without unnecessary friction.

There’s no room for subjective opinions in this process.

A Creative Equation is a tool designed to take a clear message and turn it into something that grabs & holds attention for a few seconds.

It either does this, or it doesn’t.

There’s no one right way to execute a campaign—there are many.

And when there’s structure behind how ideas are presented, it becomes easy to decide if the proposed idea is one of those right, suitable ones.

Want to master this approach?

🔥 Want a structured way to turn clear messages into creative concepts?

My FREE Creative Equations course teaches:
✔ 2 methods to craft a message.
✔ 4 creative techniques to turn that message into a concept.

📌 Get instant access here.

Marketers who’ve applied this process report faster approvals, fewer revision cycles, and better client buy-in—because structured ideas don’t get stuck in subjective debates.

Until next time,​
Tomas

🎯 P.S. Don’t bring a knife to a marketing gunfight—bring a process that eliminates subjective opinions. 🚀